Marble Institute of America: Education: 3nd Annual MIA Leadership April 28, 2008 Orlando, Florida

April 28, 2008
Orlando, Florida
3nd Annual MIA Leadership Workshop
(held prior to Coverings)

If you want to hone your stone industry leadership skills and change the way you do business—then plan on attending the MIA's leadership workshop! Attendees will be coached by two of the most sought after specialists in the business world. These experts will help you and others in your company to understand and master forces and trends that are affecting the business environment, especially yours.

If you are already planning on traveling to Orlando for Coverings (April 29 - May 2), consider extending your trip by one day to attend this workshop! The event will kick-off with a networking session on Sunday evening (April 27th) and feature R. Sam Bowers (Marketing, Sales, and Pricing Strategies for the New Economy) and Holly Green (Innovating Every Day) on Monday (April 28th).

We’re going to give you...

A chance to be with people who have proven strategies that will help keep you in business.
An opportunity to find someone in attendance who just faced down the Goliath company down the street, and actually increased sales.
The prospect of being with other stone executives you couldn't meet any other way.
This workshop is an investment in your company's future - you won't want to miss this event!

What others are saying about past MIA leadership workshops...

"The lessons presented are critical for all business leaders." Brett Rugo, Rugo Stone, Lorton, VA

"For the 2nd year this was the most valuable time I could spend out of the office!" Kelly Milligan, VIC International, Knoxville, TN

"The MIA Leadership Workshop was informative and a learning experience for me. I will apply some of these theories not only to my professional life but also in my personal life." Kathy Frank, Atlantic Granite & Marble, Rochester, NY

"The topics and balance of the speakers was full of hard hitting real world ideas we can use to make our organization better." Brett Gowan, Stone Interiors East, Gaston, SC

About the Instructors...

R. Sam Bowers, Jr. is President and Founder of the Service Sales Institute. Bowers has also been President and COO of multiple divisions of a company he helped grow from $7 million to over $465 million, and an Economics Professor. He has spoken to thousands of CEOs, numerous associations, and conducted hundreds of strategic planning and positioning meeting for corporations. Sam presented at the 2006 MIA Leadership Workshop and is back by popular demand.

Holly Green has more than 20 years of executive level and operations experience in FORTUNE 100, entrepreneurial, and management consulting organizations. She was previously President of The Ken Blanchard Companies, a global consulting and training organization as well as LumMed, Inc. a biotech start up. Experiences include working as both an internal and an external resource for multinational corporations including The Coca-Cola Company, AT&T, Dell Computer, Bass Hotels & Resorts, QUALCOMM, Expedia, Inc., RealNetworks, Inc. and Google.

NATURAL STONE INDUSTRY PANEL
The seminar will be wrapped up with an industry panel of successful stone industry executives who will focus on how the information presented during the workshop can impact the industry.

The Schedule...

Sunday evening, April 27th
8-9pm Opening Networking Session
Meet other attendees, the speakers, representatives of the sponsoring organizations and the Marble Institute!

Monday, April 28th
7:30am Continental Breakfast
8:30am Welcome - Gary Distelhorst, MIA Executive Vice President
8:45am Marketing, Sales, and Pricing Strategies for the New Economy - R. Sam Bowers
If your company has questions about its current sales, marketing and pricing models in a more competitive and buyer driven world, then this presentation is a strategic eye opener.

Learn how to prosper in an economy where our service and /or our products are being quickly commoditized.
Concentrate on what needs to be done to take advantage of the new realities and how to abandon old anchors.
Focus on the secret to profit (learning to ask what the customer wants and not exceeding what they will pay).
Discuss how companies can close deals, make money, and grow in markets where the buyer seems to dictate all the rules is the main theme of the presentation.

12 noon Lunch
1:00pm Innovating Every Day— Holly Green
This interactive, upbeat approach to incorporating innovation into your company and almost everything you do. This presentation will enable participants to see the world in a multitude of ways so that innovation becomes an every day activity - not just something you do when you are brainstorming with a team.

Explore what innovation looks and feels like— determine if innovation is important individually and organizationally.
Assess individual and organizational innovation to become clear on what is possible and determine what is desired.
Unlearn tried and true innovation eradicators
Walk away with multiple tools, tips and techniques that can be put into practice immediately, reference book, and a series of weekly email follow-up materials to support cultivating the habit of innovation.

4:00pm Panel Discussion
5:00pm Closing Remarks
Dinner on your own

NOTE: Coverings is from April 29 - May 2, 2008.

Registration...
MIA Member: $399
Additional People: $369

Non-Member: $499
Additional People: $469

Registration includes:

Opening Networking Session
Morning coffee/refreshments
Lunch
Speaker handouts/resources
$50 Coupon for the MIA Bookstore

2 Easy ways to register:
Fill out & fax the attached registration form - click here.
Call 1-440-250-9222

Event/Hotel Site...

The Rosen Plaza Hotel
9700 International Drive
Orlando, FL 32819

The MIA is holding a handful of rooms for this event until March 25, 2008. Phone: 800.217.0002—Mention MIA Leadership Workshop under the Coverings room block; Or book your hotel room online at: http://www.coverings.com/housing-and-travel-4.html (use the following access code: MIALWO).

Refunds...
MIA reserves the right to amend the program should circumstances warrant such action. In the event of course cancellation, MIA will notify you within 7 business days to the program date, and will refund seminar fees. Liability for course cancellation is specifically limited to the amount of registration fees and excludes any incidental or consequential damages. If you plan to register on-site, please check MIA's website www.marble-institute.com (click on MIA Education) the date prior to the seminar for any updates on this event. Individual seminar cancellations must be made in writing. Registration fees are non-refundable for cancellations received less than 7 business days prior to the seminar. Substitutions are welcome.

Sponsors...

This event would not be possible without the support offered by:

Local Event Partners

OHM International
International

April 28, 2008 Orlando, Florida 3nd Annual MIA Leadership Workshop(held prior to Coverings)

April 28, 2008
Orlando, Florida
3nd Annual MIA Leadership Workshop
(held prior to Coverings)