Octomedia, publisher of Inside Retail, is launching APAC’s major retail conference and expo for 2017 at the revamped International Convention Centre in Darling Harbour (pictured), Sydney.
Inside Retail Live will run over three days (March 29-31, 2017) and play host to over 3000 executive retail delegates, 150+ exhibitors, augmented and virtual reality stages, live stage performances and entertainment. Following on from the success of the inaugural awards night earlier this year, the Retail Customer Excellence Awards will also form part of the prestigious event.
Inside Retail is drawing on 44 years of knowledge and experience gained from serving our over 30,000 retail executive subscribers, who trust our independent coverage, to organise the event. In recent years Inside Retail has expanded to New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, The Philippines and wider Asia. This event brings all of the knowledge and experience accumulated across the region into an intensive three days of learning, networking and growing as an industry.
We have introduced significant features to make the three-day event a valuable, rewarding experience including free entry for accredited retailers (not free for non-retailers, including expo space).
“Australia hasn’t really had an event of this scale that actually touches so many aspects of retail,” said Nati Harpaz, Chairman, of Octomedia. “Our event has three days, with each focusing on different aspects of the retail operations. The other very different aspect of this event is the fact that we are purposely making it free for the first day and a small ticket price for the other days.”
A large expo space is being built at the new convention centre to house exhibitors covering visual merchandising, shopfitters and designers, technology, VR/AR, leasing, security, HR and recruitment and several international pavilions.
To date, confirmed speakers include:
Tim Schaafsma – CEO, Steinhoff (Freedom, Snooze, Coco Republic and more).
Michael Gordon – CFO, Steinhoff.
Hilton Seskin – CEO, Athleisure (Topshop Australia, Glue Stores, Trend imports).
Mike Parsell – CEO, Michael Hill.
Stephen Younane – CEO Retail Prodigy Group (operators of Nike Stores Australia).
John C. Schroder – Group Executive & CEO Commercial Property Stockland.
Steve Cox – MD, Dymocks.
Peter Birtles, CEO, Super Retail Group.
Launa Inman, non-executive director, Commonwealth Bank.
Confirmed international speakers include:
Jim Fielding – Global Head of Consumer Products and Retail. DreamWorks Animation (US).
Mark Goddard – Managing Director of Toys R Us (JP).
Andrew Georgiou – VP Marketing Alfred Angelo (US).
“We are trying to reach as many of our audience and give them an event that they can really get ‘ROTI’ from,” said Harpaz. “’ROTI’ is Return On Time Invested – coming to these events, especially if you travel interstate or from overseas, takes time and one thing retailers don’t have is time.”
In ensuring that retailers get a premium return on their valuable time, a unique feature of the event – at odds with other retail events – is the avoidance of presentations and a focus on Q&A style and panel discussions.
“The speakers that we have confirmed are either international executives or C level executives from major Australian retailers,” said Harpaz. “This will make it a really great experience to learn, network and have some fun.”
Daily themes for the event include Retail Management on day one; The Customer on day two; and Experiential Retailing on day three.
For more information on Inside Retail Live and to keep up to date as new speakers are announced and program details added, keep an eye on insideretail.live.
