Challenging Consumer Financial Realities = In-Store Opportunities
Trinity Ballroom 4, Omni Hotel
Monday, April 30, 2012
1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

It's a new world order with an economy that is changing the very essence of American culture. Consumers are learning to do more with less, immediate consumption is on the rise, more people are eating alone and snacking now represents more eating occasions than meals do.  In the midst of all this change, companies can leverage their private brands to drive value and gain consumer acceptance and preference.  How do you get your fair share of consumer loyalty, share of mind and share of wallet? You have to know your customer!

Harvey Hartman, Founder, Chairman and CEO, The Hartman Group

Consumers Hold the Key: What Private Brands Can Learn from CPG Brand Management Strategies
Trinity Ballroom 4, Omni Hotel
Monday, April 30, 2012
2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Costs are up, consumer confidence is down, and how people shop will continue to change well into the future. In today's ever-evolving retail landscape, what will it take to fuel Private Brand growth in the years to come? According to Daymon Worldwide CEO Carla Cooper, a CPG veteran, the advantage will go to those companies that can successfully adopt a strategic, consumer-centric approach to Private Brand programs. Cooper will talk about what it takes to put an effective brand management strategy into place, and why consumer insights, category management and social media should be a top priority for every Private Brand program.

Carla Cooper, CEO, Daymon Worldwide

Private Brands Summit
Compare or Not to Compare, That is the Question
Trinity Ballroom 4, Omni Hotel
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
10:00 a.m. - 10:50 a.m.

When repositioning their private brands, many retailers struggle through the decision to be category-led, national brand-led or brand-centric. This decision is multi-faceted and is not a one-size-fits-all approach. The right methodology involves assessing corporate strategy and beliefs, overall portfolio strategy, and an execution strategy mindful of relevant brand equities, category dynamics, and consumer acceptance. Learn how to make the right strategic decision, the proper activation against that decision, and associated risks to consider.

Carol Best, Vice President, Brand Strategy, Anthem Worldwide

Private Brands Summit
Building Strong Retail Brands through Multi-Faceted Collaboration
Trinity Ballroom 4, Omni Hotel
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
11:00 a.m. - 11:50 a.m.

Building a strong retail brand takes a complex collaborative model that aligns all internal and external resources. Senior management, finance, marketing, research, merchandising, QA, innovation, retail operations, manufacturers, design firms, printers and ad agencies - all need to be engaged, aware and fully aligned with the goals and strategy to ensure that the brand reaches its target. Learn how insights lead to strategy, how strategies lead to team-building and how teams of varied skill sets collaborate on a common goal. Recognize how clear communication, a focused game plan and developing strong partnerships foster a team-like approach to market.

Moderator:
Steven Lichtenstein, Vice President & Group Publisher, Stagnito Media, and Publisher, Progressive Grocer’s Store Brands
Panelists:
Todd Maute, Partner, CBX
George A. Miketa, Executive Vice President, Sales, Snacks Holding Company
Laura Sturdevant, Director, Product Development - Private Brands, Walgreens, Inc.

Private Brands Summit
Lead the Way! Authenticity, Risk and Experimentation
Trinity Ballroom 4, Omni Hotel
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
10:00 a.m. - 10:50 a.m.

Private Brands must understand the issues regarding elements influencing food, flavor and beverage trends in order to successfully navigate them. Influencers including consumer trends, travel and wine trends, and economic forces will be discussed as they pertain to the shaping of marketplace trends and how they impact the creation of new products. Participants will be able to better predict the opportunities and pathways for making food and beverage products successful in the marketplace.

Suzy Badaracco, President, Culinary Tides, Inc.

Private Brands Summit
Built on Values: Creating an Enviable Culture That Outperforms the Competition
Trinity Ballroom 4, Omni Hotel
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
11:00 a.m. - 11:50 a.m.

The extraordinary success of JetBlue and Southwest Airlines is due in large part to the customer-centric values at their core. At Doubletree Hotels, Rhoades built a service culture focused on delivering outstanding service to guests and during her time as the Head of the People Department at Southwest Airlines, she solidified Southwest's reputation of retaining and hiring the best people in the airline business despite Southwest's rapid growth during that period. Most recently, Rhoades took responsibility for the creation of JetBlue Airways Corporation's People Team in New York. Rhoades has a respected reputation for her creative approach to creating cultures around fun and for blending cultures in merger situations. Reap the benefits of great things happening when organizations believe in their people-and give them the authority to succeed.

Ann Rhoades, President, People Ink; former People Executive, Jet Blue and Southwest Airlines

Supplier Diversity Training
Trinity Ballroom 5, Omni Hotel
Monday, April 30, 2012
1:00 p.m. - 2:15 p.m.

The supermarket industry has spent millions - even billions - with diverse suppliers and has proven supplier diversity programs that have impacted the utilization of diverse businesses in their business supply chains. This session will focus on the value of doing business with diverse suppliers and the importance of a supplier development program. Learn the importance of the economic impact for minority business enterprises and address strategies to improve utilization of diverse suppliers.

Moderator: Tim Williams, Director, Diversity Affairs, Safeway, Inc.
Speakers: Denise Thomas, Director, Corporate Supplier Diversity, The Kroger Co.
James Sturgis, Jr., Director, Supplier Diversity & Trade Relations, Ahold USA, Inc.

Industry Trends and Operational Opportunities
Strategies and Guidelines for Sourcing More Sustainable Products
Trinity Ballroom 5, Omni Hotel
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
10:00 a.m. - 10:50 a.m.

There is increased momentum building from all sectors -- consumers, media, NGO's, business and government - for more environmentally and socially sustainable products and packaging. The future will require this, and companies are beginning to adopt more sophisticated and specific approaches at all levels to ensure that their products are increasingly meeting higher and higher sustainability standards. This workshop will introduce you to new tools and resources, case studies and best practices that will give you take-home ideas and strategies for building more structure and credibility into your own sustainability sourcing programs.

Roberta Anderson, Business Development Director, Food Alliance
Sri Artham, Director of Strategic Accounts, Fair Trade USA
Harriet Hentges, Vice President, Corporate Responsibility, Ahold USA
Amy Kirtland, Executive Director, Unified Grocers
Jeanne von Zastrow, Senior Director, Sustainability and Industry Relations, Food Marketing Institute

New Metrics of Shopper Marketing: Understanding Their Impact on In-Store Decisions
Trinity Ballroom 5, Omni Hotel
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
11:00 a.m. - 11:50 a.m.

Although often talked about, the shopper's path-to-purchase and moment-of-truth have been difficult, at best, to measure. Now, thanks to breakthrough video technology and advanced analytics, leading grocery retailers and their trading partners have access to new metrics of shopper marketing, which measure these elusive shopper behaviors and provide game-changing insights. In this session you'll learn how new metrics like "share of shopper" and "return on traffic" deliver insights that are being used to drive decisions in category management, merchandising, display optimization, store layout, and store design.

Tom Sullivan, President, VideoMining

Industry Trends and Operational Opportunities
Global Food Retailing Outlook
Dallas Ballroom, Omni Hotel
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
10:00 a.m. - 10:50 a.m.

The global economic outlook continues to be challenging and consumers have responded to the troubling trends in employment, credit and housing markets by controlling their spending. Retailers selling food and other necessities have fared considerably better. This session will take a closer view of the global food retailing outlook and focus on two growing international markets. Presenters will showcase supermarkets that are successfully responding to the opportunities in each market and provide insight into navigating challenges that each market presents.

David Zhang, President, Spar Beijing

Industry Trends and Operational Opportunities
New Product Trends
Dallas Ballroom, Omni Hotel
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
11:00 a.m. - 11:50 a.m.

Everyone in the industry talks about new product trends, but why should you care about them? With increased competitive pressures, skepticism from consumers, and the continued impact of the recession, it is essential to use every tool you can to understand what products may yield success--and profits. This fast-paced presentation will take a look at some of the big-picture consumer and CPG trends that will affect product development in the next few years. See some of the significant new launches on the market, learn why they are important, and how they will drive development in the future.

Lynn Dornblaser, Director, CPG Trend Insight, MINTEL International Group Ltd.

Industry Trends and Operational Opportunities
Food Trends 2012: Consumers' Evolving Consumption Occasions
Trinity Ballroom 5, Omni Hotel
Thursday May 3, 2012
8:00 a.m. - 8:50 a.m.

The influence of food culture and the changing demographics of the U.S. are dramatically impacting how, when and what consumers eat. Do you know that 70% of U. S. households have no children under the age of 18? How about the fact that 28% of U.S. household are single person households? Or the finding that 48% of all adult eating occasions consist of between-meal snacking? This workshop will examine how these underlying shifts in U.S. culture are giving rise to new food and beverage consumption occasions. Specific areas of focus will include recommendations for how to meet the needs of single person households, how to capture the growing "immediate consumption" occasion and how to best target the snacking occasion.

Donna Duncanson, Vice President, The Hartman Group

FMI SPEAKS: The State of the Food Retail Industry
Dallas Ballroom, Omni Hotel
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
8:15 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.

FMI leadership will present the results of the latest research into emerging shopper behaviors, the new retail landscape and the biggest trends in the food retail industry, from both the retailer and supplier perspectives. Where are such things as the economy, food safety concerns, digital marketing, private brands, and channel blurring taking both our consumers and our companies? What do we see in the future and what actions can we take to drive growth? After hearing the results of the research, a panel of retailers and suppliers will discuss their reactions, experiences, and ideas for the future. This can't-miss session will offer new insights and generate ideas for action that will inform your participation in the educational workshops and conversations on the tradeshow floor.

Leslie G. Sarasin, Esq., CAE, President and Chief Executive Officer, Food Marketing Institute

Store Manager Award Presentation

A strong manager excels in leadership and customer and community service. Join us as FMI honors nine finalists and announces the three winners of the FMI Store Manager Awards. Celebrate these outstanding store managers - representing the most important position in food retailing.

General Session: Knowing Your Customer in a Digital World
Dallas Ballroom- Omni Hotel
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
8:15 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.

The explosion of digital media provides both retailers and manufacturers with previously unthought-of ways to connect and build personal relationships with shoppers and consumers. Add to that the blinding speed of technological change and you've got the potential to reach your target in new and meaningful ways. Yet with this opportunity comes a road filled with blind curves and potholes. This powerful presentation will help you understand and build a sustainable, flexible digital strategy to truly connect with your shoppers and consumers in previously impossible ways. Come to understand the role of digital and social media in the overall marketing mix, as well as foresight into what might be right around the technology corner.

Shiv Singh, Global Head of Digital, PepsiCo, Inc.

Innovation for Today and Tomorrow

We all hear it over and over again:  the real opportunity for growth lies in innovation.  We hear about innovations in digital engagement with consumers, innovations in formats, innovations in relationships with suppliers, and innovations in technologies.  The list goes on and on.  But what does it take to create a culture of innovation in our companies and identify the ideas that will become winners?  In this presentation we’ll hear from a former CEO who is a master of innovation.  Terry Jones built a multi-billion dollar enterprise based on an innovative idea that most of his colleagues thought would fail. Terry created a culture where new ideas were celebrated, mistakes became fast learning loops, and employees learned that anyone can innovate. You won’t want to miss this chance to hear his steps for successfully nurturing new ideas.

Terry Jones, Founder and Former CEO of Travelocity, Chairman of Kayak.com

General Session: Leading with Purpose (Translated)
Dallas Ballroom- Omni Hotel
Thursday May 3, 2012
9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

The organizations and leaders who will succeed in the future will all have one characteristic in common: they will be purpose-inspired.  They will be driven to improve lives, not as philanthropy, but as the core business strategy. “Winning on Purpose” will be the mantra and the accelerator of passionate employee engagement, innovative customer experiences and exceptional and sustainable performance. Roy Spence is chairman of GSD&M Idea City, an internationally renowned marketing and advertising firm.  Its clients have included Southwest Airlines, BMW, The U.S. Air Force and The PGA Tour. Hear from a speaker that Jim Collins, best-selling author of Good to Great, described as “dedicated to the idea that true greatness comes in direct proportion to passionate pursuit of a purpose beyond making money and [someone who] has inspired and changed leaders in every sector."

Roy Spence, Chairman of GSD&M Idea City

NOTE: Space is limited - first-come, first-served
Trinity Ballroom 4, Omni Hotel
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
6:45 a.m. - 8:00 a.m.

Participate in small roundtable discussions focused on specific topics or functional areas. Share best practices and discuss challenges with peers and business partners on issues of common concern. Join a designated table discussing a topic of your choice:

Future Connect/Leadership Development
Recruitment/Retention
Managing a Multi-Generational Workforce
Employee Engagement

Private Brands
Building Collaborative Trading Partner Relationships
Increasing Private Brand Products in the WIC Program
Private Brands Marketing

Industry Trends and Operational Opportunities
Maximizing National Brand Profitability
Supplier Diversity

Independent Operators
Succession Planning for Independent Operators
Critical Issues: Independent Operators
Critical Issues: Wholesalers

Innovations in Retailing
Competing in a Multi-Channel Environment
Impact of Smaller Formats

Technology Trends
Social Media
Mobility
Cloud Computing

Know Your Customer
Meeting the Needs of Diverse Customers
Capitalizing on Changing Consumption Patterns

Merchandising/Marketing
Shopper Marketing
Merchandising Strategies: Center Store
Merchandising Strategies: Front End
Merchandising Strategies: Health and Wellness
Merchandising Strategies: Fresh Foods

Store Operations/Activities
Critical Issues: Store Managers
Community Outreach

Sustainability/Energy
Strategies and Best Practices for Sustainable Sourcing
Getting Started with Sustainability
Getting to Zero Waste
Energy-Saving Strategies

Know Your Customer
The Business Side of Social Media
Dallas Ballroom, Omni Hotel
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
10:00 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.

The world of Facebook and Twitter goes far beyond simple messages between friends. Increasingly it is becoming a fantastic communication and relationship-building tool for both customers and associates. Learn how businesses like yours can create strategies to build stronger bonds and selling opportunities with shoppers through a new in-depth study from the Coca-Cola Retailing Research Council. This session will outline steps a company of any size must consider to build a robust and useful social media strategy that can lead to sales, customer loyalty and even improved associate communication.

Moderator: Michael Sansolo, President, Sansolo Solutions, and Research Director, Coca-Cola Retailing Research Council of North America
Panelists: Jerry Golub, President and CEO, Price Chopper Supermarkets
J.K. Symancyk, Chief Operating Officer, Meijer, Inc.
Jesse Spencer, Social Media Manager, The Integer Group
Catherine Green Burns, President, Food Lion, Harveys and Reid's

Know Your Customer
The Latest Consumer Trends in Sustainability: What are the Opportunities?
C Ballroom 4, Dallas Convention Center
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
11:00 a.m. - 11:50 a.m.

Based on the connection between personal and planetary health, the LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) concept is one of the hottest trends in sustainability. LOHAS describes an integrated, rapidly growing market for goods and services that appeal to consumers who have a meaningful sense of environmental and social responsibility and incorporate those values into their purchase decisions. New research from NMI's LOHAS Consumer Trends Database will be highlighted based on research among 500,000 + consumers. Learn about the latest market trends, global consumer insight, the LOHAS consumer segmentation model, and much more. Explore new, breakthrough ways in which you can leverage LOHAS trends into your business strategy to become part of this revolution.

Steve French, Managing Partner, Natural Marketing Institute
Jeanne von Zastrow, Senior Director, Sustainability and Industry Relations, Food Marketing Institute

What's For Breakfast? Capitalizing on Occasion-Based Marketing
C Ballroom 4, Dallas Convention Center
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
10:00 a.m. - 10:50 a.m.

Breakfast at home is an untapped growth opportunity for retailers. In this session participants will gain important insights about habits and trends that provide evidence for this opportunity. We will discuss how to develop an action plan for 2012 and beyond with strategies to grow basket rings by expanding your meal occasion marketing beyond your successful dinner platform to include breakfast. A focal point of the discussion will include the valuable role that milk can play as a catalyst for a successful breakfast occasion-based strategy because of its popularity at breakfast plus its ability to partner with a wide variety of products within the breakfast category that currently represents about 30% of grocery sales.

Vivien P. Godfrey - Chief Executive Officer, Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP)

Know Your Customer
Eating Patterns in America
C Ballroom 4, Dallas Convention Center
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
10:00 a.m. - 10:50 a.m.

Learn about the eating and drinking habits of Americans…not just what they say they do, but what they really do…and there is a difference! Now in its 26th year of publication, the NPD Group's annual report, developed by Chief Industry Analyst Harry Balzer, is based on thousands of food journals and 40 other food-related research efforts. You'll learn the latest on:

• What we eat..what we are eating more of..and what we are eating less of!
• Who is really driving the change in our diet
• Who's the new "cook" in America
• How food prices are altering our eating patterns
• And the latest health concerns and our diet.

Know Your Customer
Health and Wellness- Leveraging an Evolving Market Opportunity
C Ballroom 4, Dallas Convention Center
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
11:00 a.m. - 11:50 a.m.

There's a movement going that is gaining momentum and with staying power. Today's consumers are making Wellness Crossings across ages, geography, gender and life stage. While their reasons vary from the diagnosis of a health condition to simply waking up one day and saying "Enough!", they all feel the need to make a change. The Wellness Crossing's impact across shopping is far reaching, affecting not just what they buy but the way they shop. They are breaking up with brands they've been faithful to for years and finding new solutions that fit their healthier lifestyles. Decisions that had been on autopilot, often made before going to the store, have been disrupted- with a big impact on shopping and the path they take in the store. With original research using a new in-store technique called HealthCarts™, and 100 in-depth interviews with Wellness Crossers, this session offers insight as to what's working, what's missing, and provides retailers opportunities to help consumers navigate the Wellness Crossing.

Scott Page, Managing Director, Founding Partner, The Well@GSW
Gretchen Goffe, Director of Strategy, Founding Partner, The Well@GSW

Know Your Customer
Meeting the Needs of our Diverse Customers
C Ballroom 4, Dallas Convention Center
Thursday May 3, 2012
8:00 a.m. - 8:50 a.m.

Even with the new census figures out, too many marketers and merchants are still sitting on the fence not knowing how to apply this information to meet the needs of our diverse customers. The quick response from marketing specialists in the industry is to review the growth figures, then build the business case, and expect the powers that be will follow suit. However, experience shows that if data was all that was needed to have corporate America invest in the multi-cultural market, the opportunity would have been funded long ago rather than marginalized. In this session, attendees will gain new insights to help build a rationale based on data but also utilizing logic, common sense, observation and the impact of ethnic audiences on popular culture that exceed census numbers.

Armando L. Martín, President/CEO and Co- Founder, XL Edge

Future Connect/Leadership
How to Lead in Today's Troubled Economy
Trinity Ballroom 3, Omni Hotel
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
10:00 a.m. - 10:50 a.m.

The true test of a leader is not how he or she functions when times are good, but how he or she leads when the road grows rocky and the future uncertain. It takes a different kind of leader to find ways to survive and develop the vision and mindset for a positive future when the present is beset by sobering economic realities and conservative consumer behaviors. In this session you will learn some of the strategies and mindsets that enable leaders to build resilient and innovative companies that succeed in good times and bad.

Trudy Bourgeois, Founder and CEO, The Center for Workforce Excellence

How to Build a Front Line that will Build Your Bottom Line
Trinity Ballroom 3, Omni Hotel
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
11:00 a.m. - 11:50 a.m.

In the grocery industry, there is no more important decision made every day than who you allow in the door to help run your business and take care of your customers. The quality of your people determines the true quality of your services, your reputation, your sales, and your ability to expand your business. That is why there is no more important managerial skill than the ability to recruit, select, and retain great frontline employees. This session delivers cutting edge, practical, proven tools, tips, and techniques you can put to immediate use to build a TEAM that will boost profitability, increase sales, raise customer satisfaction, grow your business and make work more enjoyable and FUN for everyone.

Mel Kleiman - Certified Speaking Professional & President of Humetrics

Future Connect/Leadership
21st Century Leadership: Skills for a Changing Industry
Trinity Ballroom 3, Omni Hotel
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
10:00 a.m. - 10:50 a.m.

Tomorrow's retail and supplier operations will be staffed by today's emerging leaders. Learn how companies today are structuring their teams and focusing efforts on training for the skills needed to lead our organizations into this changing market. An increased focus on communication, leveraging technology and on-the-spot decision making are needed to engage the customer and consumer of the 21st century.

Christie Cobo Keating, Human Resources Client Manager, The Clorox Company
Sheila Laing, SPHR, Vice President, Human Resources, Hy-Vee, Inc.

Future Connect/Leadership
Connecting with Others: Improving Associate Engagement through Inclusion
Trinity Ballroom 3, Omni Hotel
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
11:00 a.m. - 11:50 a.m.

Studies have shown that there is a powerful link between inclusion and productivity, profitability, retention and customer service. When a barrier blocks an individual contributor in your organization from feeling valued and included, it is going to impact business performance. This "disconnect" may be unintentional, but if it happens often enough, the effects can be costly in terms of morale, productivity, and ultimately, customer satisfaction. Given the changing demographics of the U.S. workforce and customer base, it is critical for team members to know how to connect with people who have considerably different perspectives. This workshop will review the subtle practices and behaviors that create disconnects, as well as the positive behaviors that lead to inclusion.

Rich Brandt, Managing Partner, RDR Group, Inc.

Future Connect/Leadership
Women in Leadership: Driving Future Success
Trinity Ballroom 3, Omni Hotel
Thursday May 3, 2012
8:00 a.m. - 8:50 a.m.

Most food industry executives (including men) think women are better attuned to female shoppers. But the upper ranks of the industry are still dominated by men. At this session, presented in conjunction with the Network of Executive Women, three senior-level executives will discuss their personal journeys up the corporate ladder, what women leaders bring to the table and how you can nurture and leverage the talent of women in your organization to drive innovation and sales.

Moderator: Joan Toth, President and CEO, the Network of Executive Women

Panelists: Marie Quintana, Senior Vice President, Multicultural Sales, PepsiCo
Teresa Turley, Vice President, Operations, Corporate HR, The Kroger Co.
Annie Zipfel, Vice President of Owned Brands and Packaging, Target

Independent Operators
2012 Store Manager Survey: What Drives Store Managers to Succeed
C Ballroom 1, Dallas Convention Center
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
10:00 a.m. - 10:50 a.m.

Getting from "good" to "great" is not a goal; it's a journey. It combines attitude, expectation, performance and delivery. When it comes to supermarkets, just how do managers manage? How do they translate consumer needs and wants to in-store deliverables? How do they motivate themselves, their employees, and their vendors to deliver on expectations? A little over a decade ago we asked store managers about their work: why they liked (or didn't like) what they were doing, and what kept them up at night. In ten years, things have changed a lot. So, we conducted the survey again to see just how much has changed. Harold Lloyd will present the results and share "then and now" insights into the attitudes and job challenges of supermarket store managers.

Harold Lloyd, President, H. Lloyd & Associates, Inc.

Independent Operators
The Growing Impact of Local
C Ballroom 1, Dallas Convention Center
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
11:00 a.m. - 11:50 a.m.

Consumer enthusiasm for all things local continues to grow with 9% of consumers saying they go out of their way to purchase locally sourced items and 82% indicating that they occasionally purchase local items and many retailers have seen an opportunity for differentiation in this growing trend. With deep roots in local communities, independent retailers may be uniquely situated to capitalize on this trend. In this session you will hear about the growing market for local products as well as lessons learned from an independent retailer that has made local a key part of their strategy.

Karen Karp, President, Karp Resources
Jack Gridley, Vice President Meat, Seafood & Deli, Dorothy Lane Market, Inc.

Independent Operators
Taking Your Shopper Contact Strategy to the Next Level
C Ballroom 1, Dallas Convention Center
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
10:00 a.m. - 10:50 a.m.

Are you capitalizing on the full value of each of your shoppers? Are you able to build on the information you have about their needs to improve the quality of your customer contact and improve your sales? In this session, you'll learn about tools and techniques available to retailers of all sizes to engage more fully with their customers and uncover untapped revenue. Examples and case studies will be used to illustrate results-focused tactics.

Curt Woods, Chief Customer Officer, Buxton

Independent Operators
Making Marketing Dollars Work More Effectively
C Ballroom 1, Dallas Convention Center
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
11:00 a.m. - 11:50 a.m.

In the current environment the latest ways to interact with consumers may also be the most cost-effective and efficient manner to reach the "right" customers. Social, digital and mobile marketing allows businesses to talk to consumers in a channel that is more relevant to them and can also enhance traditional marketing efforts. American Express will explore the uses of social and digital media and how supermarkets can successfully implement them to regain the loyalty of the customer.

Jennifer Wallach, Vice President, Merchant Marketing, American Express

Independent Operators
How to Increase Sales Per Customer
C Ballroom 1, Dallas Convention Center
Thursday May 3, 2012
8:00 a.m. - 8:50 a.m.

Promotions and events create excitement with your customers that translate into increased sales and profits for you. Attend this workshop, tailored to independent operators, and take home proven, sales-building ideas that will help you increase both customer count and sales per customer. Get twenty sales ideas that really work, learn how to teach employees the art of "suggestive selling," hear proven methods to capitalize on impulse buying, discover what it takes to create and execute a successful promotion and hear success stories from other independent operators.

Steve Dillard, Vice President, Corporate Sales Development, Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc.

Innovations in Retailing
Re-energizing the Center Store through Trips: Driving Total Store Growth
C Ballroom 2, Dallas Convention Center
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
10:00 a.m. - 10:50 a.m.

A deeper understanding of shopping habits and practices developed using advanced analytic techniques, combined with an awareness of consumer adoption of new technologies and media, can help retailers and manufacturers improve center store impact and achieve greater total store growth. This session will focus specifically on the center store in terms of the dimensions of consumer segments, time, trip types, perimeter versus center store, category drivers, retail channels, and media drivers to identify opportunities to re-energize this critical store component.

Todd Hale, Senior Vice President, Consumer and Shopper Insights, Nielsen
Jim Hertel, Managing Partner, Willard Bishop, LLC

Innovations in Retailing
Leveraging the Front-End
C Ballroom 2, Dallas Convention Center
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
11:00 a.m. - 11:50 a.m.

The Front-End Focus Checkout session is a comprehensive industry discussion of front-end shopper behavior and retail sales performance at checkouts that relies on research, industry collaboration and solutions. The session, sponsored by Time Warner Retail, The Coca Cola Company, NCR and Source Interlink, will demonstrate innovative checkout merchandising concepts and research for both full-service lanes and self-checkout lanes.

Ron Hughes, Director, Shopper Experience Innovation, Coca-Cola Refreshments
Bill Romollino, Vice President, Shopper Insights, Time Warner Retail Sales and Marketing
Frank Bishop, Executive Vice President, Source Interlink Companies
Mike Inderrieden, Human Factors Self-Service Director, NCR Corporation

Innovations in Retailing
From Amazon to Zipcar: Innovations from the E-Revolution
C Ballroom 2, Dallas Convention Center
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
10:00 a.m. - 10:50 a.m.

Twenty-first century change can quickly challenge your thinking and threaten your way of doing business - a new competitor, a new business concept, a new distribution model, or some other out-of-the-box idea that nobody saw coming. MorningNewsBeat's Kevin Coupe and Tom Furphy, formerly of Wegmans and Amazon.com (where he developed the CPG business), engage in a far-reaching and provocative dialogue that will include the audience and focus on where traditional retailing is heading, what can be learned from e-commerce successes, how to compete in the new environment, and how to understand the new consumer.

Tom Furphy, Founder and CEO, Consumer Equity Partners
Kevin Coupe, "Content Guy", MorningNewsBeat.com; co-author of THE BIG PICTURE: Essential Business Lessons from the Movies

Innovations in Retailing
Trading Partner Success Stories: In-Store Innovation and Execution
C Ballroom 2, Dallas Convention Center
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
11:00 a.m. - 11:50 a.m.

Join us for a highly interactive dialogue with leading retail and supplier merchandising experts who will share specific collaborative merchandising and marketing platform innovation case studies on health and wellness, home essentials, and share of thirst. The participants will detail the steps taken for success, including: identifying the opportunity, gaining alignment, actions implemented, what worked and didn't, and the actual results on sales and consumer behavior. The session will start off highlighting the value of innovation in merchandising and marketing platforms, setting the stage for our conversation. The bulk of the session will be an interactive dialogue on how audience members can utilize the process and lessons learned for their own in-store execution to increase sales and better satisfy customer expectations.

Thom Blischok, , Chief Retail Strategist and Senior Executive Advisor to Retail, Booz & Company
Wade Duke, President, Kroger Account Team, Coca-Cola Refreshments
Larry Nelson, Director of DSD Sales Planning, The Kroger Co.
Don Fitzgerald, Senior Vice President, Merchandising, Roundy's
Bob Richardson, Director of Sales and Customer Development, The Clorox Company

Innovations in Retailingr
Store Format Innovations from Around the World
Dallas Ballroom, Omni Hotel
Thursday May 3, 2012
8:00 a.m. - 8:50 a.m.

Innovation is occurring at a more rapid pace outside of the U.S. Emerging markets offer the opportunity of rapid growth and the chance to leapfrog traditional development patterns. Mature markets face the unique challenges of reinvention to remain relevant in the face of challenging economic conditions. This presentation offers a fast-paced and highly visual look at new format innovations from around the world. It will look at what's new, what's hot and what's pushing the envelope in format innovation. Most importantly, it will look into the key drivers behind change and what it might mean for the U.S. market.

Neil Stern, Managing Partner, McMillanDoolittle LLP

Innovations in Retailing
Advertising Innovations
C Ballroom 2, Dallas Convention Center
Thursday May 3, 2012
8:00 a.m. - 8:50 a.m.

Are social media and mobile communications sounding the death knell of more traditional advertising channels? Or are they simply adding more outlets for overstretched marketing budgets? How do you get your message heard by an incredibly diverse population living in a world of unrelenting messaging? In this session learn the latest advertising innovations that are helping retailers cut through the noise and be heard.

Speaker TBA

Technology Trends
The Check-Out Continuum
C Ballroom 3, Dallas Convention Center
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
10:00 a.m. - 10:50 a.m.

Checkout continues to evolve at an ever-increasing pace. Technology advancements are enabling a continuum of checkout options from self-scanning, bagging and payment to automated tunnel scanning. Learn how retailers will try and balance customer expectations for service, control and speed with the need to reduce costs, manage shrink and maximize selling space. Hear about current and future technologies that may impact the checkout process.

Moderator: Cathy Hotka, Cathy Hotka & Associates

Panelists:
Paul Burel, Retail Business Development, Fujitsu America, Inc.
Mike Grimes, CEO, Modiv Media
Dusty Lutz, General Manager - Retail Self-Service Solutions, NCR Corporation
Todd P. Michaud, President, Retalix USA, Inc.

Technology Trends
Technology-Enabled Operational Excellence
C Ballroom 3, Dallas Convention Center
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
11:00 a.m. - 11:50 a.m.

The explosion of IT-related solutions and offerings in the marketplace can make it extremely difficult to determine what store-based solutions to invest in. In this session, several respected industry consultants will discuss which technologies are driving real ROI at store level and how best to evaluate the returns from the most common applications being leveraged today, such as decision support tools (including shrink tracking and fresh item management applications), workforce management modules, and electronic messaging at the point of purchase. Hear about real success stories as well as the challenges retailers face across the implementation road map as they introduce additional technology to the store footprint, while gaining a stronger perspective on what truly makes a difference to customers and associates.

James Sweeney, Managing Director, The Stores Consulting Group
Rick Marino, Managing Director, The Stores Consulting Group

Technology Trends
The Future of Payments
C Ballroom 3, Dallas Convention Center
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
10:00 a.m. - 10:50 a.m.

Mobile Payments - where are we going? This session will provide an overview and insights into industry trends and challenges associated with mobile payments. In addition, attendees will learn definitive ways on how to leverage the popularity of mobile phones and harness the power of two-way interactive communications to reduce payment costs, increase average sale value, speed checkout processes and build customer loyalty.

Richard K. Crone, CEO and Founder, Crone Consulting, LLC
Heidi Ann Liebenguth, Crone Consulting, LLC

Technology Trends
Personalization of the Shopping Experience
C Ballroom 3, Dallas Convention Center
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
11:00 a.m. - 11:50 a.m.

The exploding use of mobile and digital devices means that retailers are being pushed into areas that are new and provide limited metrics and case studies to compare against. There is a real opportunity for retailers to take advantage of this movement and personalize the consumer's shopping experience in a way that accents their specific business brand. This session will provide an example of how one retailer uses digital tools, including an in-store digital touch point, smartphone app, and text messaging to increase promotion effectiveness and to boost store traffic We will also explore how they aggregate customer data, work to drive conversions, and to add at least one more item into the consumer's shopping basket.

Steve Methvin, Vice President, Retail Technology & E-commerce, Bozzuto's, Inc.

Technology Trends
Cloud Computing: Bring Your Own IT (BYOIT)
C Ballroom 3, Dallas Convention Center
Thursday May 3, 2012
8:00 a.m. - 8:50 a.m.

Private cloud, public cloud, virtualization, SaaS - the topic of Cloud Computing tends to be, well…cloudy. What are the commonly held definitions, models and myths for Cloud Computing? Will business peers leverage this as a "bring your own IT" approach? Can IT leverage this as a way to be more nimble and cost effective? This session will help you frame up the discussion within your organization and develop the right approach.

Speakers from EMC TBA