Closets may be at the top of the marquee, but manufacturers of custom cabinets and woodwork will find themselves in comfortable surrounds at the 8th Annual Closets & Home Organization Conference & Expo, Feb. 15-17 at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, TX.

The one-of-a-kind industry event is bolstered by the 3rd Custom Cabinet Conference, being presented in partnership by the Cabinet Makers Association and Custom Woodworking Business magazine. What’s more, the vast majority of exhibitors of the Closets Expo will feature displays for not only manufacturers and specifiers of closet systems, but of cabinets, garages, home offices and other storage solutions.

Moving Forward
“Getting Ahead, Staying Ahead in Advance of the Economic Recovery” is the theme of the 2012 Custom Cabinet and Closet conferences. A carefully selected mix of expert presenters — most of them closet or cabinet professionals — will share their knowledge and experience of how they have not only coped amid the economic slowdown, but have learned to capitalize on it at the expense of their less aggressive competitors.

For the third straight year, the Cabinet Makers Assn. (CMA) is teaming up with Custom Woodworking Business magazine to present executive-level education programs for owners and managers of custom woodworking and cabinet companies.

Most of the programs, including the ever-popular “Essentials of Cost Estimating,” are applicable for owners and managers of closet and garage organization companies as well.

The 3rd Custom Cabinet Conference will be held Feb. 16-17, the same days that the Closets Expo is open at the Austin Convention Center. The CMA will offer Custom Cabinet Conference attendees an opportunity to earn Cabinet Makers Association certification credits. A pilot of the CMA’s certification program was held during the 2011 Custom Cabinet Conference in Charlotte, and formally rolled out in July at AWFS in Vegas. The CMA’s exhibit booth will anchor the Cabinet Products pavilion at the Closets Expo.

Closets Conference Sets the Tone
The three-day event kicks off on Wednesday, Feb. 15 with a full day of information-packed sessions for closet and storage professionals organized by the Association of Closet and Storage Professionals (ACSP) and CLOSETS magazine.

Keynote speaker Vince “Mr. Invincible” Papale will set the tone with an inspirational presentation on how to succeed no matter how great the odds. Papale’s personal triumph over adversity to become the NFL’s oldest rookie was immortalized in the blockbuster 2006 movie, Invincible, starring Mark Wahlberg.

The unique Closets Conference will also feature topics geared to help closet and storage professionals increase revenues, lower costs and enhance their bottom lines. Sessions being planned include:

•Steps to Closing More Sales
•Driving Garage Organization Sales
•Selling Value Adds to Maximize Profits
•Capitalizing on Hot Design Trends
•Finding Customers Using Social Media

The ACSP also will offer sessions related to its new Professional Designer Certification program that it announced at the 2011 Closets Conference & Expo in Charlotte, NC.

“Now more than ever, everybody is wearing multiple hats and it’s incredibly difficult to find time to learn about how to their businesses better,” said Mike Carson, president of Closet Works in Elmhurst, IL, and chairman of the ACSP’s Closets Conference Committee.

“That’s where the Closets Conference & Expo comes in to play. Closet professionals can get a complete rush of sales and marketing, best practices and other useful information to operate more successfully. That’s a year’s worth of information condensed into just three days,” he adds.

New Products & Networking
The two-day Closets Expo, Feb. 16-17, features hundreds of products for closet, garage, cabinet, home office and other storage categories. Products range from woodworking equipment and CAD/CAM software through melamine panels, hardware and organization system components.

The Closets Expo presents a great opportunity for home storage manufacturers and specifiers to see demonstrations and displays of products that can help them increase the value of their own products or break into new markets. The Closets event also offers a variety of forums for storage professionals to connect and swap ideas that can benefit their businesses.

Networking opportunities include not only CLOSETS Top Shelf Design Awards presentation on the evening of Feb. 15, but also the opening day Peer-to-Peer lunch and moderated round table discussions. In addition, the new and improved Wood Tech Summit will serve up free interactive presentations on noon each day live on the Closets Expo floor. Find Out More at Closets-Expo.com

Advance discount registration is available at Closets-Expo.com.

The website features up to the minute updates about the Closets Conference & Expo, Custom Cabinet Conference & Wood Tech Summit.

Features of Closets-Expo.com include:

• Secure online registration;
• Complete schedule of the Closets Conference and Custom Cabinet Conference;
• The latest news about events;
• Exhibitor lists and product information;
• Links to register at the Austin Courtyard or Hilton Austin hotels;
• Links to the Austin Convention Center and Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau; and
• Information about exhibiting at the Closets Expo and sponsorship opportunities.