Registration

Opening Comments & Sponsor Intro

Opening Keynote

Wal-Mart's Focus on Innovation and Leadership

Speaker: Michael "Bird Dawg" Bergdahl, former Wal-Mart executive and author of "What I Learned from Sam Walton: How to Compete and Thrive in a Wal-Mart World" and the upcoming "The 10 rules of Sam Walton: Success Secrets for Remarkable Results"

When outsiders call Wal-Mart asking questions about Wal-Mart's culture and "how it works" as an organization, Wal-Mart refers callers to former Wal-Mart executive Michael Bergdahl, today's opening keynote speaker. Bergdahl, who received his nickname "Bird Dawg" from Sam Walton himself will share the insights revealed in his two books on Wal-Mart - insights that every member of the Retail Executive Summit audience will want to know as Wal-Mart continues to redefine itself, redefine categories and redefine retail.

General Session #1

CEO Perspective: The Importance of Being a Change Agent

Speaker: Marty Allen, CEO & President, Party America

When it is time for change, a company must be committed to that change from the highest decision-making level on down. Any lack of commitment from the very top will likely doom the initiative.  In this session, Party America CEO Marty Allen will share his perspective on the importance of being a change agent, sharing what he has learned taking his company through multiple periods of growth by acquisition.  Allen will discuss the importance of change leadership across the enterprise both in the core company and a newly acquired company - change that touches on everything from personnel, real estate and merchandising to the biggest change of all: corporate culture.  Learn how Allen has created comprehensive cross-functional teams - from line-of-business and IT - to create an adaptive, change-focused business environment that allows him to continuously move his company to the next level.

Networking Coffee Break

General Session #2

Building an Empowered and Accountable Workforce

Speaker: John R. Thompson, SVP DotCom, Best Buy Company Inc.

By educating and empowering the workforce, leading-edge retailers are creating productive and motivated teams that work together to bring about business success. Each member of the team, from the CEO to the cashiers, should believe they are a significant contributor to their company's success. During this presentation, a senior retail HR executive will share tips and tools on how to create an optimal workforce environment throughout the organization.

General Session #3

Private Equity in the Retail Industry

Speaker: Craig J. Hoffman, Managing Director / Mergers & Acquisitions, NecCen Brands

Private equity continues to move into the retail space with unmatched fervor and at lightning speed. Craig Hoffman from NexCen Brands, which recently acquired Athlete's Foot shares high-value insights and case study information to provide Summit attendees an insider's view on the inner workings of the investment process. This presentation promises to be a highly informative session for any company wanting to learn how investors value all aspects of retail organizations from the brand to the management team.

Break for Golf Outing or Alternate Activity

Cocktail Reception

Day Two Opening Comments & Sponsor Intro

Second Day Keynote

Leadership in Niche Retailing

Speaker: Joe Scarlett, Chairman, Tractor Supply Co.

Today's keynote is the story of how a sleepy old chain of farm supply stores evolved into a retail powerhouse. It is about the identification of a new and growing customer base and then the listening to and hiring of those customers. This is a story about the power of culture in building an organization and how the practice of servant leadership built a powerful environment of trust. Tractor Supply delivers a consistent and repetitive leadership message which is unwavering in focus and direction.

Networking Coffee Break

General Session #4

Elevating the Customer Experience by Reinventing the Store

Speaker: Dennis Hernreich, Executive Vice President, COO and CFO Casual Male Retail Group

Over four years ago, Casual Male Big & Tall embarked on a mission to elevate the customer experience by reinventing the store.  In its drive to become more customer focused it changed its name to Casual Male XL and implemented a four-part plan focused on merchandising/branding, technology, visual presentation and store associate behavior.  In this session, Hernreich provides the inside perspective on the goals and execution of this ambitious plan and updates us on where Casual Male XL is going next.

General Session #5

Advanced Merchandising

Speaker: Michael Relich , SVP / IT & CIO, Guess? Inc.

Guess? Inc. has had phenomenal success with consumers and growth across its expanding portfolio of brands for the past several years. In this session Guess? SVP/IT & CIO Michael Relich will focus on three areas where the fashion retailer has struck gold in its merchandising processes and systems to keep its growth and new brand concepts on track delivering the merchandise consumers not only want, but expect from the brand's retail banners.

General Session #6

Innovation by Design: Creating New Retail Concepts

Moderator: Joe Skorupa,  Group Editor-in-chief, RIS News

Speaker: Ken Sully, President & CEO, iSoldIt Corporation; John T. Moore, SVP, CIO & Logistics, Tween Brands

Retailing has always been a combination of inspired art and sound science, and this is especially true when retailers embark upon major expansion plans. What does it take to extend an established brand in new ways, such as creating a new concept for a new demographic, or developing a new store to serve a new market from the ground up? This panel will explore this risky but rewarding process, and share learnings that can only come from an insider�s perspective.

Topic Table Luncheon (5 Topic Tables)

General Session #7

Increasing Your Customer Base through Market and Channel Innovation

Speaker: Steven Skinner, Vice President, The Home Depot

On-line consumers are more sophisticated, knowledgeable and demanding than ever before.  How can retailers take advantage of social forums, new content delivery capabilities and new interactive features to capture new customers and keep existing customers?  How can bricks and mortar retailers simultaneously leverage their bricks and mortar investment to create a seamless experience?  Steven Skinner will speak to you about Home Depot Direct's efforts to capture build their customer base through new market penetration strategies and Internet/Catalog innovation tactics to improve customer loyalty while leveraging their store base.

Breakfast Keynote

Retail Market Outlook: Making the Connection between Technology and Corporate Performance

Speaker: Richard C. Hastings, CCE, Economic Advisor, The Federation of Credit and Financial Professionals; Vice President and Senior Retail Sector Analyst, Smyth-Bernard Sands LLC

Noted economic advisor Richard C. Hastings opens our closing day with an in-depth analysis of the retail market providing an economic outlook for the industry for 2007 and beyond. Hastings is a Certified Credit Executive with 20 years' experience in trade credit management and retailing industry analysis. He is a frequent guest on CNBC and National Public Radio. His comments also appear in Bloomberg, Reuters, The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones, MarketWatch, and many other channels. He is a frequent guest speaker at many industry events and is an affiliate member of The CFA Institute.

Closing Session

Leaders Driving Innovation throughout the Enterprise

Moderator: Rob Garf, Vice President, Retail Strategies Practice, AMR Research

Executive Participants: Michael Jones, Senior Vice President & CIO, Michaels Stores; Zeke Duge, Senior Vice President & CIO, Smart and Final Inc.; Robert Fort, CIO, Virgin Entertainment Group; Mark Stone, Senior Vice President & CIO, Zale Corporation

Innovation leadership takes place in all areas of the retail enterprise. In this session AMR vice president Rob Garf talks with retail leaders from IT, the supply chain and merchandising about the drive for innovation in their organizations.  From tactical initiatives to elevating the call for innovation, as well as issues of corporate governance, Garf will find out what these leaders are doing differently now to drive innovation and what they expect to be doing in the future. Their insights will provide you with new tools to drive innovation within your organization.