International Casual Furnishings Association (ICFA) Announces Award Criteria

Furniture World Magazine

The International Casual Furnishings Association (ICFA) announced revisions to both its Design Excellence and Apollo Award competitions. Two new product categories are added to the annual Design Excellence competition for 2009: - Fabric - Outdoor carpeting, rugs and flooring Also, a fee of $100 per entry has been instituted. As in the past, only ICFA member companies may enter the Design Excellence Competition. The judging panel will include a balanced group of journalists, designers and retailers. The ICFA Board of Directors also announces changes to the selection criteria for its annual Apollo Award, which recognizes excellence in casual furniture retailing. Nominations may be made by any ICFA member, and nominees must be ICFA members. The top five finalists in two categories – single store and multi-store – will be selected by a vote of ICFA manufacturer/importer members. After the top five stores in the two categories have been selected, the ICFA Board of Directors will vote by secret ballot to name an Apollo Award winner in each category. “With the creation of the new International Casual Furnishings Association, the board of directors felt it was important to re-examine our award criteria and selection process in light of having all industry stakeholders under one umbrella,” explains ICFA Executive Director Joseph P. Logan. “We want all Association members to be part of the award nomination and selection process.” The ICFA board will defer presenting two awards: the Manufacturer Leadership Award and Merchandising Excellence Award. An ICFA committee is evaluating presentation of these awards in future years. The ICFA Board also is considering developing a new award to be presented to an outstanding casual furniture sales representative. ICFA will continue to present the Lifetime Achievement Awards. “ICFA and its predecessor organizations have been recognizing excellence in the casual furnishings industry for 50 years,” Logan points out. “We look forward to continuing this proud tradition in 2009.”