Second Annual Business Executive Summit to Focus on Retailing Solutions for Winning in Tough Economic Times

Business Wire, Oct 7, 2008

NEW YORK -- Join 100 retail Presidents, CEOs, CFOs, COOs, CIOs, EVPs, and SVP/VPs from all areas of the business at the second annual groundbreaking RetailConnections Business Executive Summit, February 18-20, 2009, at the Fairmont Turnberry Isle Resort and Club in Aventura, FL.

The Summit is the only retail event devoted exclusively to senior executives, and more important, to bringing together all the top management titles throughout the entire organization to present, listen, question, learn, network and share. The focus of the Summit this coming year will be on taking the necessary steps to not simply survive, but thrive, in and beyond these tough economic times. The Summit will present a 360-degree perspective on how retailers can master the opportunities inherent in an exceedingly tough and challenging market environment to improve structural flaws, enhance internal strengths and make necessary investments under favorable terms.

Among the Summit topics that will be explored in hands-on group workshops moderated by industry thought leaders, in keynote and panel general session presentations, and in roundtable discussions will be: Today's Economy and Retailing; Leadership and Operational Excellence; Global Retailing, Logistics and PLM; Quickest ROI Investments; Understanding, Meeting and Beating Shopper Expectations; Total E-Commerce Integration; Digital Marketing Revolution and What It Means for Sales, and Protecting Customer Data, Privacy and the Law.

Confirmed retail presenters for the upcoming Summit include: Amy Williams, President, Peek Aren't You Curious; Joseph Quinn, CFO, Modell's Sporting Goods; Michael Rabinovitch, CFO, Birks and Mayors; Vicki Cantrell, COO, Tory Burch; Keith Enright, Chief Privacy Officer, Macy's; Jeffrey Steinhorn, CIO, Marketing and Refining, Hess Corp; Calvin Hollinger, CIO, Urban Outfitters; Marc Saffer, CIO, Duane Reade, and Richard Maranville, CIO, FedEx/Kinkos.

Special presenters include Richard Hastings, Consumer Strategist, Global Hunter Securities; Marshal Cohen, Chief Industry Analyst, NPD Group; Kim Rayburn, SVP, Client Solutions, BIGresearch; Luc Bondar, Global VP, Loyalty, Carlson Marketing; Jeffrey Roster, Research VP, Gartner; Greg Buzek, President, IHL Group, and Brian Hume, President, Martec International.

"There is enormous value in top executives from all the departments within the retail organization coming together for two days of sharing perspectives and discussing the most critical issues facing the industry. That is especially true in today's current economic environment, which threatens all of us yet also offers unique opportunities for analyzing and improving business processes and repositioning for greater success heading forward," said Marc Millstein, President, RetailConnections.

Founding sponsors of the upcoming Summit include: afterBOT, Cognizant, Direct Source, Epson, Manhattan Associates, SAS, TradeCard. Charter sponsors include: TradeStone and Wincor-Nixdorf. In addition, Epson is the exclusive sponsor of the Summit's second annual RetailConnections golf tournament.

Media sponsors include official Summit publication Chain Store Age, along with CPG Matters, Retail Solutions Online and Retail Touchpoints.

RetailConnections also announced dates for the Third Annual Business Executive Summit. The Summit will take place February 21-23, 2010, at the Boca Raton Resort & Club, Boca Raton, FL.

For information about registering for the Summit, retailers can contact Amy James, Event Manager, at amy@mixedevents.com or 615-336-9750. Retailers, potential sponsors and others interested in attending the Summit can contact Marc Millstein, President, RetailConnections, at marc@retailconnections.biz or 914-620-5947.

About RetailConnections

RetailConnections was founded by long-time retail industry insider Marc Millstein, who has 25 years of experience working with executives in all segments if the industry. Marc was founder of the RetailConnections Business and IT Executive Summit recently held on Feb. 6-8, 2008, at the Boca Raton Resort & Club. In addition to his innovative Summit activities, RetailConnections maintains an extensive practice hosting executive dinners and regional customized events as well as consulting with retail technology vendors and service providers on go-to-market strategies.