On Monday, October 30, 2006, in a speech titled "Turning the Tables in the Tabletop Industry," retail analyst Pam Danziger will address revitalizing the tabletop market by focusing on the consumer. The event will be held at 7 W New York from 8-9:30 a.m. (breakfast will be served).

Danziger, who is president/founder of Unity Marketing, Stevens, Pa., challenges marketers to reject the notion that more and better product designs are the answer to declining sales. Instead, she says, tabletop marketers must adopt a new consumer-centric business model: reject the notion of tabletop as a practical household necessity and play to consumers' desires and passions.

The talk will focus on consumers: what tableware they purchase, where they shop, how much they spend, and why they shop for tabletop. Danziger will discuss the four personalities found in the tabletop market today‹for example, "Neo-Conservative Conrad/Connie," who represents the largest customer segment, one that desires a new casual luxury tabletop and rejects traditional formal presentations. Unique to this personality segment is an equal representation of men and women‹thus the gender-neutral name, notes Danziger. This segment is the youngest of all, she adds, with an average age of 36, and is critically important to tabletop marketers because they spent the most buying tabletop in 2005.

For more information about New York Tabletop Week at 7 W New York, visit merchandisemart.com/7w34/marketweek.html