Internet Retailer Web Design '09 Conference

The four full days of the Internet Retailer Web Design '09 Conference will feature one day devoted exclusively to free private web design consultations, followed by two full days of the main conference with 39 expert speakers and 21 sessions dealing with all aspects of redesigning web sites to increase their sales and a fourth day for the Web Redesign Workshop which include morning session of before-and-after case studies of retail web site redesigns and an afternoon of live, on-the-spot redesigns of web sites volunteered by attendees. The Workshop is conducted by six retail web site design experts.

Internet Retailer Web Design '09 Main Conference

Nothing is more fundamental to the success of a retail web site than its design. The design is what engages shoppers and ensures that they stay to explore more of the site. After a dozen years of Internet evolution, there is no shortage of bells and whistles that retailers can apply in the design of their web sites. But not all will produce the sweet music of profitability. The Internet Retailer Web Design Conference '09 will help online retailers determine:

Web Design '09 will feature expert speakers from large and small e-retailers who will talk about how they approach web site design and usability and how they make sure that every element they introduce into a design has a payback.

Web Design '09 Keynote & Featured Speakers

Keynote Speaker - January 20 Keynote Speaker Lindy Rawlinson, Vice President of Web Operations & New Business, Neiman Marcus Direct will discuss how to design a straightforward, elegant site that speaks to customers while incorporating advanced site functionality. Featured Speaker - January 20 Mark Carson, CEO, FatBrainToys.com, will talk about how a small retailer can design a robust site on a budget while incorporating many of the same merchandising features, functionalities and visuals of larger competitors. Barack Obama's Inaugural Address: The historic inaugural address of President-Elect Barack Obama will be shown live on the large screen of the general session hall at 12:30 p.m. during the lunch break.

Featured Speaker - January 21 Kevin Ertell, Vice President of E-business, Borders Books and Music, will discuss how Borders created a stand-alone, state-of-the-art site after years of relying on Amazon for e-commerce services. He will talk in detail about how the new Borders.com replicates the store experience but with certain features available only on the web.

Web Design '09 Conference Agenda Outline

Listed below are the exact times for each event in the Internet Retailer Web Design '09 Conference. To view the description of an individual session click on the "Session Description" buttons. Or, to view this list with all session descriptions visible please click the radio button below.

Pre-Conference: Jan. 19, 2009

10:00 AM - 5:30 PM Design and Usability Consultations Attendees at the Internet Retailer Web Design '09 conference have the opportunity to submit their web sites to experts in web site design and usability for a free consultation. From 10:00 to 12:00p.m. and 1:00 to 5:30 p.m., web site design and usability companies will operate private consultation rooms with Internet access. Retailers attending the show can choose up to three appointments per attending company for one-on-one, half-hour consultations on the design, navigation, organization and usability of their web sites. Participating consultants will provide analysis specific to each site, with suggestions for improvements and commentary on what results a retailer can expect from making such changes. These sessions will not be sales pitches for a vendor's products—any participating company that engages in selling during the consultations will not be invited to return the following year. Retailers who wish to participate in the consultations must sign up when they register to attend the conference. Appointments are available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

4:00 PM - 4:45 PM Roadmap to Redesign Betsy Emery, CEO, TELLUS

5:00 - 7:00 PM Welcome Reception A Champagne Reception will be held in the Exhibit Hall on Monday evening, Jan. 19. Please join us and your e-retailing colleagues for cocktails and hors d'oeuvres.

Day One: Jan. 20, 2009

8:30 AM - 9:00 AM KEYNOTE: Neiman Marcus: Where Elegance and Simplicity Add up to Success Lindy Rawlinson, Vice President, Web Operations & New Business, Neiman Marcus Direct

9:00 AM - 9:30 AM Is it time yet? Neil Clemmons, Senior Vice President, Critical Mass Ivy Chin, Vice President Architecture, Design & Video, QVC

9:30 AM - 10:15 AM Choosing the right design partner Bruce Temkin, Analyst, Forrester Research Bill Kane, Vice President, IMS & Web Development, 1800Mattress.com

10:15 AM - 11:00 AM Break

11:00 AM - 11:30 AM FEATURED ADDRESS: A small retailer designs a robust site on a budget Mark Carson, CEO, FatBrainToys.com

11:30 AM - 12:00 PM Behind the scenes at mini-movies—Managing video online Pedro Santos, Chief Strategist, eCommerce, Akamai Technologies Inc. Frank Malsbenden, Vice President, Vision Retailing Inc.

12:00 PM - 12:30 PM Creating—and managing—images that sell Kelly Sullivan, Creative Director, CWDkids Tracy Rosen, CEO, WH Group

12:30 PM - 1:45 PM Lunch Barack Obama's Inaugural Address: The historic inaugural address of President-Elect Barack Obama will be shown live on the large screen of the general session hall at 12:30 p.m. during the lunch break.

1:45 PM - 2:15 PM Design and merchandising lessons from Holiday 2008 Lauren Freedman, President, the e-tailing group

2:15 PM - 2:45 PM The importance of testing Carol Farnsworth, Senior Director Customer Experience Research, Keynote Systems, Inc. Jeffrey Prus, Senior Director, User Experience and Merchandising, VistaPrint

2:45 PM - 3:30 PM Making site usability all it can be—Live site reviews Jennifer Bailey, Usability Services Manager, ForeSee Results Scott Kincaid, Vice President, Usability Sciences Corp.

3:30 PM - 4:15 PM Break

4:15 PM - 4:45 PM How to prioritize a design plan Bryan Eisenberg, President, FutureNow Howard Wyner, President, Scentiments.com

4:45 PM - 5:30 PM 30 minutes to change your site David Carrington, President, RacingUSA.com Chris Wegener, President, PaperStyle.com

Day Two: Jan. 21, 2009

8:30 AM - 9:00 AM FEATURED ADDRESS: Borders reclaims its online channel Kevin Ertell, Vice President of E-business, Borders Books and Music

9:00 AM - 9:30 AM How your market defines your design Judy Newman, President, Scholastic Book Clubs and Professional Resources, Scholastic Books David Redlich, Co-CEO, Director of Sales & Marketing, ReStockit.com

9:30 AM - 10:15 AM Programmers are from Mars, customers are from Venus Lawrence Becker, Vice President and Principal, Website Effectiveness, The Rimm-Kaufman Group Archie Miller, Senior Manager of Web Design and Development, Crutchfield Corp.

10:15 AM - 11:00 AM Break

11:00 AM - 11:30 AM One site, many masters: Accommodating conflicting design objectives Mike Ritter, Vice President, HP Home & Home Office Store Tony Svanascini, President, AmericanEagle.com

11:30 AM - 12:30 PM Top design tips to boost SEO rankings—Live analysis of attendees' web sites Stephan Spencer, President, Netconcepts Suzy Sandberg, President, PM Digital

12:30 PM - 1:45 PM Lunch

1:45 PM - 2:15 PM Designing landing pages that sell Neil Kugelman, Founder & CEO, Goldspeed.com John Tawadros, COO, iProspect.com

2:15 PM - 3:00 PM Every byte counts Andrea Mulligan, Director, Professional Services, Gomez Mike Lanning, Online Operations Manager, Best Buy

3:00 PM - 3:15 PM Break

3:15 PM - 3:45 PM Leveraging social technologies strategically in your site design Dayna Bateman, Senior Strategic Analyst, Fry Inc. Albert DiPadova, Vice President, Due Maternity

3:45 PM - 4:15 PM What engages shoppers now—and what will engage them tomorrow Greg Selkoe, CEO, Karmaloop Matthew Ledford, President, Fast Pivot

4:15 PM - 5:00 PM Bonus round: The best advice on web site design you haven't heard yet Sherrie Hablitzel, Creative Director, Azavar Technologies Corp. Craig Smith, President, Trinity Insight Steven Brisson, Creative Director, Acquity Group Klay Huddleston, Executive Director, Retail Practice, Resource Interactive

Day Three: Jan. 22, 2009, Post Conference Workshop Case Studies and Critiques on Redesigning Retail Web Sites MORNING: Why we did what we did The post-conference workshop will features designers and their retailer clients who will walk attendees through site makeovers. They will present before and after examples of the site, explain why they did what they did, outline the results of the makeover and discuss where they plan further enhancements. AFTERNOON: In-depth site critiques Design experts will analyze and suggest areas for improvement of attendees' web sites. These sessions are designed to be group learning experiences. Design experts will walk the audience through in-depth critiques and recommendations and leave plenty of time for discussion with attendees as to what they are suggesting and why.

9:00 AM - 10:00 AM An Epic Redesign Donald Bailey, CEO, Epic Dental Ethan Giffin, President, Groove Commerce

10:15 AM - 11:15 AM Springing into action with a new web site design Seth Newman, COO, Action Envelope Josh Levine, Chief Creative and Experience Officer, Alexander Interactive

11:30 AM - 12:30 PM Harvesting the benefits of a redesign Scott Young, Partner & Senior Vice President, Brulant Steve Braun, VP, E-Commerce, Tractor Supply Co.

12:30 PM - 1:30 PM Lunch

1:30 PM - 4:00 PM Live, on-the-spot redesigns Ethan Giffin, President, Groove Commerce Scott Young, Partner & Senior Vice President, Brulant David Wertheimer, Director of Strategy, Alexander Interactive