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From Home Furnishing Business

AHFA Announces Key Educational Events for 2026

December 21, 2025  by Karen Parrish in Business Strategy, Industry   

ICFA kicks the year off with its ELEVATE 2026 Conference at The Westin in New Orleans February 9-12. This event is open to ICFA members only. From transformative workshops and actionable sessions to unforgettable networking events (and a dash of Mardi Gras flair), the owners, leaders, changemakers and forward-thinkers within the casual furniture industry will come together to elevate the casual sector and learn how to grow their businesses in 2026.

Sessions on the comprehensive agenda include AI, customer service, communications, consumer buying trends, regulations and an economic outlook for the year. The registration deadline is Friday, January 2, 2026.

A new event on the 2026 calendar is a Packaging Forum slated Wednesday, March 4. This one-day event will explain new Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws for packaging, which require manufacturers and retailers to share in the cost of recycling or disposing of packing materials used for shipping products.

Oregon was the first state to pass and implement an EPR regulation for packaging. It took effect in July 2025, and companies began paying participation fees (or non-compliance fines) at the end of the year. Additional states with new laws in place – all with different implementation timelines – include Colorado, Maryland, Maine, Minnesota, California and Washington, and more are anticipated in 2026.

The Packaging Forum will be held at The Conference Center at Guilford Technical Community College in Colfax, North Carolina, just 10 minutes from Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro. This event will be open to all interested parties, and registration begins Monday, January 5, 2026.

Registration for AHFA’s 2026 Global Logistics and Supply Chain Conference will open a week later on Monday, January 12. The conference is slated June 15-17 at the Delta Virginia Beach Waterfront Hotel in Virginia Beach. This event brings together industry experts, policymakers and technology providers to explore the latest trends, challenges and innovations driving logistics and supply chain excellence worldwide.

Next up on the AHFA calendar of events is the August 26-27 Marketing/PR Conference, the only educational program dedicated to the unique information needs of home furnishings marketing professionals. It is the second of three 2026 events slated at The Conference Center at Guilford Technical Community College, and it is open to AHFA members and non-members alike.

The AHFA Regulatory Summit – the industry’s essential forum for all executives charged with regulatory compliance for their companies – is the third 2026 event at the GTCC Conference Center. The Regulatory Summit will be held October 28-29 and also is open to AHFA members and non-members alike.

Registration information for 2026 events can be found on the Events page of the AHFA website, www.ahfa.us, in January and will be expanded as program details are finalized throughout the year.