Mega opens virtual convention

SASKATOON – For the second consecutive year, members of Mega Group will meet for their annual convention virtually and in the company and in the company of its American counterpart AVB Marketing of Sacramento, California, the operators of the BrandSource banner in the United States.

In a statement, the two member-owned organizations said they are “working together to bring the latest and greatest industry updates and solutions tailored to independent retailers’ realities in an ever-changing world.”

Themed the Double Down Summit, the event will be held online beginning tomorrow (23 March 2021) and running through Thursday using what group management describe as an easy-to-navigate virtual format.

The event will feature a virtual exhibit hall featuring exhibitors of interest to independent Canadian furniture, mattress and appliance retailers as well as a variety of education sessions such as Turn Your Showroom into a Selling Machine using Neuroscience; Fully Staffed: How to Find & Keep Great Employees in the Worst Labor Market Ever; Connect More, Convince Less; and Leading a Culture of Service.

The event’s keynote speaker will be marketing consultant Marcus Sheridan, who was recently named one of 20 ‘Speakers You Don’t Want to Miss’ by Forbes magazine, will who discuss consumer buying habits and how the independent retailer can adjust to the new virtual demands of buyers and take advantage of the digital age.

At 3pm Central Time on the first day of the convention, Mega Group chief executive officer Kim Yost will give his annual ‘state of the group’ report. He will be joined in the president by Richard Wall, the current chairman of the group’s board of directors and Kevin Leier, it long-serving chief financial officer.

The group will host its Spring Buy Fair virtually from 6:30 to 8:30pm Central time on the first day of the event (23 March).

The group will also host three Canadian themed virtual booths offering attending retailers information on such as Mega’s store design and accounting services as its Alta Advantage program and its BrandSource Canada banner.

The event will wrap up with a session hosted by Mega executive vice president of retail Michael Vancura called All in to Win, an awards ceremony to honour its outstanding vendors and retailers of the year.

While attendance is free to all Mega Group members, retailers who don’t belong but would like to attend will be charged US$99.  Interested parties should reach out to [email protected].