Opening Keynote Session (General Session #1)

RIS Tech Study: Analysis & Discussion

Analyst Segment: Jeff Roster, Research Vice President / Global Industries, Gartner; Joe Skorupa, Group Editor-in-Chief, RIS News

Executive Discussion: Sharon Stufflebeme, Vice President & CIO, 7-Eleven Inc.; Michael Jones, Senior Vice President & CIO, Michaels Stores Inc., Eric Archuleta, President/CEO, Musician's Hut; Maura Hart, Director, Merchandising & Marketing Systems, Winn-Dixie Stores

Our keynote session will begin with expert analysis of highlights from the retail industry's most comprehensive IT benchmark study, which has been tracking trends shaping retail IT for 17 years. After the opening segment, which will feature Gartner's Jeff Roster and RIS group editor-in-chief Joe Skorupa, some of the retail industry's leading executives from a range of different-sized retailers, will join Jeff and Joe to provide their real-world insights in a discussion of the Study trends and analysis.

Concurrent Sessions Set #1

1-A: TRACK #1: "CROSS-CHANNEL RETAILING"
Overhauling AMP (Advertising, Marketing, Promotion) for Growth and Profit

Speaker: Todd Dube, IT Marketing / Advertising Applications, Circuit City

The new focus on return on marketing investment (ROMI) means that the era of gut-level marketing, or depending more on art than science, is rapidly coming to an end. Circuit City is currently undergoing a massive AMP (advertising, marketing, promotion) overhaul of its technology and business processes - as part of the company's larger business transformation. In this session learn the effect technology is having and is expected to have on Circuit City's AMP business processes, collaboration touch points and the bottom line as the electronics giant pulls all promotion activities from vendor promotions to customer rebates into a single AMP process.

1-B: TRACK #2: "FAST-GROWTH STRATEGIES"
I.T. and Growth Strategies: A 3-Part Case Study

Speaker:  Roger Underwood, Sr. Vice President of Information Systems, Finish Line USA Inc.

In this session, Finish Line USA's senior vice president of IS Roger Underwood examines how the I.T. group at the athletic footwear and apparel retailer supports multiple fast-growth strategies at one time. In the case of Finish Line, key fast-growth strategies currently include organic growth - multi-channel, store expansion and catalog, brand acquisition - Man Alive, and internal start-up - the new Paiva brand. Underwood will reveal the results and lessons learned by the I.T. group supporting each of these fast-growth strategies.

1-C: TRACK #3: "STORE AND OPERATIONS INNOVATION"
From SOA to Showroom POS: Putting the Customer First

Speaker: Martin Edelman, Sr. Manager, Retail Solutions Development, The Home Depot

With the objective of putting the customer first and delighting them with a more enjoyable in-store experience, The Home Depot has created a new service-oriented architecture that has allowed it to drive innovation.  In this session, The Home Depot's Marty Edelman will first outline the new SOA and then detail one of the new, "non-traditional" POS innovations it has helped facilitate: "Showroom Point-of-Sale."  Showroom POS was developed in just six weeks and allows the cjustomer to pay for kitchen applicances and fixtures on the showroom floor conveniently and quickly, without having to wait in check-out lines at the front of the store. Learn the thinking and technology behind the project, as well as the enhancements that will come in future releases. 

Concurrent Sessions Set #2

2-A: TRACK #1: "CROSS-CHANNEL RETAILING"
Guided Self-Service Solution for Call Centers

Speaker: Tom Scott, CIO & SVP of Call Centers, Spiegel Brands Inc.

In this session Spiegel CIO and SVP of Call Centers Tom Scott - one of the industry's most knowledgeable call center executives - provides personal insights and a case study perspective for a compelling new call center concept that he implemented at Lillian Vernon and is now rolling out across Spiegel Brands. The concept is "guided IVR", an intriguing call center concept that introduces an unseen human guide into the IVR flow. During the session Scott will frame the challenges call centers face using today's IVR and speech technology solutions and discuss how assisted speech IVR is closing the gap.

2-B: TRACK #2: "FAST-GROWTH STRATEGIES"
Turning Loss Prevention into Bottom-line Results

Speaker: Mark Goloja, Director / Loss Prevention and Safety, Carlton Cards Retail Inc.

To be effective, loss prevention systems need to prevent and deter theft. This is especially critical for fast-growth retailers who must maximize bottom-line results to further growth.  In this session you will learn how Carlton Cards Retail, a division of American Greetings, takes an extremely proactive stance on loss prevention and safety from store management training and employee awareness-building to the use of IT, particularly towards the internal theft and paperwork errors where most shrink occurs in Carlton Retail stores.  You will learn how Carlton Cards uses IT to deliver clear, consistent loss prevention messaging to its more than 500 stores in North America on a daily basis, as well as to provide tailored accountability messaging on an employee-by-employee basis to combat shrink and workers compensation costs.

2-C: TRACK #3: "STORE AND OPERATIONS INNOVATION"

Daily Online Communications (DOC): From Intranet to One-Stop Communications Shop

Speakers:  Ken Brame, CIO & SVP of Information Systems, AutoZone; Lani Glancy, Director of Store Communications, AutoZone

DOC is the centerpiece of AutoZone's store and field communications delivery system. The company's future vision is to make its intranet portal the gateway for non-transactional internal store operations and task management. In this session AutoZone CIO and senior vice president of information systems Ken Brame explains how the project was developed, where it is today and where it will go tomorrow as AutoZone builds its portal to serve as the entryway for enterprise-wide communications integrating all areas of the business into a common framework for training, reference, policies, and business and personal information - creating a true one-stop communications shop.

Networking Luncheon with Topic Tables in Exhibit Hall

General Session #2

I.T. Security: A Strategic Roadmap

Speaker: Khalid Kark, Senior Analyst - Security and Risk Management, Forrester Research

With customer trust and confidence on the line and your brand equity at stake, there has never been a more important time than now to secure your IT infrastructure and tighten up your processes to protect against security breaches. In this session Forrester Research senior analyst Khalid Kark will set the stage with an overview of the current trends and drivers in the areas of information security. He will then address the latest regulatory compliance issues that you need to be aware of in today's environment. He will then propose a framework to prioritize the IT security initiatives and devise a strategic roadmap for security while ensuring compliance to regulations. In conclusion he will identify the best practices for implementing IT security within your organization.

Concurrent Sessions Set #3

3-A: TRACK #1: "CROSS-CHANNEL RETAILING" Delivering on PCI

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

Executive Participants: Anthony Bates, COO & Partner, PSC; Moin Moinuddin, Industry Architect, Microsoft Corporation; Brian Trevey, Vice President, AmbironTrustWave Corp.

PCI DSS the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard promises to deliver a safer shopping experience for customers and significant risk mitigation to retailers.  But obtaining an auditor's certification is more than simply making adjustments to your company's IT.  This discussion will focus on the business and technical implications and rewards of building and maintaining a secure network, protecting card holder data, maintaining a vulnerability management program and implementing strong access control measures. 

3-B: TRACK #2: "FAST-GROWTH RETAILING"

Secrets for Achieving Legendary Customer Service

Moderator: Greg Buzek, President, IHL Consulting

Executive Participants:  Stefano Gaggion, SVP/CIO, Retail Brand Alliance / Brooks Brothers; Brian Dean, Vice President, Strategy and Marketing, Escalate Retail

In this case study presentation, Stefano Gaggion, the senior vice president and CIO with Retail Brand Alliance will detail how Brooks Brothers has improved customer service and satisfaction by using technology to formulate the success secrets of its top salespeople and share it with the entire sales force.  Learn the striking results Brooks Brothers is achieving in the areas of customer service, which in turn is driving loyalty for the brand, elevating associate performance, and improving visibility into activity effectiveness and cross-channel simplication.

* Exhibit Hall Open
* Networking Coffee Break in Exhibit Hall

General Session #3

Converging Line-of-Business with I.T.: Pain & Profitability

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

Executive Participants: Court Newton, Director of IT, Trans World Entertainment Corp.; Michael Stanek, President & CEO, Northern Reflections Ltd.; Frank Zarrello, VP & Director / Planning, Big M Inc.

The last frontiers to be aligned with IT are line-of-business operations in the marketing and merchandising realm. These are so critical to the success of retailers that in many cases they have demanded - and received - autonomy to a degree unparalleled by other departments. The result has been IT silos and patchwork application architecture. This session explores pathways and strategies for convergence.

Sponsor Dinners

* Exhibit Hall Open [Exhibit Hall open from 8:00 a.m. - 12:25 p.m. today]
* Networking Breakfast with Topic Tables

Second Day Keynote (General Session #4)

What it Takes to Win in Retail Today: Trends & Strategies

Speaker: Jim Dion, President, Dionco

Today's opening keynote speaker is James Dion, retail strategist and consultant to companies including Macy's, Ritz-Carlton and Swarovski. Dion also consults with many Tier 1 retail and non-retail clients including Harley-Davidson. In today's keynote Dion will take you on a fast paced journey through key trends and strategies that retailers must understand to win in retail today. Highlights to include:

• Using inventory as a competitive weapon
• Making the store environment an incredible experience
• Pricing: It does not have to be lower
• Consistently exceeding customer expectations
• Motivating, rewarding and disciplining staff
• Creating a third place experience
• Understanding your retail DNA

General Session #5

The Advance of Mobile & Wireless Technologies in Retail

Moderator: Craig Settles, Author; President, Successful.com

Executive Participants: Russ Rosen, CIO, Rooms To Go; Howard Roundy, Director of Information Technology, New Hampshire State Liquor Commission 

The mantra for retailers that want to streamline store processes, supercharge the supply chain, boost customer satisfaction, and generate additional sales while contributing to savings is to provide better wireless tools for associates. These tools unleash a new level of flexibility, mobility and efficiency within the store and throughout the organization. This panel of retail executives will examine the advance and impact of mobile and wireless technologies in various areas of the retail enterprise.

Closing Session (General Session #6)

Technology 2010: Ask the Experts

Moderator: Cathy Hotka, Principal, Cathy Hotka & Associates

Executive Participants: Greg Buzek, President, IHL Consulting; David Szymanski, JCPenney Chair of Retailing Studies, Texas A&M University

Smart CIOs make both short- and long-range plans to meet challenges they can control while laying the groundwork to advance the enterprise.  This panel taps three of the industry's leading experts to provide insights into emerging IT and business trends impacting store systems, e-business, enterprise systems, cross-channel retailing, customer expectations, the supply chain and more.