Windward Design Group to Kick Off Updated Open House Program in August

July 21, 2021  by Laurie Northington in Business Strategy, Designer Weekly, Industry   

For 2021, due to changing buying and travel patterns, the event will take on a new and more flexible look. The entire month of August has been designated by the casual furnishings manufacturer for individual open houses. The new schedule will allow the national team of independent sales representatives, the outdoor furnishings retail partners and the Windward Design Group management team the flexibility to schedule dates for gathering in the South Florida showroom and manufacturing facilities at their convenience. The individualized meetings will include product education, marketing processes coaching, customer service training as well as national networking opportunities. The theme of the month-long program will mirror the outdoor furnishings manufacturer’s brand messaging; “Quality, Consistency and Made in the USA.”

“Our Open House has been very popular with everyone in our company from the executive team to our valuable manufacturing folks as each is able to interact with our professional representatives as well as those retailers who are on the front line of selling our products,” said Rachel Peace, chief information officer, Windward Design Group. “With the new structure of the event and the flexibility of dates, we are looking for even greater participation. We have found that the conversation and comradery that occurs during this event are invaluable in how we better market and manufacturer our products.”

The August flexible open house program has been designed by Windward Design Group in response to requests from representatives and retailers nationwide to accommodate and react to the challenges they are facing across the marketplace. 

“Being able to host retailers at the Windward Design Group’s Sarasota facility is a valuable sales and educational tool for my retailers and me,” said Doug Becht, owner, Jack Becht LTD., Sales Representative for Illinois Indiana Minnesota, and Wisconsin. “As we head into the new season, the Open House allows me to give our existing and new retailers an advanced, in-depth look into what's new and exciting, in a more relaxed, comfortable environment than waiting until the Casual Market in September.  Now, more than ever, retailers are seeking out domestic manufacturers who offer better, more stable price point products, with shorter, more reliable lead times, to partner with for the 2022 season.”