Latest / Retail Media Breakfast Club / Tips For Getting The Most Out Of Retail Conferences [Panel Episode]
Transcript
- [Fri 9/5] Making Most of Industry Conferences === [00:00:00] Kiri Masters: conference season is expensive. Flights, hotels, registration fees that make your finance team wince. But what if I told you that the brand, seeing real ROI from conferences. Aren't spending their time in the keynote [00:00:15] sessions. [00:00:15] In today's episode, I'm sharing insights from four brand side leaders who've cracked the code on conference ROI, you'll hear why one leader never skips the networking events, even when they're exhausted. And the workshop strategy that's building long-term partnerships. [00:00:30] And while walking the expo floor isn't just surviving a sales gauntlet, it's your crystal ball into what's coming next. If you are heading to a conference soon or trying to justify that budget request, this episode will show you how to turn those [00:00:45] hefty registration fees into real business relationships. [00:00:48] Let's dive in. [00:00:49] [00:00:50] Kiri: Now let's hear from Kelsey Knight, chief Commercial Officer at the Toy Brand Slumberkins. [00:00:57] Kelsey Knight: Perfectly timed. I'm actually attending Etel East right [00:01:00] now. I can say the best thing is don't skip the networking events. I feel like it's a really easy thing to skip the 20 minute networking refreshers or the dinners or the happy hours because you're exhausted and you have work to do. But that's actually where I've made the most connections that [00:01:15] have paid off down the line. [00:01:16] So the agencies that we're working with now, I met at Etel in previous years. Um, you and I met when you were moderating a panel. Um, we've had two partnerships, brand partnerships in the last 12 months. Both of those came from connections I made [00:01:30] at eTail in our industry. And so, um, having a game plan to attend those networking events and make the most of them has been really important for me. [00:01:38] And then I would say the sales floor is something not to avoid. Know the solutions that you're looking for, the partners that you're [00:01:45] looking for, prioritize that and seek them out because that is where you'll get. Um, a faster read on the software or the services that will be most beneficial to you. And it just really jumpstarts that evaluation process. [00:01:57] It's a good opportunity to really see behind the scenes [00:02:00] and get demos and do things that would take weeks to schedule and have people attend if you were doing it virtually. [00:02:05] [00:02:06] Kiri: Now let's hear from Neha Malik, head of Connected Commerce at Mizkan America, the parent company of [00:02:15] CPG brands, including Ragu, Bati, and Holland House. [00:02:18] Neha Malik: So even the recent one that I'll, I'll talk about is the digital shelf, um, from Salsify that they had put together late last year. And that particular one, you know, we were right in the midst of [00:02:30] determining how do we go back to basics and how do we fix digital shelf, um, optimization through ai, et cetera. And that particular one was really helpful because there were a lot of agencies presenting exactly how to, um, how to look at [00:02:45] the enhancements, how to make the changes. [00:02:47] Um, so, and, and even so many other conferences that we go to, it's, it's about newness. What is that we otherwise don't learn? But then also, um, to be able to meet with our [00:03:00] existing agency partners, which there's quite a few within our tech stack or otherwise, um, to see that we know everything that they bring from the capability perspective. [00:03:09] What are the retailers doing? What are some of the other brands doing? So it's a very comprehensive, we're very [00:03:15] active if we do go to events, which we select very few throughout the year, so we try and make the most of each one of them. 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Like, and that's like a great opportunity to go and like, meet up with somebody, do 30 minutes, walk a little [00:04:30] bit, um, you know, do a coffee before, do drinks, after, whatever it may be. But one thing that I have started encouraging folks to do is, um, if they're available. [00:04:40] Sign up for workshops. Uh, it's a great way to go deeper on a specific [00:04:45] topic, and, and more importantly, you're able to like network in a much more meaningful way than just chatting over cocktails or something like that. And, and you also, you like walk away with the shared learning experience with the folks that are at the workshop or sitting at your [00:05:00] table, which makes it so much easier to continue the conversation later. [00:05:05] And so. You know, I've built connections and workshops that turn into long-term partnerships and, you know, all of those things because we have this really interesting common ground to [00:05:15] build on. And, and I think a lot of folks just like don't do them maybe because they think, well, it's gonna take up so much of my time when I'm gonna be at this, this trade show. [00:05:22] And again, from my past experience, I've just got so much out of them in so many different ways. [00:05:28] [00:05:29] Kiri Masters: Now [00:05:30] let's hear from Danny Silverman, growth consultant at Silver Stream Strategic Consulting. [00:05:35] Danny Silverman: So there's probably three things I would recommend for attending trade shows. Um, number one, make use of the app that they provide to make your [00:05:45] schedule as well as networking. Um, it's really important to have a plan and not just to go and figure out what you're gonna do on the fly. 'cause you'll, you won't get the most out of the show. [00:05:54] Number two, if you're. Saying, Hey, let's meet up there. I'll find you. You probably won't, [00:06:00] especially at the bigger shows like Shop Talk. So if you wanna meet with someone, schedule a very specific time and place where you're gonna meet. And the third suggestion is walk the floor. Like it's yes, like it's a gauntlet and there's salespeople and there's all that stuff, but it's the only way to really [00:06:15] know what's happening in the industry and what's emerging. [00:06:17] Um, it will give you a really good insight into, uh, what's the next thing that's coming. As well as, you know, meet and greet some of your old friends and, and see some of the, the old, uh, [00:06:27]