Luncheon Roundtables

Join an industry expert for an intimate round table luncheon discussion. Don't miss this chance to network, share ideas and discuss the issues that matter to you. Choose from a wide variety of table discussions, hosted by the expert of your choice.

Mark Campbell Founding partner and CEO VMG Cinematic

Matthew Diamond Vice President Hunter Straker

Michael Harris Managing Partner Match Shoplab

Dan Howe VP, Marketing, Communciations & Loyalty Overwaitea Food Group

Diana Lucaci Founder True Impact Marketing

Kevin Lund Managing Director, Global Retail Programs Perennial Design

Kelly McCarten CEO LAUNCH!

Martin Rydlo Partner Influence Marketing

David Sharpe Founding Partner 6Degrees Integrated Communications

Jed Schneiderman President Tapped Networks

Stacey Tozer Marketing Director Mappedin

Click here to register online or contact Joel Pinto at 416-408-2300 ext 650.

Hits and misses in Quebec

The Quebec marketplace presents many challenges for shopper marketers. In adapting a national campaign or creating a program specifically for Quebec, the language and cultural differences must be considered. Our panelists, from leading brands and agencies, will share examples of programs that scored - and some that flopped - in Quebec, and they will discuss the challenges and opportunities of reaching this unique market.

Melissa Martin Shopper Marketing Professional Melissa Martin

Nicole Bleiwas Sr. Director, Customer & Shopper Marketing Canada Bread Company Limited

Stephane Drouin Vice President SVM

Sebastien Faure President Bleublancrouge

Sponsored by

Click here to register online or contact Joel Pinto at 416-408-2300 ext 650.

Western retail reinvention

Competing with national retail giants is challenging for local retailers with smaller marketing budgets, so innovation is critical. Two of Western Canada's key retailers are tackling that ongoing battle with new initiatives: Overwaitea Food Group's Dan Howe will highlight innovative in-store programs at the group's new Calgary stores; while Lisa Gorchinski will focus on partnership programs that have driven success for Calgary Co-op.

And bringing a brand POV to the table, Campbell's senior shopper marketing manager Mike Dickoff will lead discussion on the overall challenges and opportunities for brands and retailers in western provinces.

Mike Dickoff Sr. Shopper Marketing Manager Campbell Company of Canada

Lisa Gorchinski Marketing Director Calgary CoOperative Association Ltd

Dan Howe VP, Marketing, Communcinations & Loyalty Overwaitea Food Group

Click here to register online or contact Joel Pinto at 416-408-2300 ext 650.

Kraft & Loblaw: when two brands are better than one

Successful shopper marketing evolves out of close collaboration between retailers and manufacturers. Made in Quebec is a great example of how to make it work for both parties.

By deconstructing some of their biggest shopper marketing programs, Jennifer Salter and Wes Brown explain how Kraft and Loblaw joined forces to build a powerful, strategic CPG/retailer partnership for the long-term, driving ROI and boosting loyalty for both brands, including the highly successful Made in Quebec.

Wes Brown Senior Director, Brand Marketing, Retail, Loblaw Companies Limited

Jennifer Salter Director, Shopper Marketing Kraft Foods Group

Click here to register online or contact Chris Vin at 416-408-2300 ext 483.

Longo's channels mobile to ramp up ROI

Achieving competitive differentiation is critical in the crowded retail world, so Longo's is engaging customers through a new mobile solution that's successfully driving them to spend more, and to visit more frequently. Created by Toronto-based digital shopper marketing company, Unata, the mobile loyalty platform tracks shopper spending habits to deliver personalised offers, tapping phones as both a digital loyalty card and shopping list builder. Longo's director of CRM & analytics, Ken Kuschei, and Unata's CEO Chris Bryson, will share fresh data that shows how the program is lifting sales, and to explain how it boosts the in-store experience while driving ROI.

Chris Bryson Founder & CEO Unata

Ken Kuschei Director, Consumer Insight Longo's

Click here to register online or contact Chris Vin at 416-408-2300 ext 483.

How Huggies helped Walmart win new moms

When retailers and manufacturers align their shopper strategies and customize programs based on shared objectives, both parties win. That was certainly the case with the Huggies baby room by design microsite, a unique collaboration that helped Walmart with its goal of building loyalty with first-time moms. Denise Darroch, Kimberly Clark's field shopper marketing manager, and John McCullagh, from agency partner Geometry Global, will dissect the campaign from its conception through execution, and share how it drove loyalty and sales for two powerhouse brands.

Denise Darroch Field Shopper Marketing Manager, Kimberly Clark Canada Inc

John McCullagh Account Supervisor Geometry Global

Click here to register online or contact Chris Vin at 416-408-2300 ext 483.

Microsoft explores the shifting retail journey

The retail revolution is well underway and consumers are leading the charge. This session examines how Canadian shoppers make electronic purchase decisions, how their needs and expectations are evolving and what influencers are most impactful on their path to purchase. Revealing data from Microsoft Advertising's latest shopping report, consumer insights lead, Alyson Gausby, will examine how brands can identify new opportunities to engage with shoppers on-screen and in-store.

Alyson Gausby Canadian Consumer Insights Lead Microsoft Advertising

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Announcing Our 30 Minutes with a Retailer Sessions!

Still wondering what retailers really want? The Forum's exclusive track of retailer briefings is back - with some new faces and fresh ideas. In these intimate, interactive sessions, we invite manufacturers and agencies to join some of Canada's leading retailers to share ideas for successful collaboration. You will be invited to join an open discussion with each retailer. Don't miss this rare opportunity to have your questions answered and learn how your brand can benefit from strategic partnerships with these category leaders.

Rexall
Joining us for the first time this year, Mary Kelly and Jennifer Zedic will delve into the latest developments in Rexall's ongoing brand makeover and will explain how your brand can get involved in partner programs.

Mary Kelly EVP, Chief Merchandising Officer Rexall Pharma Plus

Jennifer Zedic Director, Marketing & Advertising Rexall Pharma Plus

Loblaw
Back by popular demand, Wes Brown will share his vision for successful collaboration with manufacturers before inviting Q&A from the audience. Discover the strategy behind how Loblaw goes to market with Canada's largest seasonal events while focusing on its most strategic customer groups, and how your brand can have a starring role in both.

Wes Brown Senior Director, Brand Marketing Retail, Loblaw Companies Limited

Metro Inc
Discover how your brand can work with Metro as Nancy Modrcin shares her vision for building strategic partnerships with manufacturers, while Gino Plevano will reveal exciting initiatives involving the retailer's new digital ecosystem that he helped to build, including a revamped website and mobile application.

Nancy Modrcin Sr Director of Marketing Metro Ontario Inc.

Gino Plevano Sr. Director, Digital Metro Inc

Overwaitea
Bringing western Canada into the spotlight for the first time at the Forum, Dan Howe will discuss some of the shopper marketing initiatives that are driving success across Overwaitea's five banners, including the More Rewards loyalty business, and he will share his strategy for building a win-win partnership with vendor sales and marketing organisations.

Dan Howe VP, Marketing, Communciations & Loyalty Overwaitea Food Group

Click here to register online or contact Joel Pinto at 416-408-2300 ext 650.

Keynote: Big Data and Mobile. How they're (really) revolutionizing retail ROI

Growth-focused brands recognize that Big Data is the key to survival in the crowded retail-scape, and mobile is also playing a big shopper change agent role. Aimia's Cincinnati-based VP knowledge development, Rick Ferguson, brings both tools into sharper focus by sharing new research on Canadian shoppers mobile behaviour and showing how Big Data is set to transform the world of loyalty. He'll also map out how retailers and manufacturers can work together to use data more effectively to build more profitable relationships with customers. Ferguson's remit entails developing global loyalty marketing thought leadership, research and best practices.

Rick Ferguson VP, Knowledge Development Aimia

Retailnado: how to prep for the next big disruptors

There are a lot of curveballs coming into play across Canada's retail landscape. Nielsen's VP consumer insights, Carman Allison, will share new data on the biggest trends influencing consumers and impacting retailers and brands. On the agenda:

- How the growth of the aging population will define Canadian retail.
- Dollar stores impact on retailers and the threat to CPG brands.
- Canadian retailers fight against the US invasion.
- How e-commerce, cross-border and ethnic grocery shopping are leading retail growth in Canada.
- New ways to fuel real and sustainable growth, beyond traditional retail.

Carman Allison VP, Consumer Insights Nielsen

Take advantage of our final early bird rate of $699, click here to register online or contact Joel Pinto at 416-408-2300 ext 650.

Getting it right with multicultural shoppers

Over 250,000 immigrants and even more temporary foreign workers arrive in Canada each year, playing a significant role in consumer spending growth. In parts of Toronto and Vancouver, well over half the shoppers were born and raised outside of Canada, so a cross-cultural shopper marketing strategy is more important than ever.

Environic's Robin Brown will discuss the challenges and opportunities in reaching shoppers from diverse cultures and ethnicities, sharing examples from successful shopper marketing programs. Learn how to apply key best practices to create a cross-culturally relevant shopper marketing plan, and avoid being lost in translation.

Robin Brown Senior Vice President Environics Research Group

VR tech puts shopper marketing plans to the test

A lot rides on POS, so why not check how well it works before it hits the store? In this session, you will learn how Mondelez Canada has made use of a new technology by TNS to test shopper marketing materials, planograms, packaging and innovation, prior to launch. TNS Canada's Mike Moussallem, will demonstrate a new 3D online virtual reality environment that can provide insights into how a particular stimulus is likely to perform in-market, while Robert McEvoy will describe how Mondelez has benefitted from this new technology. Moussallem leads the retail and shopper insight practice for TNS in Canada. At Mondelez, McEvoy is the shopper insights manager for Total Biscuit.

Robert McEvoy Shopper Insight Manager Mondelez Canada Inc.

Mike Moussallem Senior Research Director Retail & Shopper Insights TNS Canada

Keynote: Connecting with the emotional shopper

At a time when shoppers are bombarded with messages from a myriad of media, breaking through is more challenging than ever. Michelle Adams will share data from the recently completed POPAI shopper engagement study to explain the in-store decision-making process and to analyze the differences between male and female brains. What do shoppers respond to in-store? What are personal drivers of choice? How much does our emotional, irrational behaviour explain a large majority of how we shop? Discover, through examples, how your brand can break through the clutter to connect with today's emotion-driven shopper.

Michelle Adams Founder Marketing Brainology

Adams is the founder and president of Plano, Texas-based Marketing Brainology, where she examines the latest findings from virtual shopping, behavioral science and neuroscience, and translates them to corporations. She previously worked as PepsiCo's VP, customer strategy and shopper insights.

Sponsored by

Mindspace and shelfspace: Exploring the war between retailers and manufacturers

The battle between manufacturers and retailers for share of profits is played out in the arenas of shelfspace and mindspace. Retailers are competing aggressively for shopper mindspace, aided by their much greater size, brand-building and robust private label strategies, while manufacturers continue to fight for shelfspace.

John Bradley Author Yknot Strategic Solutions

Understanding the contrasting financial and business strategies of retailers versus manufacturers is at the root of building better, more productive relationships. John Bradley will explain why manufacturers must seek to increase the cost of switching brands through their brand-building activities, and why retailers must strive to achieve the opposite, in particular through private label strategies which position the retailer against competitors and against manufacturer brands. Illustrating with examples from around the world, Bradley will discuss the impact on manufacturers of the resurgence of private label as a retail strategy and how its impact can be mitigated.

What millennials want: the next generation of shopping

By 2017, millennials will possess more spending power than any other generation, but where and how will they shop their favourite brands and stores? In this frank conversation, Jesse Jones will sit down with a panel of diverse millennials to answer your questions, uncovering how this group is engaging differently with brands and why shopping will never be the same again.

Jones is president and chief innovation officer at Toronto-based TEN81 Lifestyle Inc, where he helps brands manage their public image and create an authentic connection with their target audience through lifestyle-based marketing strategies.

Jesse Jones President & Chief Innovation Officer TEN81 Lifestyle Inc

Keynote: Decoding the new shopper mind

A decade of swift and stunning change has profoundly affected the psychology of shoppers and consequently, how, when and why they shop and buy.

Back by popular demand, consumer psychologist, Kit Yarrow, from Golden Gate University in San Francisco, will take attendees on a tip-filled guided tour of the radically revised minds and hearts of today's shoppers. Revealing, for the first time, new data and examples from her upcoming book, Decoding the new consumer mind: How and why we shop and buy, to be published in March 2014, Yarrow will describe how three dynamic, socio-cultural shifts have transformed shoppers and will outline four essential strategic shifts that businesses need to make to connect with a new shopper mentality.

Yarrow, who has won awards for her research in consumer psychology, is the author of Gen BuY, published in 2009, and a regular contributor to The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Good Morning America, and a variety of other media.

Kit Yarrow, Ph.D. Chair, Department of Psychology, Golden Gate University

Sponsored by

All-star advisory board signs on to shape an agenda for navigating retail change

At Canada's biggest annual Forum for shopper marketers, you'll learn how brands and retailers are navigating the new trends and deploying the new tools along the path to purchase. From intimate briefings with some of Canada's top retailers to keynotes from experts from around the globe, find out what's working now . . . and what's next.

Whether you're a manufacturer, retailer, agency or service provider this is the must-attend event of the year.

Here's who's shaping and curating the agenda...

Wes Brown Senior Director, Brand Marketing, Retail Loblaw Companies Limited CO-CHAIR

Jennifer Salter Director, Shopper Marketing Kraft Foods Group CO-CHAIR

Nicole Bleiwas Sr. Director, Customer & Shopper Marketing Canada Bread Company Limited

Jason Dubroy VP, Managing Director ShopperDDB

James Fraser Vice President Hunter Straker

Greg McDonald VP, Shopper Strategy & Business Development Match Marketing Group

Jason McDonell Vice President Marketing Pepsico Foods Canada

Laura Panetta Sr. Shopper Insights & Marketing Manager ConAgra Foods Canada

Nicole Rocheleau Insights & Shopper Marketing Manager Energizer Canada Inc

Angela Scardillo VP Marketing & Corporate Communications Best Buy Canada Ltd.

Frank Scorpiniti CEO Rexall Pharma Plus

Livia Zufferli VP, Marketing Target Canada

Shopping is changing. Are you ready?

Shoppers are changing their behavior faster than you can Google retail reinvention. Myriad influences, from mobile to social to big data, are having an impact that goes beyond evolution, bordering on mutation.

At Canada's biggest annual Forum for shopper marketers, you'll learn how brands and retailers are navigating the new trends and deploying the new tools along the path to purchase.

From intimate briefings with some of Canada's top retailers to keynotes from experts from around the globe, find out what's working now . . . and what's next.

New research findings, tech, loyalty and data advances, case studies and consumer trends are all explored. And the Forum wraps with the Shopper Innovation Awards, a showcase of the most ground-breaking and impactful programs in Canada, with a focus on brand and retailer collaboration.

Don't miss this intense shopper marketing bootcamp experience. Whether you're on the retail, manufacturer, agency or partner side of the path to purchase, SMF packs in everything – and everyone – you need to know to up your shopper game.

Register now to take advantage of the early bird rate.