Electronic Retailer - February 2012 - 8

YOUR ASSOCIATION, YOUR BOTTOM LINE

BY JULIE COONS

A Time for Community and Conversation

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There’s been a lot of buzz surrounding The Great Ideas Summit 2012. And much of that excitement is attributed to our return to Miami – a favorite destination for many. We’ll be rolling out the red carpet at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach and gearing up for three days of high-powered networking and deal making. Aside from the receptions, exhibits and special events on our agenda, we also have assembled a great education program that will include the Keynote Presentation along with long-form and short-form sessions located right on the Show Floor. On February 28 and 29, ERA will present education featuring four Panel Discussions (hour-long sessions) and eight Lightning Sessions (12-minute presentations). ERA staff, the ERA Education Committee and more than 300 ERA members voted on these final 12 sessions via a crowd-sourcing initiative. Thank you to the Education Committee for, once again, supporting this initiative. The 12 sessions include: • 10 Profound Marketing Secrets That Produce Big Profits – Industry experts will reveal 10 of the most profound hidden secrets you can use to accelerate your results! • Which Came First – Retail or DRTV in Seeking the Golden Egg? – Hear from major players in the industry as they compare and contrast the direct marketer mold from the start to retail outlet modeling to incorporation of DRTV. • The Real Men and Women of Madison Avenue – Understand the three things that you must do to create a memorable, lasting, results-driving brand campaign. • The Road to Retail – A Superhighway with Many Exits! – Attendees will learn which path leads to increasing ROI and the shortest route to success. • Apparel – The HOT Category for DRTV – Learn more about these popular apparel products and how you can market the next “must have.” • Positive Reputation = Revenue: Increasing Your Online Market Share – This online reputation management session will teach DRTV marketers and service providers how to navigate their online market share. • For the Hispanic Vote, the Campaign is on! – Discover why ignoring the Hispanic electorate in 2012 could be at your peril! • Deal of the Day Sites: A Game Changer – Learn how to immediately capitalize on this new segment by educating them about industry players, success stories, roadblocks and the economics of the deal.

• The Multichannel Marketing Advantage – Learn how to leverage all marketing channels from digital to direct mail to DRTV so that you can maximize sales at the lowest possible cost. • Create Meaning ful Consumer Connections by Integrating Mobile with DR – How to build and implement an effective mobile and direct response strategy to build meaningful customer connections, and increase ROI and customer loyalty. • How A Virtual Store Leads to More Sales – Understand how a 3D store with augmented reality allows customers to have an in-store experience from home. • Don’t Run Your DR Campaign by the Seat of Your Pants: Have a Plan! – The 20 elements of a good DR plan, which include market opportunity, independent research, demographics and legal substantiation. On Tuesday, February 28, I encourage all of you to attend this year’s Keynote Presentation titled “DR Disruption – What You Need to Know About Social and Over-the-Top TV.” I will be moderating this panel discussion and joined by leading experts Brendan Condon of REVShare, Andrew Gordon of Direct Impact Group and Ben Mendelson of the ITV Alliance to learn more about these technologies and the impact that social and OTT TV might have on our industry. As you can see, we’ve put together an assortment of sessions designed to not only provide our attendees with valuable information, but also to serve as a conduit for conversation. It’s an opportunity to get people talking about the topics and issues affecting our business today. We want to keep the communication going between our speakers and attendees long after The Great Ideas Summit concludes. That’s why we invite ERA members to participate in our online community, MyERA, at myera.retailing.org and start a dialogue. This customized social networking tool puts you in touch with our industry’s thought leaders, and gives us – ERA staff – direct feedback on the types of educational content you would like to see at future conferences. Finally, be sure not to miss ERA’s Washington in Miami, a high-powered networking reception to help raise funds for the association’s E-Retail Political Action Committee. For more information about The Great Ideas Summit 2012 or to register, please visit www.ERAGreatIdeas.org or retailing.org. I look forward to seeing you in Miami!

electronicRETAILER | February 2012

Electronic Retailer - February 2012

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