Keynote: Economic Outlook
Introduction by: Mark Waldron
The recession may be over, but how quickly will it recover? What lies ahead for the retail environments industry? A leading economist will provide insights into the current economy and projected path to recovery with special emphasis on our industry and its future prospects. Come away with up-to-the-minute projections to keep your business on the right track.

Retail Panel Discussion: What Retailers Want from their Suppliers
Panelists: Lynn Knutson, Harley-Davidson, Retail Development Manager, Merchandising and Visual
Mark Randall, Kohl’s, Fixture QA & QC
Chuck Luckenbill, OfficeMax, VP Visual Merchandising
Ron Brunette, Sears, VP Visual Creative Design
Bruce Schmiedl, Walgreens, Div. VP, Facilities Planning, Design and Engineering
This is your chance to hear directly from retailers on their decision criteria for selecting vendors, what they forecast for upcoming new store construction and renovation for 2010 and 2011; and what you can do to stand out in the crowd. Hear new opportunities for growth as retailers cite examples of how their way of doing business has changed and how your company can partner with them in this new reality.

Working Lunch: Reports from the Trenches
Moderator: Klein Merriman, executive director, A.R.E
Time is money and in this new economic reality, we don’t have the luxury of wasting anything! Attendees will act as “reporters” over lunch discussing what they heard, saw and learned during GlobalShop and other industry events from recent weeks. After lunch, Klein Merriman will recap those discussions and review industry data from the recently completed A.R.E. Revenue Trends Survey.

Design Firm Panel — Collaborating in a New Reality: Retailers, Designers and Fixture Manufacturers
Panelists: Charles Sparks, President and CEO, Charles Sparks + Co.
Mark Johnson, President, Johnson Design Group
Retailers have cut back on their staffs but still require the same amount of support in both the design and the build stages. Compounding the problem is that they are not anxious to either pay for more support or give more time to get it. And, all of this against a background of a rapidly changing retail bricks and mortar landscape. We need to collectively find better ways to communicate, share ideas, value engineer, critique, etc. Design firm panelists share ways they have collaborated with retailers and/or fixture manufacturers. Come away with ideas on how design firms and fixture manufacturers can help each other in working with retailers (and other end users). 

Sales and Marketing Idea Exchange
Moderator: Alan Harvill, president and CEO, EMI Industries
In today’s environment, it is critical to re-evaluate the progress you are making with your marketing plan. Do you need to make adjustments or re-think your entire plan to better position your company for best results? In this open forum, discuss tools for identifying target markets and clients, refining your product mix, and sales force management practices. Compare notes on how to drive the results of your organization’s marketing plan to achieve the results your shareholders expect.

Best Practices — Strategies to Beat Your Competition
Moderator: Paul Pinkus, managing director, RSM McGladrey Inc.
What are your financial statements telling you? Are you utilizing your company resources to their best potential? Have you benchmarked your company against other industry leaders? How does the retail environments industry compare to other similar industries? And, how can you use that information to your advantage?

Financing a Resurgence in Your Business
Panelists: Bruce Lubin, President, Illinois Commercial Banking, The PrivateBank
Allan De Guzman, Sr. VP, JPMorgan Chase Bank
Panelists from commercial banks and a private equity firm specializing in small and mid-cap companies discuss the current lending environment; what they look for before making a loan and how commercial lending is evolving.

Case Study – Lessons Learned to Improve Processes
Moderator: Donald Bloom, CEO, Prime Retail Services
In this open review of completed projects, learn from successes and challenges in areas of program management, installation, and logistics. Discussion will include current industry trends, types of installations, and trends in utilizing in-house resources, outsourcing or combination. What are the “lessons to be learned” from successful fixture installation programs? How can retailers, installation companies, transportation and other services work most effectively together? Session will include metrics on the installation industry, the latest trends from a service perspective and special situations such as multi-store rollouts (2000), cross-border programs, union considerations, etc.