2005 Para Management Conference Gives Specialty Audio-Video Retailers Recipes For Success

CEA Market Research, Business Strategy and New Technologies Highlight Conference Agenda

11-Mar-05

Key representatives of the audio-video, home theater and custom electronics industries will gather at the 2005 Professional Audio-Video Retailers Association (PARA) Management Conference to learn and share information about the latest technologies, market research and business strategies that affect the specialty audio-video market. The conference, produced by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), will take place May 11-15, 2005, at the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego, California.PARA, a division of CEA since its June 2004 merger, represents more than 250 dealer and retailer members involved in the retail of specialty audio-video, home theater and custom electronics products.ìThe Management Conference has always been the flagship event of PARA,î said John Flanner, Chair of the PARA Division. ìThe conference brings retailers and manufacturers together to discuss issues vital to growing the specialty audio-video retail channel and enhancing the overall consumer electronics marketplace. This year?s conference offers enhanced programming, deeper opportunities for manufacturer-retailer interaction, and expanded networking and management resources.îDr. Richard DíAventi, a Professor at the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth University, will kick-off the conference with a keynote presentation on Thursday, March 12. DíAventiís presentation will focus on how to predict which technologies will become future category killers and anticipate which new technologies will be the most profitable for specialty retailers. Also on tap for Thursday is a keynote dedicated to digital home technologies and a panel session, moderated by Marketing Professional Noah Herschman, designed to help retailers incorporate new technologies into their overall sales strategy. The afternoon features additional sessions focused on retail management, sales strategy and business planning and operations. Fridayís full day of sessions begins with David Stollmack, President of Stollmack Consulting, who will moderate a panel discussion on the future of the audio industry. George Liu, Founder and President of Audio Visions South, and Gary Yacoubian, President of MyerEmco AudioVideo and Vice Chair of the PARA Division, will discuss ways to rejuvenate the audio business and the new technologies on the market that will help spur it?s growth, including high definition television (HDTV), super-audio CD (SACD) and DVD-Audio. Following the panel discussion, a new technology update session will uncover which technologies are driving the specialty business and what affect they will have on the retail channel in the coming years.On Saturday, the final day of the conference, Sean Wargo, CEAís Director of Industry Analysis, will present exclusive new CEA research on motivating the specialty retail associate. Author Jackie Freiberg will uncover methods for inspiring employees to take ownership in their companies and better serve customers and the bottom line. And a final action-packed session will feature Jason Knott, Editor of CE Pro Magazine, who will moderate a panel with Steve Caldero, Vice President of Sales at Ken Craneís Home Entertainment and other industry veterans, on developing top-notch retail sales associates.Wrapping up a busy week of conference sessions, meetings and networking events, attendees will enjoy a cocktail reception and closing dinner featuring the 2005 Demmy Awards. The inaugural Demmy awards recognize recordings that reflect the highest quality of sound engineering that help to drive the sale of high performance audio equipment.ìWorking with CEA and honing their considerable expertise in education and market research brings a whole new dimension to the management conference,î said Yacoubian. ìCoupled with PARAís specialized retail industry experience and networking, the 2005 event is shaping up to be the most successful to date ? one certainly not to be missed.îFor more information, visit www.CE.org/events

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