NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The 12th annual Closet Summit Conference & Vendor Exposition, held this year in Nashville, Tennessee, on October 15th -17th, was a huge success for several reasons. Attended by close to 250 independent closet business owners and key staff, the two-day event offered something for everyone. 

On Wednesday, industry SEALS (Storage Experts Achieving Limitless Solutions) Teams met for lunch and an industry data analysis presentation, followed by break-out sessions to discuss confidential business-building strategies. That was followed by their 4-hour Vendorama Extravaganza ~ Meet, Greet & Eat, where 36 closet industry vendor booths hosted and demonstrated their products and services in a casual networking environment.

All day Thursday, the Closet Institute of America (CIA) conducted Closet University breakout presentations, how-to workshops, roundtable discussion sessions, and lectures, along with product knowledge seminars by Platinum and Gold Vendor sponsors. 

A major announcement was made by CIA’s partner Federated Insurance that, after a joint effort, they had successfully petitioned the NCCI Insurance oversight Board that closet industry installers should have their own workers' comp code classification. Throughout the history of the modern closet era, this industry has never had its own W/C designation until now.

Thursday afternoon, the attendees crowded into two coach buses and private vehicles and rode 15 minutes to the host company, The Closet Co., for tours of their showroom and manufacturing facility. A short ride later, and everyone was in downtown Nashville for dinner on their own. 

The finale on Friday presented three keynote speakers, starting with the Godfather of closets, Neil Balter (founder of California Closets and Organizers Direct), who gave a presentation entitled: ‘The Closet Industry: How it Started and Where It’s Going,' a history of his closet industry journey, and a vision for a successful future to encourage Summiteers. As one attendee reported: “Neil not only hit a home run, he knocked it clear out of the ballpark”. Tim Coleman followed with an introduction to the newly launched: ‘Closet University Online, Your New 24/7/365 Closet Summit’.  The final presentation was by Dave Place, owner of Biz Ladder, with an informative presentation entitled: ‘Be Where People Look: The NEW Rules of Getting Found Online’.

The CIA’s Closet Summit is an annual face-to-face event that gathers every October in a different city, with a volunteer host company willing to host 200-300 Closeteers for one or two hours at their facility. Next year, the CIA must choose from 8 different companies that have stepped forward to offer hosting.

For additional information about membership in the Closet Institute of America and the Summit Conference, visit closetinstitute.org.