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VSDA EVENT TO FOCUS ON '10 STEPS TO SUCCESS'

ENCINO, Calif. -- Supermarket video retailers attending the Video Software Dealers Association's 19th Annual Convention, July 8 to 10 in Las Vegas, will be introduced to a "10-Step" program of educational seminars to improve their overall management and operation of their departments.A batch of seminars, developed for the VSDA, based here, by business consultants Arthur Andersen, Chicago, will focus

ENCINO, Calif. -- Supermarket video retailers attending the Video Software Dealers Association's 19th Annual Convention, July 8 to 10 in Las Vegas, will be introduced to a "10-Step" program of educational seminars to improve their overall management and operation of their departments.

A batch of seminars, developed for the VSDA, based here, by business consultants Arthur Andersen, Chicago, will focus on "10 Steps to Success." Fundamentals of the VSDA program are based on Andersen's popular business teaching model, but have been customized specifically for use by video retailers. The seminars have each been prepared to service the needs of each of the VSDA members, explained Mark Fisher, vice president of membership.

Earlier this year, the VSDA released the results of a Benchmarking and Best Practices study conducted by Andersen. The results of that study were used in developing the educational component of this year's convention program. "It is from this study and exit interviews from last year's seminars that VSDA formulated the education strategy," said Kimbirly Orr, show director for Home Video Entertainment Events/ Advanstar Communications, Los Angeles.

New this year is a special education day added to enable attendees to reap the most from the seminars. Those arriving Friday, July 7, may take advantage of an additional day of learning. "A lot of people do come for the education elements and sometimes it's hard to get to all the seminars between meetings, other seminars and exploring the floor," said Carrie Dieterich, vice president of marketing and public relations at the VSDA. "It just seemed logical to add that day," she said.

Two seminars, "Competing in the World of Games," conducted by Dale Strang, vice president of Ziff-Davis Video Game Group, San Francisco, and " Memorable Merchandising," presented by Greg Pastor, East Coast director for Artisan Entertainment, Santa Monica, Calif., are scheduled on the bonus education day. According to Fisher, supermarket retailers will benefit from the merchandising seminar because it will explain how retailers can make better use of promotional materials provided by distributors. "Greg Pastor is giving the presentation. Back in my old Stop & Shop days, he made a presentation to our group, and we used it. He basically shows how to use materials available to create a more exciting environment in-store," Fisher said. Fisher was the director of video at Stop & Shop Cos., Quincy, Mass.

However, Fisher said, "A supermarket video-buyer's needs are no different from those of other video buyers. Purchasing is purchasing, advertising is advertising, and product knowledge is product knowledge."

One difference he noted, which will be addressed in a seminar, is that a supermarket video buyer has a finite amount of time to make home-entertainment purchases. "A supermarket buyer has to do it in a limited time because he might have to buy for five or six other categories. Other retailers are spending days out of the month, rather than hours," Fisher stated.

Fisher anticipates that supermarket chains will profit from the comparisons that the benchmarking studies reveal. "Results from the benchmarking study have as much to so with supermarkets, not necessarily expense control, but product mix, cost of goods. If a supermarket is doing 'X' percent in video games, and the benchmarking best performance is higher, then the supermarket sees the opportunity," he said.

"In fact, we had supermarket executives participate in the East Coast Show who were there for the benchmarking," Fisher added.

Other seminars that may be of special interest to supermarkets are those that focus on digital videodiscs and new video-game formats. "Both of those are growing and growing greatly. Experts speaking on those topics will have the most information and up-to-date ideas," Fisher said.

Plus, a unique seminar on loss prevention will discuss how to cut the loss of video rentals. "That's a whole piece supermarkets don't usually deal with," Fisher said.

Last year's convention misled some attendees from the East Coast due to its name, the West Coast Video Show. Although it was tied to the National Video Week, some would-be attendees perceived the convention to be the counterpart to the East Coast Video Show, which takes place in Atlantic City in October. Numbers from last year's event capped at 12,008, according to the VSDA's Dieterich.

"It's too early to tell what it will be this year," she said. "Although because it's back in Las Vegas, we feel that's a positive. Plus, because of the location at the Venetian Hotel and Sands Expo Center, it's easier to go from the seminars to the floor, and not walk yourself to death."