CSNews Sister Publications to Host New FMI Connect Forum
CHICAGO — FMI Connect, the grocery retail industry's largest and most important trade show, will feature a powerful "show-within-a-show" forum this year focusing on the most important technological innovations transforming the business of food retailing.
PULSE: Technology Enabling the Path to Modern Retailing is designed to bring together retailers and visionaries on the cutting-edge of catering to the mobile-savvy, multichannel consumer, and provide provocative insights into operational implications of this new dynamic.
Convenience Store News sister publications Progressive Grocer and Retail Leader are teaming up with the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) to provide a day and a half of insightful retailer panels, captivating keynote presentations, in-depth one-to-one and group business meetings, an interactive environment throughout — and a stage for uncovering new pathways to success moving forward.
The PULSE speakers and sessions will upend assumptions about what it takes to win in today's environment and what's coming next and coming quickly. Technology and the cultural changes brought about by instant access to everything and expectations of immediate fulfillment and delight have only begun to transform food retailing.
Confirmed speakers include:
Nadia Shouraboura, founder and CEO, Hointer Inc. Shouraboura believes the supermarket industry is only just beginning to undergo transformational change involving the very role of the store, ecommerce, operations, store associates and more, down to the SKU level. Before founding Hointer, she was vice president at Amazon.com and headed up the company's technology and fulfillment strategy and execution, and was a key member of Jeff Bezos' inner circle. She now has a lot to say about big changes coming to the food industry.
Sineesh Keshav, vice president of IT, Safeway. Keshav is among the most respected leaders in leveraging information technology and is a key executive in heading up the integration of all IT for the Safeway-Albertsons merger. Keshav has an especially sharp and precise mind in the area of predictive analytics and sizing up changes impacting the industry.
John Lauderbach, vice president of IT, Roche Bros. A member of the FMI CIO Council and a leader in innovation and technology at Roche Bros. supermarkets, Lauderbach plays a pivotal role in keeping Roche Bros. thriving in the most competitive segment of food retailing: the smaller regional chain. Roche Bros. has beat back larger rivals year after year. Hear his take on business innovation.
Suzi Robinson, marketing lead, bfresh/Fresh Formats LLC, an Ahold Co. Robinson describes her current role as a lifetime opportunity to create a new grocery shopping experience and brand from scratch. She is a lead developer of the bfresh brand, a new store format that debuted late last year. Her responsibilities as "marketing magus" include heading up brand strategy and identity; in-store experience; mobile, digital and social media; marketing and promotional planning; customer relations; private label packaging design; innovation testing; and consumer research.
PULSE will take place June 22-23 as part of the FMI Connect convention, being held June 20-23 at Chicago’s McCormick Place.
For more information on the full roster, speaker lineup, business meetings and more, contact Joan Driggs, Editorial Director, Progressive Grocer and Retail Leader, at [email protected].
For sponsorship opportunities, contact Jeffrey Friedman, Vice President and Group Publisher, Stagnito Business Information, at [email protected].
Convenience Store News, Progressive Grocer and Retail Leader are part of the portfolio of Stagnito Business Information.