St. Petersburg, FL (PRWEB) May 21, 2014
The Global Retail Marketing Association’s (GRMA) Ninth Annual Executive Leadership Forum concludes to industry acclaim. The GRMA hosted more than 125 senior executives from over 60 retail companies and 28 solution provider companies at the GRMA Executive Leadership Forum at the Don CeSar Hotel in St. Pete Beach, Florida, May 15–17, 2014.
Known for facilitating unique face-to-face peer exchange in an intimate and highly conducive environment, this year’s Forum drew notable C-suite executive attendees from nationally recognized retail brands, such as Home Depot, Arby’s, Sports Authority, Macy’s, David’s Bridal, Payless ShoeSource, Office Depot, and Gilt Groupe as well as non-U.S. retail brands, including Canada-based Loblaws and Holt Renfrew, Mexico’s Coppel, and more.
MIT research fellow Michael Schrage kicked off the event by challenging attendees to think differently about customers and innovation. Additional highlights from the Forum’s 11 sessions included award-winning Boston Philharmonic Orchestra conductor Benjamin Zander engaging attendees to understand what differentiates ordinary people from the most successful leaders as well as Barack Obama campaign manager Jim Messina sharing critical insights on how retailers can pioneer tools, technologies, and tactics that will transform global business.
“More than ever before, this year’s agenda has been custom tailored to address the specific issues that the retail industry is facing,” states Stephanie Fischer, president and CEO of the Global Retail Marketing Association. “We’ve been able to shape this year’s Forum through the continuous dialogue that we’ve had with our members throughout the year, and leveraged their input to create a highly inspirational and empowering event that is unique to our industry.”
Key takeaways that emerged from this year’s Forum included “Driving Profits through Culture,” which focused on positive company culture as the driving force in reinvigorating companies across all sectors; “Embracing Experimentation,” which spoke to the value of being able to rapidly deploy for competitive advantage by testing, analyzing, iterating, and pivoting across all disciplines; and “Engaging Authentically,” which centered on the impact of customer-powered social networking and how it presents limitless opportunities to engage customers in a manner that is simultaneously relevant, trackable, and profitable.
The next Executive Leadership Forum is scheduled for Wednesday, May 13 through Friday, May 15, 2015, when the GRMA will be marking its 10-year anniversary. The GRMA is recognized as the premier networking association where leading minds in technology, global economics, consumer behavior, and industry trends come together with those on the front line of retail.
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