Daily News
From Home Furnishing Business
WithIt Announces A Tour of The Home Furnishings Industry for Students
November 2,
2020 by Laurie Northington in Business Strategy, Designer Weekly, Industry 
WithIt, the women’s leadership development network for the home and furnishings industry, has announced A Tour of The Home Furnishings Industry, an expansion of its extensive mentoring program for all students through a virtual platform.
Currently scheduled for Dec. 10 from 12 – 5 p.m., A Tour of The Home Furnishings Industry will be a half-day experience featuring interactive discussion from mentors and volunteers from all fields within the furniture community with the goal of educating and promoting the different facets of the industry. The event will also have a speed networking opportunity where students have the chance to meet and chat with industry professionals within a quick 3-minute time frame as well as breakout sessions catered to specific interests. The event will be free for all students to participate.
“The goal of this event is for students to experience the different options our industry has to offer as well as create connections with industry leading professionals,” says Amy Van Dorp, WithIt Executive Director.
Sponsorships for the event are welcome and encouraged in order to show and provide industry support for the college students during this difficult period in their educational experience. The college lifestyle has drastically changed due to COVID-19 implications, and the WithIt community hopes this response and informative event will aid students in finding internship opportunities, career mentors and a better sense of the home furnishings industry. This event will also offer vendor booths as part of a sponsorship opportunity for companies to network and recruit for internship positions.
Since 1999, WithIt has awarded over $132,000 in tuition scholarships to qualified young women in areas of study that apply to the home industries. The WithIt community has constantly had a passion in mentoring and educating today’s youth on the home furnishings industry as a whole. The WithIt board has selected 10 scholarship recipients who show excellence and passion for the home furnishings industry and will invite these individuals to attend their conference in the spring of 2021. These 10 students will be paired with a mentor from the WithIt member community and experience virtual development, educational training and open discussion through a one on one virtual commitment.