National Clothesline

Before they attend this year’s Clean Show in Florida, cleaners will have an opportunity to learn about “Fresh Ideas for Challenging Times” at the International Drycleaners Congress’s annual convention.

The event will be held at the Renaissance Orlando Resort from June 19-22.

Sunday will be devoted to registration and a welcome reception, as well as a meeting of the IDC board. On the following morning, the convention will officially open at 8 a.m. when guest speaker John Jordan, president of Fabritec International and chairman of the convention, offers opening remarks.

Afterward, the first educational session will begin at 8:50 a.m. and run until 10:30 a.m. Three different industry experts will focus on the topic of “These Challenging Times,” offering their views of the industry’s future and explain how some creative thinking may give cleaners a competitive edge in the market.

IFI President-Elect Gary Dawson will speak first with a seminar entitled “The Challenges Facing Our Industry.” He will be joined by NCA Executive Director Nora Nealis, who will address “Meeting the Challenges From an Association Perspective.”

Darcy Moen, the “Supreme Commander and Chief Digital Mechanic” of the Customer Loyalty Network, will help cleaners with the “Creative Thinking” portion of the program.

The day’s second educational session will emphasize the importance of “Diversification” from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Servicing wedding gowns has proven quite profitable for speaker Sally Lorensen Conant, Ph.D., the administrative coordinator of the Association of Wedding Gown Specialists. A former museum professional, Conant now operates the largest gown preservation service in New England, often working as a consultant to museums and historical societies.

Other branching out options addressed during the session will include leather and theatrical cleaning, diversification in Japan, and fire restoration, which will be presented by Malcolm MacGregor.

Later in the afternoon, Jim Parham will take cleaners on a three-hour tour of various plants in the local area.

On Tuesday, June 21, IDC’s third educational session will examine “Implementing New Marketing Initiatives Successfully” from 8:35 to 10:50 a.m.

Jim Parham will look at “Customer Relationships” and Jack Barth will talk about “Rewarding Customers Using Database Marketing.” Barth is the president and manager of Barth’s Cleaning Centre in Ontario, Canada. He is also the IDC regional president of region 9.

David Hillary, president of Fraser Hillarys Ltd. in Ontario, will draw on his 55 years of cleaning industry experience to add his thoughts on the subject of “The Personal Method of Marketing.”

Rounding out the speakers for the session will be Sid Tuchman, president of Tuchman Training Systems in Indianapolis, Indiana, who will speak on “How to Increase the Value of Your Company.”

Following that session, Mark Rockcastle will host the 2004-05 Fellowship reports. He is the IDC Fellowship Chair and the vice president of R.R. Street & Co., Inc.

Before attendees take a break for lunch, IDC will offer a 70-minute program presenting reports on international drycleaning developments, including the Far East, Australasia and Europe. A report on the industry in the Americas will also be provided by Trevor Holmes, national sales manager of Seitz, Inc. and president of the Cleaners and Launderers Allied Trades Association.

During lunch, attendees will have an opportunity to learn about IDC’s early plans for its 2006 convention, and, in the afternoon, the association will host its annual general meeting at 2:40 p.m.

The president’s reception will begin the evening’s festivities at 6:30 p.m. and will be hosted by Chris Tebbs, executive director of IDC. A banquet emceed by Tom Hopkins, the retired CEO of Gibson Cleaners Co., Ltd. will follow at 7:30 p.m.

At 9:30 p.m., the IDC Awards will be handed out and the new officers for the 2005-06 term will be inducted into office.

On Wednesday, the day before Clean ’05 officially opens, IDC will head to the fairways for its annual golf tournament.

Hotel accommodations at the Renaissance Orlando Resort at Seaworld will be available for convention-goers at a special rate of $129 per night plus taxes for single/double occupancy.

All room reservations must be made through Yamato Travel Bureau since IDC has guaranteed payment on a number of rooms for the convention. Online registration is available at www.idcnews.org.

Cleaners can also visit the site to obtain full registration packages at a rate of $549 per person, which includes admittance to the welcome cocktail party, convention banquet and all business sessions. For non-members, the same package costs $699 per person — which also includes a one-year membership with IDC.

Those who want a relaxing getaway prior to the hustle and bustle of the IDC and Clean Show programs can capitalize on a pre-convention tour package.

IDC offers a week-long deep sea cruise that begins on Sunday, June 12 on the Royal Caribbean International’s “Mariner of the Seas” cruise ship, which will depart from Port Canaveral.

The ship will pass through ports in Nassau, Charlotte Amalie and St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands. It will also stop in Phillipsburg, St. Maarten.

Passengers will return to Port Canaveral on Saturday in time for the convention. Rates for the cruise vary, depending on the quality of room accommodations. Prices range from $1,050 per guest for an inside stateroom on deck 9 to $1,960 per guest for a junior suite on decks 6-10.

For more information, contact IDC, (403) 685-4755.