CDS and WHFA Team Up To Create Valuable Educational Resource

Furniture World Magazine

CDS Solutions Group, industry innovators in business and software solutions, teamed up with Western Home Furnishings Association (WHFA) to provide attendees of their recently held Aloha Conference & Tradeshow (on Hawaii’s Big Island) with a take-away that can truly impact the success of their business. When CDS President Ren Baker learned that the educational component of the annual conference included concurrent sessions, he thought it would be extremely beneficial to capture each session on tape and provide a DVD with the entire program for the retailers in attendance. By providing an entire set to attendees, retailers were able to see sessions that they were unable to attend while at the conference, as well as share all sessions with their teams back home. “The content of these sessions is powerful and valuable to the retailer. I’m sure they will be viewed numerous times and shared with co-workers throughout the organization,” reports Baker. “It would also be a great addition to a retailer’s training program when new employees are brought on board.” Education is a main focus of WHFA’s events and those who attend gain valuable knowledge that they take back and apply to their business. "We were thrilled to be able to provide our attendees with technology that enables them to share the conference experience, education, and excitement with those unable to attend,” reports Sharron Bradley, Executive Director of WHFA. “We are so thankful to CDS Solutions for their generous contribution of this extremely valuable resource." The 6-DVD Volume set includes the presentations of over 15 industry professionals, sharing their expertise on a wide variety of retail management topics. Baker himself conducted two sessions at the conference, one on E-Commerce and one on the Return on Capital Employed. “WHFA always does a great job of putting together a program that provides attendees with a wide range of topics that will truly impact their business. As a strong supporter of both the association and educating the industry, it was our pleasure to be able to do this for them.” With a fully-equipped post production sound studio at their Lancaster, PA location, CDS had the capabilities to do the project internally. “I tape a number of my consulting and educational presentations for clients and have the resources to produce and edit right on site. I’m excited we were able to provide a quality product that will prove a valuable addition to a retailer’s educational library. The feedback we’ve received has been very positive.” WHFA Director of Events Cindi Williams worked closely with CDS to ensure attendees would receive something of great value as a conference take-away. “The opportunity to partner on this DVD with our friends at CDS Solutions Group took our annual conference to the next level,” reports Williams. “The addition of the free educational DVD to the attendees’ resource library will justify the time commitment made to attend this event for years to come. We are so grateful to have partners who understand the value of providing such a great benefit to our attendees.”