FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 4, 2002
Retail, Fast-moving Consumer Products and Apparel Industry Companies Come Together to Shape Future Business Opportunities
(Newton, MA) - Retail Systems® 2002 Conference & Exposition announced that it will integrate its conference program with the influential VICS Collaborative Commerce Conference for the 2002 show. America`s Leading Retail IT and Supply Chain Event will be held June 24-27 at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL USA.
Held side-by-side for the past four years, Retail Systems Conference & Exposition and the VICS Collaborative Commerce conference chose to combine their conference programs to create one forum for the entire retail industry to gather and exchange ideas. The new program, the first of its kind, will offer a unique opportunity for retailers and suppliers to discuss both technology and business issues from a retail, wholesaler, and manufacturer perspective.
"Retail Systems and VICS have reacted to the industry`s demand for retailer-supplier collaboration that produces greater operational efficiencies and improved customer service by producing a single, super conference," commented Tom Friedman, show principal for Retail Systems Conference & Exposition. "In the past, our attendees were forced to choose between the Retail Systems and VICS conferences, limiting their ability to take full advantage of our offerings. We have now removed that obstacle."
"With the implementation of standards playing a critical role in advancing the retail industry, it is essential to bring together business executives and IT executives at one event," added Jim Flannery, Conference Chair of the VICS Association. "It is crucial that we bring the standards and business issues that have traditionally been discussed in the VICS conference to a broader forum. By integrating the two conferences, we are furthering the partnership of the IT and management roles which is key to streamlining supply chain processes."
Attendees at the Retail Systems 2002/VICS Collaborative Commerce conference will continue to hear case study presentations by executives involved in the day-to-day systems and business implementation process. Conference sessions will cover store innovation, web technology, supply chain/fulfillment, business systems & integration, retailer/supplier collaboration, and multi-partner collaboration.
Reflecting the broader perspective of the newly integrated conference, speakers come from retail, wholesale, direct market, and supplier companies. Retail and wholesaler companies speaking include Batteries Plus, Best Buy, Dell Computer Corp., Gap Inc., JC Penney, Fleming Companies, Longs Drug Stores, Marks & Spencer PLC, Pacific Sunwear of California, Polo Ralph Lauren, Skymall, Target Stores, and Wal-Mart Stores. Supplier companies speaking include Jones Apparel Group, Kimberly-Clark Corporation, L`Oreal, and Procter & Gamble Company.
The exhibit hall will offer more than 250 systems vendors, demonstrating systems that support all components of the retail enterprise and supply chain. A Retail Systems Expo area will feature technology applications for store and corporate systems. A Ccomm (Collaborative Commerce) Expo area will focus on business to business technology solutions that aid in the synchronization of the supply chain. An Ecomm (E-commerce) Expo area will be dedicated to technologies for Web operations and online retail storefronts.
Retail Systems 2002/VICS Collaborative Commerce is organized by MoonWatch Media Inc., a leading technology publishing and events company that has followed the advancements of technology applications within the retail, e-commerce, and supply chain industries for more than a decade. The company provides analysis and insight about a broad spectrum of issues and trends through publications, conferences and expositions, Internet services, special reports, and customized research.
The newly merged Retail Systems 2002/VICS Collaborative Commerce Conference program was developed in conjunction with The Voluntary Interindustry Commerce Standards (VICS) Association. The mission of the VICS Association, creator of the Quick Response concept and of the nine-step CPFR® process, is to take a global leadership role in the ongoing improvement of the flow of product and information about the product throughout the entire retail supply chain. VICS members are key retail, fast-moving consumer product companies, apparel industry companies, and transportation companies, whose highly influential executives collaborate to improve the future of the retail industry for all its participants.
For more information, contact:
Morgan Devlin
MoonWatch Media Inc.
Tel: (617) 527-4626 ext. 117
Email: mdevlin@moonwatchmedia.com
www.retailsystems.com
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