CHICAGO, Dec. 3, 2007 – Information Resources, Inc. (IRI) today announced plans for the fifth annual IRI Summit 2008, an action-oriented forum built around the latest breakthrough and transformational thinking in market information, analytics, technology, and customer-driven strategies from the leaders and pioneers in the consumer packaged goods (CPG), retail and healthcare industries. This world-class conference, which will address the toughest issues facing senior executives at premier manufacturer, retail, sales management and technology companies, will take place March 3-5, 2008, at The Gaylord Palms Orlando Resort & Convention Center.
IRI, the leading global provider of consumer, shopper, and retail market intelligence and insights for the CPG and retail industries, created the broad-based, high-level forum to examine the latest innovations and best practices in content, analytics, and technology solutions to drive growth and productivity. To deliver these real-world perspectives, IRI has assembled a virtual “who’s who” list of distinguished keynote speakers and panelists, including:
- Paul Beahm — Senior Vice President, General Manager, Pharmacy, Wal-Mart
- Billy Beane — Oakland A’s General Manager and pioneer in the use of analytics, who is featured in Michael Lewis’ Moneyball
- Joan Chow — Chief Marketing Officer, ConAgra Foods, Inc.
- Ken Fenyo — Vice President, Customer Loyalty, The Kroger Company
- Tom Furphy — General Manager, CPG, Amazon.com
- Cathy Green — Chief Operating Officer, Food Lion LLC
- Russ Hockin — Senior Vice President, Cross-Channel Operations, Kellogg Company
- Don Johnson — Vice President, National Retail Sales, Anheuser-Busch Companies
- Bill Pecoriello — Managing Director, Beverage Equity Research, Morgan Stanley
- Rob Price — Chief Marketing Officer, CVS Caremark Corp.
- Mike Salzberg — President, Sales, Campbell Soup Company
- Jim Smits — Group Vice President, Fresh Foods Merchandising, SUPERVALU INC.
- Stephen Vowles — Chief Marketing Officer, The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company
- Thom Blischok — President, IRI Retail Solutions and Strategic Consulting
- John Freeland — President and CEO, IRI
- Dr. Romesh Wadhwani — Chairman, IRI, and Founder and Managing Partner, Symphony Technology Group
These thought leaders will explore such pressing topics as:
- Monetizing new and potentially disruptive trends in shopper behavior
- Reshaping approaches to shopper loyalty
- Using cutting-edge analytics and technologies for deeper insights on demand
- Leveraging health and wellness trends for growth
- Rethinking the role of the pharmacy as a complete store growth engine
- Radical new approaches to retailer-supplier collaboration
- Innovative best practices in consumer understanding, brand growth and merchandising
“Truly connecting with customers is the key to success in today’s turbulent CPG marketplace,” says IRI Global Chief Marketing Officer Andrew Salzman. “However, customer attitudes and behaviors are in a state of rapid flux, so capturing their attention, creating increasingly rewarding shopping experiences across diverse channels, and hitting the right note with new and existing brands is quite a challenge. IRI Summit 2008 will face these challenges head on and provide innovative tactics and solutions that retailers and manufacturers can leverage immediately to connect with their customers and achieve breakthrough results.”
IRI Summit 2008 will also feature more than 30 best practice breakout sessions that address today’s most critical business issues. These sessions, led by the industry’s leading domain experts, will feature such topics as “Changing the Shopper Experience,” “Consumer-Driven Merchandising Strategies,” “Breakthrough Retail Collaboration Strategies,” and “Apollo Space Management User Symposium.”
For more information about IRI Summit 2008 and to register, visit http://www.cpgsummit.com/?utm_source=Corp_Web&utm_medium=Press_Release&utm_content=Announcement&utm_campaign=Summit_2008.
About Information Resources, Inc.
IRI is the world’s leading provider of consumer, shopper, and retail market intelligence and insights supporting 95 percent of the FORTUNE Global 500 consumer packaged goods (CPG), retail and healthcare companies. Only IRI offers the unique combination of integrated market information, automated and predictive analytics, innovative enabling technologies, and domain expertise. With IRI, leading retailers and manufacturers are able to quickly discover breakthrough insights driving smarter decisions and actions across the enterprise for breakthrough results. Companies around the world depend on IRI for improved productivity, stronger brands, and dramatic revenue growth. For more information, visit http://us.infores.com/.
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IRI CONTACTS:
John McIndoe
E-mail: john.mcindoe@infores.com
Phone: (312) 474-3862
Fax: (312) 474-2512
Shelley Hughes
E-mail: shelley.hughes@infores.com
Phone: (312) 474-3675
Fax: (312) 474-2512