Retail Solutions, the technology exhibition for the UKs retail sector, at Birminghams NEC from the 6th 8th June 2006, will once again play host to some of the industrys leading retailers who will be speaking about how they have utilised technology to grow their business.
This year, seminar theatre one - newly branded as The Retailer Experience offers retailer a platform to discuss how technology has delivered tangible benefits to their business.
Presentations include:
Habitats outsourcing of their gift card programme using a managed service
Jonathan Yelland, Programme Manager Self-Service Solutions, Tesco will detail the reasons behind its progressive roll out of self-service technology across its complete range of store formats in the UK.
Mid-Counties Co-op talking about the societys latest introduction of a web-based in-store ticket printing solution net.tickIT.
Simon Thomas of the Threshers Group will also be outlining how it is transforming its business from managed franchise with an innovative yet affordable approach to deploying ASP in store systems.
Key note speakers
The Retail Week Business Track also has an excellent line up and will see Bill Laird, Chief Operating Officer Retail, Mid-Counties Co-operative step up to the role of keynote speaker for day one. His presentation is titled Finger scanning: No wallet required at the Mid-Counties Co-op all you need is your finger and he will cover in some depth how its shoppers will now have the choice of leaving their wallet at home, paying for their goods simply via a finger scan linked to their bank account. This is claimed to be the UKs first implementation of Pay-By-Touch compared to the US where 2.3 million shoppers have now enrolled and the service is now available at more than 2,000 retail locations.
Day twos lunchtime speaker is James Stafford, Head of Clothing RFID, Marks and Spencer. He will deliver a full update on the current RFID trial in clothing across its stores.
Retail Week Business Track -Cutting edge business issues
PCI data security the industrys latest hot topic will be kicking off the first Retail Week Business Track session at Retail Solutions thanks to Paul Baker, VP Advanced Payment Solutions, Mastercard, who will explain how this standard has come into play, what it portrays and its wide reaching impact on retailers.
The seminar agenda at Retail Solutions 2006 will also offer a platform to tackle business issues such as Marketing and Finance. Under this umbrella, Scott McInnes, Marketing Director, Card Commerce, will inform retailers how they can maximise the benefits of their giftcard schemes by marketing, merchandising and promoting them more effectively. Examples of this include targeting special occasions throughout the year to drive sales, as well as customer promotions, staff training and up-selling to increase sales. Real-life examples will also be covered in some depth.
Finance is another business issue to be undertaken with Keith Riley, ex-CEO, Wickes up on the stand. His presentation titled Does IT justify representation on the board? will present both sides of this debate, comparing the critical factors of board structure and organisation, the IT functional and IT board roles and the IT director.
This years exhibition is also the launch pad for a section dedicated solely to the hospitality and leisure industry, introduced in recognition of the pivotal role technology plays within this sector. Speakers for Hospitality Solutions include Sue Elaiho, Finance Director, Deep Sea Leisure who will detail how, in partnership with VcsTimeless, the company was able to implement a comprehensive membership solution. David Cabreza, Director Financial Services Hilton Hotel Group will also talk about how using Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) has improved the Groups customer service and profits. This new functionality allows foreign guests to settle their bills in their own currency, rather than in the currency of the hotel.
Workforce Management systems are increasingly being recognised as having the capability to deliver significant savings in labour costs and improve service levels for retailers in all sectors. Referring to a recent implementation at leading retailer Metro Cash & Carry, John Bailey, Business Development Manager at WorkPlace Systems will outline how Metro has been able to quickly implement these systems and realise spectacular benefits.
The two seminar theatres are located in the exhibition hall and the seminars are free to all visitors to the show. Each presentation lasts approximately 20 minutes and is followed by questions and answers. Presentations run from 10.00 am 4.00 pm. Delegates can attend whichever sessions are of interest to them, although it is not possible to pre-book entry.
Now in its 26th year, the event provides an essential forum for retailers to meet leading suppliers, see the latest products and hear about issues, while networking with their industry colleagues. Retail Solutions is the largest event of its kind in Europe and is firmly established as the retail industrys leading exhibition incorporating all the latest ground-breaking technologies, interactive features, issue-led seminars, high profile speakers and cutting edge content.
Further information and free registration to Retail Solutions is available online at retailsolutions.com or call the ticket hotline on 0870 429 4362
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