Financial Strategies Dominate at Retail Exec Summit

Aug. 19, 2011 - PRLog -- TARRYTOWN, N.Y. — Soon after Standard & Poor demoted this nation to a AA-plus credit rating, at least one bank began imposing new fees penalizing customers making cash deposits to protect their assets.
    Market angst is not new but each day’s headlines introduce more worries and further confuse already-nervous consumers.
    Retailers, meanwhile, struggle to decode each day’s developments to determine which ones warrant strategic adjustments to the business. To understand the meaningful, long-term business implications requires a big picture view and years of analytical experience in times both volatile and prosperous. Enter Richard Hastings, macro and consumer strategist, Global Hunter Securities.
    Hastings will navigate around the hype to identify the market trends retailers need to grasp during his presentation at the upcoming RetailConnections Fall Business Executive Summit Oct. 11-13, 2011, in San Diego.
    “Richard has become a favorite at our Summits, because his economic interpretations are illuminating and tailored to the retail mindset,” said Marc Millstein, president of RetailConnections. “Richard’s unique insights have, at times, startled our attendees hearing him for the first time. However, it’s those same attendees who come back one year later and say, ‘I cannot believe how accurate his projections were.’ “
    Without a doubt, financial woes are top of mind for all retailers. It’s unnerving and another Summit presenter, Mark Neutze, EVP, Stores, Men’s Wearhouse, will share “Things Keeping Me Awake At Night (after the crash).”
    The RetailConnections Summit, which takes place at Hotel del Coronado, near San Diego, features keynote presentations, roundtable discussions, local store tours and a variety of networking opportunities ranging from a casual Meet & Greet, receptions and dinners to an off-site golf outing. Other topics covered include omnichannel retailing, mobile commerce, social networking, cloud computing, innovative twists to marketing, and customer engagement. Other solo speakers, panels and workshops include:

• Pam Sweeney, SVP, Logistics & Technology, Macy’s Inc. “How RFID Drives Inventory Accuracy”
• Mark Neutze, EVP, Stores, Men’s Wearhouse “Things That Keep Me Awake at Night (after the crash)”
• David Minster, COO, David Yurman “Denial of Business: Impact of eCommerce Attacks”
• Vicki Cantrell, former COO/CIO, Tory Burch, “Define. Align. Refine. Collaborative Strategies to Drive Profits”
• Jeff Roster, Research VP, Industry Market Strategies, Retail, Gartner “Technology Trends 2012”
• Gary Schwartz, Chairman, Mobile Entertainment Forum North America “TXT, SCAN, TAP: From Proximity Marketing to the Mobile Wallet”
• Panel “The State of Mobile Marketing in Retail: The Future of Cross-Channel Customer Engagement” Matt Stringer, SVP, Marketing, Men’s Wearhouse; Michael Becker, Managing Director, North America, Mobile Marketing Association
• Workshop: Mike Relich, EVP, CIO, Guess, and Ted Jackson, VP of IT, CIO, Sport Chalet Topic: “E-Commerce: New Paths To Maximizing Profits”
• Workshop: Richard Hastings, Macro & Consumer Strategist, Global Hunter Securities “The Data Cake: Finding the Right Mix of Data Layers in Real World Situations”
• Workshop: Paul Butka, President, Sophelle "360-Degree Branding for Multichannel Customers”
• Workshop: Guy Yehiav, CEO, Profitect “Capturing Your Supply Chain's Untapped Profits"

    Summit sponsors include Epson, TradeCard, Reflexis, Verizon, Ikonic Tonic, Navteq, Scopix and SAF USA.
    The Summit is designed for senior-level (VP and CXO) retail and brand executives and seating is limited. Qualified retailers can register online at http://www.retailconnections.com. For more information on attendance and registration, contact Denise Power | denise@retailconnections.com | (773) 573-3939 or Marc Millstein | marc@retailconnections.com | (914) 620-5947 or visit our web site.
    For sponsorship opportunities, contact Tia Potter | tia@retailconnections.com | (917) 846-5185 or LuAnn Hallberg | luann@retailconnections.com | (814) 516-4965.

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RETAILCONNECTIONS serves senior retail executives by hosting events that provide exceptional learning and networking. We believe the value of establishing new business relationships in person far outweighs other forms of communication.