Organizers of the upcoming Surfaces show have lined up various industry veterans and educators for its 2008 Conference Program — each of which will bring to the table their brand of proven experiences to help attendees reach their business potential, says show organizer Hanley Wood, and show sponsor World Floor Covering Association (WFCA).

The Conference Program offers 48 conference sessions to choose from in five targeted tracks, including Marketing, Business, Sales, Design and Installation.

Highlights of the program include sister publication National Floor Trends’ columnists:

• Sam Allman, “How to Survive and Thrive During a Slowing Economy”
• Jonathan Trivers – “How to Create Your Own Empire”
• Warren Tyler – “Banishing Discounts Forever”

Also scheduled for the conference are:

• Bart Basi, Ph.D. – “Your Money, Your Business – Financial Management for the Business Owner”
• Lisbeth Calandrino – “Over Promise and Over Deliver: Building Your Competitive Advantage”
• Scott Perron – “Advertising to Survive – Think Like an Entrepreneur”
• Santo Torcivia – “Market Analysis for Retailers Made Easy”

Additional sessions will hit on the increasing demand of operating in a global economy, adopting sustainable business practices and how to profit by integrating “green” practices into everyday business.

New to this year’s Conference Program are six Mini Sessions that will hit on the industry’s hottest topics in a 60-minute abbreviated format. Some of the topics being covered are:

• “Exploring American Tile Design Trends” – Lori Kirk-Rolley, Nicole Mynatt, Laurie Lyza
• “Brand Aid – Think Like a Brand, Act Like a Retailer” – Rich Kizer and Georganne Bender
• “Color Stories” – Mark Woodman
• “Stone Trends” – Vincent Marazita, CSI

Also contributing their lifelong experiences and techniques are TILE Magazine’s Dave Gobis and Floor Covering Installer’s Mickey Moore in the Installation Showcase segment of the three-day event.

For complete course descriptions, visit www.surfaces.com.