Are Conferences Still Relevant?

Part One of Three

By Amber Bradley

Let’s face it. It seems like every year we’re invited to yet another conference touting the “most valuable speakers” with the most “innovative exhibit floor.” An ever-expanding conference calendar leaves most of us in a summer fog of networking receptions and solution provider trinkets banging around in our purses or briefcases, respectively. It’s come to the point where loss prevention professionals must be intentional about where they spend their most precious assets: their time and their organization’s money. As conference season begins and professionals of all types descend onto the flat plains of Colorado, it begs the question: Are conferences still relevant?

Day one of the Retail Industry Leaders Association’s (RILA) Asset Protection conference started out as any other – a hot breakfast full of networking colleagues ready to file into another keynote session. Lisa LaBruno, Executive Vice President, Retail Operations & Innovation for RILA, set the tone for this year’s conference with her annual address, but instead of touting attendance numbers and the typical trade show speak, LaBruno gave an update of RILA activities that set a different course. She unveiled a new and exciting RILA mission and efforts to bring all retailers together (RILA member or not) for learning and expansion of the retail industry, including new research, new committees, and efforts to continue complex lobbying. She also delivered a fresh message about setting the standard for the new way retail defines loss for their organization as, “Total Retail Loss.” Impressive start.

The morning’s keynote session, “Creating a Better Everyday Life: What is Retail’s Role in Society?,” given by Lars Petersson, Senior Advisor, Former President US IKEA North America, was an enlightening look at how IKEA embraces social causes and how that impacts both local and international store operations. Petersson was an interesting choice to kick-off the conference and it’s always insightful to take a quick look behind the curtain of a major retailer.

The morning continued with an electric guitar playing, former retail operations executive, rock climbing adventurer, and professional speaker, Manley Feinberg, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Vertical Lessons. Manley certainly kept everyone’s attention describing his rock-climbing adventures and how they can relate to both our professional and personal lives. He even provided the audience with “7 Vertical Lessons.” Other insightful information on Manley, can be obtained from his website here. One of Manley’s illustrations concluded with an electric guitar rendition of the National Anthem which brought the crowd to its feet. The story and similar rendition can be found here.

Day one continued with breakout sessions built for every subject matter expert in your retail organization. Speakers provided real-life examples of what’s working for their loss prevention programs on a variety of different topics. Some of the highly attended breakouts included: