National Clothesline

To survive the challenges of a changing market, drycleaners would be well-advised to attend this year’s annual convention from the International Drycleaners Congress, scheduled from June 8-12.

The event will be held in conjunction with the TexCare Frankfurt show, which will take place between June 6-10 in Frankfurt, Germany.

While the agenda for the convention is still subject to changes of its own, most of the details have already been announced.

An IDC board meeting and reception will get things rolling on Tuesday, January 8, before the planned seminars on the following day, which begin with a keynote address from 9:20 to 10:05 a.m. entitled “Where We Were,

Where We Are, Where We Have to Go.” The speaker is Professor Dr. hc. Josef Kurz of Hohenstein Institutes.

Three different educational sessions will be planned from 10:25 a.m. to 12:05 p.m. on Wednesday, including one that will focus on “Positioning through Environmental and Economic Actions,” moderated by Chris Tebbs, IDC executive director-elect.

Juergen Schaefer from Miele in Germany will offer his thoughts on wetcleaning and its role in the industry for the future. Martin Gregson of the Johnson Group in the United Kingdom will also be present to closely examine meeting environmental challenges with GreenEarth cleaning.

Two more seminars on alternative solvents have been planned. Hailing from Satec in Germany, Joseph Reuter will explain to attendees how they can successfully clean with hydrocarbon solvent while Tony Franklin from Sailstar in the U.S. will speak on “Carbon Dioxide Cleaning, the Technology with a Future.”

After a break for lunch, IDC will host a second session on “Positioning Through Productivity and Quality Actions” from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Ralph Schroeder from Seitz in Germany will serve as moderator.

Seminars will include: “Meeting Customers’ Expectations with Professional Pre- and Post-Spotting” by Dr. Ralph Doerhing of Seitz in Germany; “New Finishing Technologies that Reduce Labor Costs and Satisfy Customers” by Manfred Nieberle from Veit in Germany; “Computer Technology: The Keys to Customer Service and Reducing Labor Costs” by Herb Markman, of DCCS in the U.S.; and “EFIT — The Competence Offensive for a Successful Future of the Textile Care Industry” by Juergen Tagge from Hohenstein in Germany.

There will be an additional presentation on “Innovative and Economic Cleaning Machine Technology: Keys to a Successful Future.” The speaker will be announced at a later date.

From 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon, IDC will present one more educational session covering “Positioning Through Marketing Actions.” Deborah Rechnitz from Methods-For-Management in the U.S. will moderate. She will also present a seminar on “Creative Ideas for Positive Management Actions.”

Henny Freys-Thiel from Germany’s Krefeld will help attendees reach their customers and Hartmut Kokerbeck of FML Consulting in Germany will unveil some “Innovative Marketing Actions.” The afternoon’s other guest will be Becca Anderson, editor of Fabricare Canada magazine. She will look at “Differentiating Your Business From Your Competitors Using SWOT Analysis.”

On Thursday, June 10, IDC will begin Session IV at 8:35 a.m., moderated by Thomas Gosselin from the U.S. Speakers have not been finalized yet, but IDC will obtain representatives from around the world who will brief attendees on changes and trends in the industry in their own nations. The session will run for approximately two hours.

At 10:35 a.m., a fifth session focussing on “Positioning Industry Leadership: Together, We Can Do It!” will begin. It will be moderated by IDC Executive Director Dr. Manfred Wentz and will include Fellowship reports from younger IDC members who have traveled internationally. They will speak of their adventures, and on the ideas and practices they have encountered and later incorporated into their own operations.

Additionally, IFI CEO William Fisher will present a seminar on “Professional Associations: The Key to Our Future” and Chris Tebbs, the incoming IDC executive director, will offer his vision of IDC’s future. Joining them will be Theo Lagrange from CINET Brussels, Belgium. He will address attendees on the topic of: “CINET: Meeting the Leadership Challenges in Europe.”

Following the day’s educational sessions, IDC will host a half-hour general membership meeting starting at 11:15 a.m. The open forum format will allow members to exchange ideas and discuss the changes and challenges that lie ahead for the association.

At 11:45 a.m., IDC President-Elect Marcia Todd will divulge early details for IDC’s convention scheduled to take place in Orlando, Florida, in 2005.

Prior to the Sayonara breakfast on Saturday morning, IDC will host a Rhine River Day excursion on Friday, June 11 where participants may spend the entire day viewing the sights of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley.

Registration for the convention costs $695 per person, which includes admittance to all business sessions and and IDC welcome cocktail party and convention banquet.

There are two options for hotel accommodations. The Steigenberger Frankfurter Hof convention hotel costs $367 per night for single rooms between the dates of June 8-10. From June 10-12, the cost of the rooms drops to $353 nightly. Double rooms costs $393 per night between June 8-10 and $380 per night between June 10-12.

Attendees also have the choice of staying at the Hotel Miramar Frankfurt, which is approximately one kilometer from the convention hotel. Rates are $227 for single/twin/double rooms for all nights during the convention.

As usual, IDC will be offering a post-convention tour. This year, it will run from June 12-20 and encompass all the breathtaking sights of Switzerland, including stops in the cities of Basel, Lausanne, Interlaken and Zurich.

Cost of the post-convention tour is $3,165 per person for those sharing a room, and an additional $760 for travelers who prefer solitary lodgings. Arrangements must be made through Yamato Travel Bureau by calling (800) 334-4982.

For more information on the IDC convention, contact the association by calling (919) 363-5062.