Global Home Textiles® Offering Exciting Conference Program
And Educational Seminars

Exhibitors and visitors to the Global Home Textiles® and Global Home Décor® shows will be able to take advantage of a dynamic conference program incorporating a full range of educational seminars and special events. Global Home Textiles and Global Home Décor will be held at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas May 6 to 8, 2008.

"We are planning an extremely exciting conference program highlighting key developments and changes in the international home furnishings marketplace," explains Penny Sikalis, vice president, global business development for leading trade show organizer George Little Management, LLC, (GLM®) which produces both shows.

"We are planning an extremely exciting conference program highlighting key developments and changes in the international home furnishings marketplace."—-Penny Sikalis, George Little Management

"A number of leading industry professionals will be participating in the Global Home Textiles and Global Home Décor conference program," Sikalis adds. "These knowledgeable industry executives will offer expert advice and opinions for manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, retailers, distributors, product development teams, agents and service providers in the global home furnishings industry." Seminar presenters will be announced in an upcoming issue of The Global Home Textiles Report.

GLM will offer a full roster of educational programming and special events during Global Home Textiles and Global Home Décor, including special seminars and networking meetings for both exhibitors and attendees. All events will be conveniently located on the Show floor at the Sands Expo and Convention Center.

The conference program kicks off on Tuesday, May 6 with a full day of complimentary Country Spotlights. Participants will learn about the unique business opportunities, trade advantages and production capabilities of the following countries: Egypt, from 10 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.; Italy, from 11 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.; Pakistan, from 1 p.m. to 1:45 p.m.; China, from 2 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.; and India, from 3 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. Programs will be presented by delegates from each country. Admission is free, but advance registration is requested.

The conference program continues on Wednesday May 7 and Thursday May 8 with two seminars each day, presented by Nexco. The cost for a complete conference package of all four sessions is $250 in advance or $300 on site; individual sessions cost $75 in advance or $85 on site. All sessions will be followed by a question-and-answer period.

The first seminar on Wednesday May 7 will be "Selecting Overseas Suppliers – Best Practices" and will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. This session is targeted at executives who are looking to import home products or expand their sourcing horizons. The seminar will provide an in-depth overview of minimizing risk by learning the key steps for choosing and qualifying factories, confirming payment terms, and best practices for working with suppliers as well as agencies. Other topics to be covered include monitoring production, protecting intellectual property, and the "nuts and bolts" of compliance and security.

The second seminar on Wednesday May 7 will be "Ensuring Product Safety & Quality Control" and will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. This session will address concerns about quality control and safety of product. Topics include how to ensure a product is safe for a specific end-use and how to create/maintain a top-notch quality control system, including ensuring that suppliers and manufacturers know and adhere to U.S. laws.

The first seminar on Thursday May 8 will be "Introduction to Importing/Sourcing" and will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. This session will cover government regulations, quotas, free trade agreements, rules of origin, and other important compliance issues specifically affecting the home products industry. Participants will learn about document clearance, INCOTERMs, post-entry requirements and the legal issues.

The second seminar on Thursday May 8 will be "Using Free Trade Agreements to your Advantage!" and will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. This session will explore Free Trade Agreements throughout the world, and address the specific agreements the U.S. has with various countries, including the US-Israel FTA; US-Bahrain FTA; NAFTA, CAFTA and many others.

Both Global Home Textiles and Global Home Décor serve U.S. importers, wholesalers and mid- to large volume retailers seeking to source directly from overseas producers. Global Home Textiles showcases home textiles manufacturers and their manufacturing capabilities and will feature an estimated 350 manufacturers from around the world, including suppliers of bed, bath and table linens, window treatments and home furnishings fabrics.

The new, complementary Global Home Décor show highlights home decor manufacturers and their manufacturing capabilities and will present an estimated 300 overseas suppliers of accent furniture, home accessories, lighting, tabletop and giftware to North American home décor buyers. Global Home Décor will showcase manufacturers from India, China, the Philippines, Japan, Mexico, Indonesia and other countries.

To register for the conference program and individual seminars, simply go to: http://www.globalhometextiles.com/design/showinfo/programs.html.

Global Home Textiles once again is co-locating with GLM's Gourmet Housewares Show®, which also will be held at the Sands Expo, as well as the National Hardware Show®, Lawn & Garden World® and the Homewares Show™, produced by Reed Exhibition at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Frequent shuttle buses will run between the convention centers and hotels to allow visitors to maximize their show experiences. Badge reciprocity will allow market participants into the co-located venues. The combined home products trade shows are expected to draw more than 40,000 participants, including an estimated 4,000 total exhibitors.

For more information on trends in natural fibers, please click here.

For more information on home textiles producers from Egypt, please click here.