Classes & Seminars

Class Descriptions

Retail Store Design

Jeff Grant will share his thoughts on effective retail design for both large and small retailers. Jeff likes to focus on using design to create "bang for buck" so his presentation will cover cost effective ways to make your store your customers "favorite."

Topics will include:

What makes you so special? Why you need to create a store that's different than any other.
How should you select a store designer and what will it cost you?
Retail design basics:

Store front signage that captures attention.
Compelling window displays.
Floor coverings that drive traffic.
Lighting that drives sales.
POS counter strategies. Do you even need one?
Selecting customer friendly and merchandise flexible wall and floor fixtures.
Colors and finishes that capture your customers attention and compliment merchandise.

In store web strategies.
Does your store need to be "A third place?"
Using graphics, sound, scent and video to maximize the customer experience.
The Zen of store building. How to choreograph the building and design process.

Jeff owns TRIO Display and has been designing and building stores since 1981. He personally interfaces with several thousand retailers per year ranging from small local clothing, gift and surf shops to The Gift Shops at Reagan Library, Orange County Choppers and The New York Yankees. Jeff speaks at trade shows around the country and will be a regular guest speaker at our retail learning center.

STORE BUDGETING GUIDELINES

The first step in any retail store's creation is a realistic budget evaluation of everything that will be required to design, build, equip, stock and open the new facility. Without a budget, the merchant won't know how much stock he or she will be carrying, what the operating expenses will be, how much merchandise will need to be sold and most importantly in the early design stages how much money will be available for building the store.

Trio's Store Budgeting Guidelines seminar will cover three major areas of starting a new retail business.

Basic startup costs of a new retail store.
Understanding your lease and what is actually included with your space.
Design, Construction and Fixture costs.

Bryan Stirle, Trio's General Manager will share with you some of the major mistakes new retail owners make throughout the lease, design and building processes of their new store. He will break down what is and what is not included with a typical space and how different types of spaces will affect the construction and fixture phases of the project's budget. He will cover typical budget requirement ranges for Design Services, Store Fixtures, Construction and Fixture Installation, Lighting and Electrical and Signage for a variety of retail industries. He will also identify specific areas of those requirements that can be value engineered to lower costs.

NET BASICS: HOW TO TAKE YOUR STORE ONLINE

The internet has become a true force to be reckoned with in today’s retail industry. A smart retailer must understand that in order to survive in this increasingly “wired” world, a strong web presence isn’t a gimmick - it’s an outright necessity. This seminar on website design, development and marketing will address:

What’s in it for me?
You know you need a website, but you might not know why. Learn the different ways the Internet can be leveraged to help your business.
How does it work?
From picking your hosting company to managing your blog, the creation of a website requires careful planning and upkeep. Learn everything you need to know about establishing an engaging, relevant place on the web.
If I build it, will they come?
A website with no visitors is like a store with no customers. Learn valuable techniques for driving quality traffic to your website without breaking the bank.

Adam Jones, TRIO‘s Marketing Director and Head of Web Development, will provide you with a strong basic knowledge of how the internet can help you increase profitability and customer loyalty. Web savvy shop owners and technophobes alike will leave with the ability to plan a web strategy that does your brand justice and helps your business maximize its earning potential.

VISUAL MERCHANDISING

When merchandising is used effectively it can be one of the most powerful marketing languages, communicating with consumers in a multitude of ways. By providing your customers a pleasing, entertaining and ultimately satisfying shopping experience you can create a branding experience that creates happy, loyal customers that will tell the rest of the world about your store. Visual merchandising is about creating visual displays and arranging merchandise assortments within a store to improve the layout and presentation and to increase traffic and sales. Proper visual merchandising can support your store’s image and improve sales by maximizing store space while effectively catching the target customer's eye and appealing to their senses. While creativity is a key ingredient to visual merchandising, technical and design expertise are helpful, as well as a knowledge of fashion, art, and design trends in the marketplace.

Trio's Visual Merchandising seminar will touch on the basics that specialty stores have been using for years and how you can adapt them to your stores. Bill Mondigo, one of Trio's store designers, will share with you some of the industry's tips and techniques to help set your store apart from the competition. Bill has been a Visual Merchandising Manager for The Broadway, Macy's, Robinsons/May, IKEA and The Navy Exchange System as well as a Store Planner for IKEA and now is ready to share his expertise with you in a concise, interactive presentation.

POS FOR DUMMIES

Sasha Unruh will lay out the benefits of having a POS system for all retailers, the dos and don’ts and what you will get out of it.

Topics will include:

Benefits of an effective POS System – what is the return on such a large investment?
Choosing your POS Software and finding a solution that fits your store type
Choosing your POS Computer and understanding your hardware requirements?
Store hierarchy and how to run reports.
Web integration with your POS system.

Sasha is the POS coordinator for Trio Display. He has spent the better part of the last decade behind the counter as the G.M of Four Winds Surf, a chain of stores here in the San Diego area. His first hand store knowledge makes the transition into POS that much smoother.