Inside the Ninth Annual Consumer Goods Fall Conference

10/25/2007

On October 21-24, more than 180 consumer goods business and IT executives gathered at The Ritz-Carlton in Orlando, Fla., for the ninth annual Consumer Goods Fall Conference. There, they had the opportunity to explore how they could elevate business performance through retail partnerships via abundant networking opportunities and insightful presentations from their peers. Here is snapshot of some of the event's many highlights:

In an opening keynote presentation, John Rand, director of retail insights for Management Ventures Inc., explained how consumer goods companies can adapt to a retail market that is increasingly fragmented, segmented and ever-changing. "The only thing we know with 100 percent certainty about the consumer landscape is that the sum total of what your customers will ask for is more than you can provide," Rand said. Bringing together consumer and social trends, business patterns and technologies, Rand mapped out winning strategies that can affect the near-term future of your company.
Stephen Marosi, IT manager, P&G Global Merchandizing Solutions for The Procter & Gamble Company, highlighted key challenges and opportunities for consumer goods maufacturers in the store -- saying the shelf has the greatest influence -- and proposed proven ways of thinking about store conditions in terms of value creation.
In a panel discussion based on findings from the 2007 Tech Trends Study, AMR Research's Lora Cecere quizzed consumer goods executives -- Tony Costa, CIO, Bumble Bee Foods; Doug Rammel, VP of IS, Tech & Integration Operations, Sports Licensed Division, adidas Group; and Mansour Zadeh, Global CIO, Smithfield Foods -- on industry trends in technology direction and governance, and how business priorities are shaping the IT direction in their respective companies.
One of the greatest challenges for consumer goods companies and retailers alike is reaching the consumer, and that begins with getting them into the store. In a presentation titled "The Retail Perspective: The Consumer Experience", David Hoodis, VP Store Innovation and Operations Development, Wal-Mart Stores Inc., revealed details of Wal-Mart's continuous improvement cycle to better meet consumer expectations.
Based on findings from a GMA research study, Thomas Bornemann, Clarkston Consulting, led a panel of consumer goods executives from Kraft Foods, Motorola Inc., Pepsico Inc. and Lance Inc. in a discussion on how to best leverage direct store delivery to drive growth and better serve consumers.
The Geek Squad Founder and Chief Inspector Robert Stephens closed the conference with the inspirational story of how he integrated marketing into every single aspect of his then start-up business -- from choosing a memorable and scalable company name to having the Geek Squad logo molded into the soles of employee shoes. "If we can glamorize computer support, anything is possible," he said, while donning a recognizable Geek Squad uniform.

For a more in-depth recap of the ninth annual Consumer Goods Fall Conference, please read the upcoming December issue of Consumer Goods Technology.