Wednesday, March 11
*User Sessions are for registered retail members only.
Kickoff Speaker (6pm) and Welcome Reception (7:30pm) are open to all registered retail members and vendor partners.
USER SESSIONS OPEN TO FMG RETAIL MEMBERS ONLY
*3:00 - 4:00 pm | FMG Member User Session: DispatchTrack
DispatchTrack provides a connected, streamlined last mile logistics solution that can handle as many trucks and orders as you can throw at it. Retailers need real-time data flows to empower proactive customer service and fast, accurate routing for ever-changing delivery parameters. DispatchTrack provides a highly-scalable SaaS solution, built out over more than 10 years in tandem with our customers in the shipping industry.
Broadway/Carnegie
*4:00 - 5:00 pm | FMG Member User Session: FMG Digital
Broadway/Carnegie
*5:00 - 5:30 pm | FMG Member User Session: Wells Fargo
Broadway/Carnegie
3:00 - 6:00 pm | Registration Desk Open
Sir Harry’s Lounge
5:00 - 5:45 pm | Kickoff Reception
Sir Harry’s Lounge
6:00 - 6:15 pm | Welcoming Remarks
Jerry Baer, FMG Board of Directors President | Baer’s Furniture, Pompano Beach, FL
Central Park Ballroom
6:15 - 7:30 pm | Symposium Kickoff Keynote: Kyle Scheele
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Kyle Scheele has been called “the patron saint of crazy ideas”. Whether he’s having a Viking funeral for the regrets of 21,000 people, hosting the world’s first fake marathon, or gaining a million TikTok followers in just 25 hours, Kyle is always on the lookout for crazy ideas that produce wildly outsized outcomes. Over the last decade, his projects have been featured in outlets like Fast Company, WIRED, The Washington Post, Yahoo!, BuzzFeed, UpWorthy, Goalcast, and more. His videos have been viewed over 250 million times, and he has spoken to hundreds of thousands of audience members across the United States. More than anything, Kyle hopes that his story can inspire others to chase their own crazy ideas and become the people they were meant to be. |
Sponsored by Serta Simmons Bedding
Central Park Ballroom
7:30 - 9:30 pm | Welcome Reception
Join us for heavy hors d‘oeuvres and an open bar along with tabletop exhibits from our vendor partners.
Grand Ballroom
Thursday, March 12
7:15 - 8:15 am | Breakfast
Grand Ballroom
8:15 - 8:30 am | Welcoming Remarks
Mike Herschel, FMG President
Central Park Ballroom
8:30 - 9:30 am | Opening Morning Keynote: Gerry O'Brion
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Gerry O’Brion is a marketing keynote speaker and author who translates big brand strategies into knowledge that any business can use to win in the marketplace. Gerry’s presentations drive growth with companies of all sizes from small businesses to billion dollar brands. Gerry built his career growing big brands and distills that experience into creating strategies and real ideas that are actionable immediately. After earning his MBA at the University of Michigan, he worked with Procter & Gamble on brands such as Crisco, Tide, Mr. Clean, and Spic & Span. Next, at Coors Brewing Company he managed Coors Light, a $2 billion business. He was then VP of Marketing for the $1.5 billion Quiznos restaurant chain. Gerry was most recently VP of Marketing for Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, a $1 billon brand. Gerry works to first understand his client’s unique goals and challenges, and then to deliver a presentation that delivers maximum impact for every dollar invested. |
Central Park Ballroom
9:30 - 10:15 am | Mattress Panel
Erik Brandt, Serta Simmons Bedding
Stefani Norton, Tempur-Sealy International
Brad Rogers, Ashley Furniture Industries
Moderator: Cindy Baker, Furniture Fair OKI
Central Park Ballroom
10:15 - 10:40 am | Break
Grand Ballroom
10:40 - 11:20 am | Decoding Today’s Furniture Shopper
Jennifer Johns, Elevate Marketing Research
Central Park Ballroom
11:20 am - 12:00 pm | Policy Reset: How Fiscal, Monetary and Trade Frameworks Shape 2026
Nicole Cervi, Wells Fargo
Central Park Ballroom
GOLF OR STORE TOUR MUST BE SELECTED WHEN REGISTERING
12:00 - 5:00 pm | Lunch & Golf Tournament
Additional cost: $100 for Retail Members, $250 for Vendor Sponsors
Lunch will be provided at the Golf Club upon your arrival.
Sponsored by Tempur-Sealy International
Waldorf Astoria Golf Club
12:00 - 1:00 pm | Lunch (non-golfers)
Lunch will be provided in the ballroom for those attendees who are not golfing.
Grand Ballroom
1:00 - 5:30 pm | Store Tour
Bus will leave promptly at 1:00 pm to tour two member stores:
- Baer’s, Winter Garden
- El Dorado, Altamonte Springs
6:30 - 9:30 pm | Vendor Appreciation Party
Join us for heavy hors d’oeuvres and an open bar.
Waldorf Astoria Golf Clubhouse
Friday, March 13
*Sessions after lunch are for registered retail members only.
7:15 - 8:15 am | Breakfast
Grand Ballroom
8:15 - 8:30 am | Welcome
Mike Herschel, FMG President
Central Park Ballroom
8:30 - 9:00 am | Signature Sale Presentations
Central Park Ballroom
9:00 - 10:00 am | Improving CX With AI
John Andrew Schultz, Levin Furniture
Mark Braun, STORIS
Steven Shively, Digitide
Central Park Ballroom
10:00 - 10:30 am | Signature Sale Presentations
Central Park Ballroom
10:30 - 11:00 am | Break
Grand Ballroom
11:00 am - 12:15 pm | Signature Sale Presentations
Central Park Ballroom
12:15 - 1:15 pm | Lunch
Grand Ballroom
*AFTERNOON SESSIONS OPEN TO FMG RETAIL MEMBERS ONLY
*1:15- 1:20 pm | Welcome Back
Mike Herschel, FMG President
Central Park Ballroom
*1:20- 2:45 pm | Advertising Review: Video
Brad Lebow, HHL
Central Park Ballroom
*2:45 - 3:00 pm | Break
Central Park Ballroom
*3:00 - 4:00 pm | Advertising Review: Digital
Michael Herschel IV, Marketing Director, FMG
Central Park Ballroom
*4:00 - 5:00 pm | Best Ideas & Merchandising Tips
Dennis Hoy, Vice President, FMG
Central Park Ballroom
*5:00 - 6:00 pm | Closing Reception
Gathering & Networking Cocktail Reception – open to retail members and their spouses
Sponsored by STORIS
Sir Harry’s Lounge
6:00 PM | Dinner on your own
*6:00 - 8:00 pm | STORIS Client Meet-up
Sir Harry’s Lounge
Saturday, March 14
**Today’s sessions are for registered retail members only.
7:30- 8:30 am | Breakfast
Central Park Ballroom E-H