Checkout Conference 2012: Where Do We Go From Here?

Checkout magazine, Ireland’s leading magazine for the grocery retail sector has announced details of its 2012 Checkout Conference, held in association with Rabobank. Next year’s event will take place at the Four Seasons Hotel, Dublin, on 17th January 2012, under the banner ‘Where Do We Go From Here?’

With food exports at an all time high, and Ireland’s current fiscal approach earning plaudits from global business, 2012 could well be the year the country gets ‘back on track’. But what challenges will retailers and FMCG manufacturers face once it does? How well are Irish businesses poised to adhere to the needs of the changing consumer? And where will the opportunities lie in what is an increasingly competitive market?

CONFERENCE TIMETABLE

09.00 – Conference Opens

09.10 – Jim Power, Economist / Chairman, Love Irish Food

Noted economist Jim Power is an economic advisor to Friends First Group. He previously worked as Chief Economist at Bank of Ireland Group and Treasury Economist at AIB Group. He is owner manager of Jim Power Economics Limited, is a board member of food awareness body Agri-aware, and is Chairperson of Love Irish Food. His first book Picking up the Pieces was published by Blackhall Publishing in November 2009. He is editor of the Friends First Quarterly Economic Outlook, one of Ireland’s leading economic commentaries. Jim will be presenting on the subject: "Adapting To Consumer Needs: The Changing Role of Irish Products in the Retail Grocery Landscape"

09.35 –  Frank Gleeson, Retail Director, Topaz

Frank Gleeson is retail director at Topaz; recent winner of the coveted NACS 2011 International Convenience Retailer of the Year award. Frank has spent most of his career in the retail sector, as Vice President of Retail at Statoil, Operations Director of O’Brien’s Off Licence Group and Group Sales Manager for Xtravision Plc. A graduate of the Irish Management Institute, Frank is an International Committee member of the NACS (National Association of Convenience Stores) Global Forums and chairman of the NACS/Coca-Cola Retailing Research Council. In his presentation, Frank will talk about the Topaz Retail Brand strategy: “Thinking Ahead”

10.00 – Michael Landymore, Global Sector Strategist with Rabobank’s Food Research & Advisory Group

Before joining Rabobank, Michael worked for more than two decades as a director of research at Investec Securities, covering Food & Household products. He also formerly worked for Unigate, and Helvetica Wealth Management Partners. He currently holds the role of Global Strategist Value Added Processing at Rabobank, where he is responsible for developing FAR’s research agenda in the sector. Michael will be presenting on the subject “Past Performance is No Guide to the Future: Why Cyclical Headwinds Will Accelerate Structural Shifts – A Value Added Foods View”

10.25 – Shopper Marketing in Ireland: What You Need to Know. Joint Presentation by Dunnhumby, MCCP and Visualise

Checkout is proud to present a joint presentation on ‘Shopper Marketing’, one of the ‘hot topics’ of the retail industry so far this decade. The DNA of consumer product marketing has been fundamentally changed, and the traditional approach to brand-building is no longer enough. This joint presentation, feature Graham Kinsella from Dunnhumby, Kay McCarthy from MCCP and Ciaran Fitzgerald from Visualise, will seek to deconstruct the shopper marketing concept, and how you can best apply it to your business.

11.00 – Coffee Break

11.25 –  Miriam Hughes, Managing Director, DDFH&B
Miriam has over 15 years’ experience in client marketing. She is a former Marketing Director of Nestlé in Ireland and before joining DDFH&B in 1998, she was Head of Communications, Sales & Marketing at Bank of Ireland. At DDFH&B, Miriam and her team have produced some of the most eye-catching advertising of recent years, including the National Lottery 'Rainbows' commercial and Denny's 'Home Is'. DDFH&B were voted Agency of the Year at the 2011 Checkout Awards and Miriam's presentation at the Checkout Conference will focus on: "Challenges for Brand Communications in Ireland"

11.50 – Emily Dent, Director, NMIncite

Emily has ten years' experience in what we now know as 'social'. She formerly worked at the news desk of The Sun Online, and has worked with advertising agencies and start-up businesses on developing their social media strategies. Emily now works for NMIncite - a joint venture between Nielsen and McKinsey  - helping businesses organise themselves around the biggest paradigm shift businesses have seen in the past 50 years. Clients include Tesco, Reckitt Benckiser, Kraft and Disney. Emily will present on the subject: “Are You Listening…?: Capturing the Opportunities in Social Media”

12.15 – Stephen Vard, Managing Director, The Vard Partnership

Stephen Vard is the Managing Director of The Vard Partnership. Considered one of the country’s leading branding agencies, The Vard Partnership helps businesses grow through optimising their brand and design communications. The Vard Partnership has worked with some of the country’s biggest brands, including Kerrygold, Premier Foods, Unilever, Tayto, HB, Fyffes, Britvic, Jameson and Cuisine D’France. Stephen will present on the subject: "Brand Recognition: How to Create Resonance With Customers Through Innovative Packaging"

12.45 – Lunch

14.15 – Panel Discussion: 'Making the Most of Your Brand'

A dedicated panel discussion, 'Making the Most of Your Brand’, will look at ways in which businesses can adapt their brand strategy to better meet the needs of today's consumer, how to invest in the right kind of marketing, launch new products and embrace the demands of the multiples. The panel discussion will feature Valerie Rice, Managing Director, Valerie Rice Consulting, Joseph Collum, Director, International Business and New Ventures, Glanbia, Brendan Murphy, Managing Director, John West Ireland and Ciaran Donnelly, Managing Director, Donnelly Fruit and Veg.

15.00 –  Michael Carey, Chairman, Bord Bia, CEO ‘The Company of Food’

Michael is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of ‘The Company of Food’, a specialist food investment business. His other roles in the food sector include Chairman of Bord Bia and an investor and a non-exec director at Valeo Food Group. He is the former executive chairman of Jacob Fruitfield, and has won numerous business awards, including the Smurfit Graduate Business School Alumnus of the Year (2010), the ‘Ernst & Young’ Industry Entrepreneur of the Year Award (2005) and the Bord Bia Food Entrepreneur of the Year (2004). Michael will be presenting on the subject: “Opportunities Facing the Food Industry as a Key Sector in Ireland's Economic Recovery”

15.30 – Ends

 

For more information on the 2012 Checkout Conference, including ticket bookings, please contact Colette O'Brien at conference@checkout.ie or 01 2300322. Click here to download a brochure