Foreign experts to showcase how to reinvent retail at NRCE

Foreign experts will share their experience and fresh insights on the global retailing landscape at the 25th National Retail Conference and Stores Asia Expo 2018 slated Aug. 9 to 10 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.

NRCE 2018 overall chairman Frederick Go said the Philippine Retailers Association Conference Committee carefully picked the speakers in this year’s edition of the retail conference, to make sure the attendees will fully grasp the message of the theme “Reinventing Retail.”“This is a call to action for us in the retail industry. We are aware of the need to innovate further amid the digital disruption and the ever-changing global retail landscape,” said Go, the PRA vice chairman and president of Robinsons Recreation Corp.NRCE 2018 Conference chairman and Rustans Commercial Corp. president Bienvenido Tantoco III stressed the need to make retailers fully aware of the challenges and opportunities brought about by what is now known as digital disruption. “Disruption is not always negative, especially if you know how to adapt and reinvent yourself side by side with the changes that are taking place on the technological front,” he said.Wijnand Jongen, a globally recognized author, futurist and authority on retail and e-commerce, will lead the Day 1 speakers. Jongen is the co-founder and chairman of the executive committee of E-commerce Europe, the European e-commerce umbrella organization with over 75,000 members. Day 2 of the conference will feature two global retail experts―Central Pattana (Thailand) deputy CEO  Wallaya Chirathivat, and Forum for International Retail Association Executives chairman Massimo Volpe. To speak on the topic “Key Global Megatrends: Putting the Consumer at the Heart of Business” is Swee Woon Tan, head of sales for ABCs (Agencies, Banks, and Consultancies) and TGAs (Trade, Government and Academics) at Euromonitor International (Singapore).

Jane Ng, executive director of Kantar Millwardbrown, will discuss “Growing up and Staying Young: Achieving brand growth and resilience through meaningful disruptions.” Beijing Bingobox Technology founder and CEO Chilam Chen will discuss “Retail of the Future: Unmanned Supermarket”–the latest trend in the supermarket industry utilizing Artificial intelligence.  Santanu Dutt, Amazon Web Services head of solutions architecture for Malaysia and the Philippines, will discuss “Innovations at Amazon.” TaskUs senior vice president for Southeast Asia Robert Hayes will give a presentation on the topic “Call to Action/Deliver the world’s best experiences.” Xin Yi Wong, sustainability manager at H&M (Singapore), will demonstrate that “Fashion can be sustainable, and sustainability can be fashionable.” “Dare to dream!” will be discussed by Dreambig World (Spain) CEO Juan de Lascurain, a designer from Mexico.The annual NRCE is acknowledged as the biggest and most important retail event in the Philippines.