[Archived] Alexandria Small Business Development Center Presents Seminars by Casey Willson, Retail & Restaurant Industry Expert

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - March 15, 2008

Alexandria Small Business Development Center Presents Seminars by Casey Willson, Retail and Restaurant Industry Expert
Wednesday, March 19 and Thursday, March 20

The Alexandria Small Business Development Center (SBDC), in conjunction with the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership and the National Harbor Collaborative, are presenting seminars for City of Alexandria retail business owners and restaurateurs on Wednesday, March 19 and Thursday, March 20. The seminars will be held at The Lyceum, 201 S. Washington St. These free seminars will be led by Casey Willson, who has 35 years of experience in helping retail, restaurant and tourism-related small businesses refine and promote their concepts to the public.

• March 19, 8:00–9:45 a.m.: Retail—Do it Right! covers topics such as Retail Math—Fiscal Fitness is the Foundation; Driving Sales from the Floor: Visual Merchandising; Marketing and Customer Retention; Best Practices, and more. 
   
• March 19, 2:30–4:15 p.m.: Restaurants—a Recipe for Success will feature discussions on topics that include What Guests Want; Service and Sales (including information on collateral materials and menu design); The Experience is Twice as Important as the Food; and best practices. 
   
• March 20, 8:00–9:45 a.m.: Selling to Combat the Doldrums, for owners and employees of both retail and restaurant businesses, will include training on product knowledge; the art (vs. the science) of selling; customer retention; and recruiting, training, incentivizing, and retaining employees.

The seminars are free, but pre-registration is required. To register, e-mail pmelton@alexandriasbdc.org; include your name, company name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, and specify which seminar(s) you will be attending. For more information, contact Gloria Flanagan at 703.778.2961.