The National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA) has announced its slate of Monday speakers for the 2011 Management Conference & Team Dealer Summit, to be held May 1-4, 2011 at Loews Ventana Canyon in Tucson, Arizona.
Combined Session Speaker
Jeremy Gutsche, Founder of trendhunter.com, will speak on Monday morning, May 2, showing attendees how to gain an edge in business by harnessing the creativity that will help their company survive and flourish in any economic climate. In addition to serving as the president of Trend Hunter, Gutshe wrote the award-winning book Exploiting Chaos: 150 Ways to Spark Innovation During Times of Change, which was listed as a Best Book for Business Owners by Inc. Magazine.
General Track Speakers
Herb Sorensen, Ph.D., will speak later Monday morning to retail attendees in a session titled Inside the Mind of the Shopper. Fast Company magazine’s Innovator of the Year, Sorensen has studied how shoppers all over the world shop on a second by second basis. By analyzing trip length, traffic patterns, eye tracking and item purchases, he has shown Fortune 100 retailers and brands how to track shoppers to sales lift of 3 6%. His revolutionary insights have re-written rules of retailing, including item management, store layout, merchandising programs and marketing programs.
A late-morning session focusing on Engaging Customers with Social Media and Mobility will be led by co-presenters, Bernie Brennan, Investor, Consultant and former Chairman of the National Retail Federation, and Lori Schafer, Executive Advisor in SAS Institute’s Retail Practice. Brennan and Schafer wrote the book Branded!, in which they highlight expert companies in the social world.
Monday afternoon sessions will be led by Sucharita Mulpuru, Vice President and Principal Analyst, eBusiness, at Forrester Research, and Susan Annunzio, President & CEO, of the Center for High Performance. Mulpuru will discuss the Future of Retailing, while Annunzio will focus on High Performance Leadership.
Team Dealer Summit Track Speakers
A panel discussion entitled The Team Business The Next Five Years, will be led by Jeff Brusati, NSGA Board member and president of T&B Spors. Panelists will include Don Bates, President of Allen Sports Center, Inc., Matt Murphy, Senior Vice President, Sales, of Russell Athletic, and Robert Parish, President and General Manager of Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc.
Tom Searcy, the author of WhaleHunting: How to Land Big Deals and Transform Your Company, will speak to attendees of the Team Dealer Summit late Monday morning. Searcy is the founder and CEO of Hunting Big Sales, and will discuss Unlocking Explosive Growth with those in attendance at the Summit.
An afternoon panel discussion entitled Using Technology to Increase Profits, will be moderated by Pete Schneider, NSGA Board member and President, Athletic Dealers LLC. Panelists will include Kent McKeaigg, President and CEO of Teamdealeronline.com, and Ryan Wenkus, Sales Representative of Metro Athletic Supply. In addition, a representative from Apple will speak to attendees during this panel discussion.
For more information on the 2011 NSGA Management Conference & Team Dealer Summit, visit the event’s web site at www.nsgaconferenceandsummit.org.
