When Nationwide Marketing Group’s Regional Member Meeting opens in Dallas on May 25, it will have been 67 weeks since Nationwide members were together in person for any kind of event.
That’s a long time any way you look at it, which is why the group says excitement is building for the upcoming two-day meeting in Dallas (May 25-26)—the first of four Regional Member Meetings hosted by Nationwide.
From Dallas, the group will bring together members in Seattle (June 3-4), Orlando (June 7-8) and St. Louis (June 9-10) and give them the chance to hear from topical experts about ways of succeeding at every step of the customer journey—as well as an opportunity to participate in multiple open discussion roundtables focused on key business areas.
“You can never have enough education as an independent retailer,” says Nationwide’s President and Chief Member Advocate Tom Hickman. “We’re thrilled to be able to deliver this valuable content in an in-person setting that’s both safe and entirely focused on our members. Getting back to face-to-face meetings has been a long time coming, and we can’t wait to hit the road.”
Each regional event has an educational track that’s similar to the typical shopping cycle. Attendees will be guided through best practices and strategies for driving awareness, capitalizing on the consideration and evaluation phases, and ultimately, closing the sale.
They’ll also have a chance to hear from experts about topics like digital marketing, social media, review management, in-store experience, data-based merchandising, and website management, and have the opportunity to participate in category-driven roundtable discussions with fellow appliance, furniture and bedding, or consumer electronics retailers.
“For our first series of in-person events in over a year, we wanted to ensure the experience for each Regional Member Meeting was centered around the member,” says Nationwide’s Mike Whitaker, who leads the group’s education and leadership development efforts. “We know that they’ve come to expect top-notch educational offerings from the Nationwide team. And that’s exactly why we focused the program on very pragmatic, yet essential, strategies and best practices that our dealers can take home and apply to their businesses that day.”
Nationwide has had its eye set on in-person events since the pandemic started, and to foster a safe environment they’ve worked closely with hospitality staff at all four locations to make sure attendees can get the most out of the experience while staying safe.
“We’ve been in constant communication with the local hotels and city officials at each location to ensure we’re in lockstep with their safety guidelines, as well as those from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” explains Melissa Stenson, vice president of member experience for Nationwide. “We’re ecstatic about the opportunity to get back to face-to-face meetings with our members in a safe environment that will still be conducive to our program.”
Members can register for these regional events right through MemberNet. Non-members can request more information by emailing teamup@nationwidegroup.org.
