ECRM’s 2021 Global Market: Fall Experience grows lineup of thought leaders, retailer presenters

The October event will feature two keynotes, one from “Shark Tank” shark Kevin O’Leary and another from WSL Strategic Retail CEO and chief shopper Wendy Liebmann.

ECRM has announced its lineup of more than 25 presenters for its upcoming 2021. Global Market: Fall Experience event. The event’s two keynote speakers are “Shark Tank” shark Kevin O’Leary and Wendy Liebmann, WSL Strategic Retail CEO and chief shopper. The company also noted that its roster of retailer presentations includes Bed Bath & Beyond, CVS Health, The Gi-ant Company, Peapod, Petco, Sam’s Club, Walgreens and Walmart. 

The digital event, meant to bring retail buyers and product suppliers in food and beverage, health and beauty from around the world together, is slated for Oct. 18 to 22. The time will allow for virtual face-to-face meetings and various presentations. 

"The speaker lineup at our Global Market: Fall Experience, assembled by our SVP of Retail Wayne Bennett, is unlike any we have done before," said Greg Farrar, CEO of ECRM. "Buyers and suppliers will learn trends and insights on a huge variety of topics from the most forward-thinking leaders in the industry."

[Read more: UNFI, RangeMe expand partnership]

O’Leary will kick off the event with a virtual fireside chat. Sponsored by the Emerson Group, the keynote will cover topics of interest to both retailers and brands. Besides his work on “Shark Tank,” O'Leary is the chairman of O’Shares Investments and is a regular contributor on ABC, CNBC and CTV. He has authored two books. 

Liebmann’s keynote will see her sharing WSL Strategic Retail’s latest shopper and retail research, including insights about the wellness business. 

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The full speaker roster includes the following retailers:

  • Joe Hartsig, executive vice president and chief merchandising officer at Bed Bath & Beyond and president of Harmon Stores;
  • CVS Health’s Brian Eason, vice president of consumer health and wellness, and Andrea Harri-son, DMM for beauty and personal care;
  • Rebecca Lupfer, vice president of center-store merchandising at the Giant Company;
  • John Shaw Sr., director and lead of courcing support, international sourcing, imports, trends and contrcts at Peapod Digital Labs;
  • Nick Konat, chief merchandising officer at Petco;
  • Sam’s Club’s Sean Jackson, senior vice president of consumables and HBA/OTC, and Jennifer Cowell, vice president HBA, OTC and baby;
  • Shaun Jones, director of supplier diversity at Walgreens; and 
  • Musab Balbale, vice president of beauty at Walmart. 

Thought leadership speakers include:

  • Ken Fenyo, president of research and advisory at Coresight Research;
  • Facebook’s Pablo Merheb, industry lead for global marketing solutions, and Dominique Murray, CPG and retail leader for the global marketing group;
  • Jasmine Glasheen, principal writer and CEO of Jasmine Glasheen and Associates;
  • Jason English, managing director of equity research at Goldman Sachs;
  • Stewart Samuel of IGD;
  • Dan Mack, founder and managing partner, Mack Elevation; 
  • Bryan Gildenberg, senior vice president of commerce at Omnicom Commerce Group;
  • Dave Knox, author of “Predicting the Turn: The High Stakes Game of Business Between Startups & Blue Chips”;
  • Julie McPeek and Kate Jones, partners at Provisor Marketing;
  • Sawaya Partners’ partner Slava Laykind and director Teddie Townsend;
  • Jason Smith, managing director USA at Shopper Intelligence; and 
  • Tom Szaky, founder and CEO, TerraCycle. 

[Read more: Mack sizes up how retailer-supplier partnerships can align better, navigate changes]

"I'm looking forward to ECRM's educational lineup at its Global Market: Fall Experience," said Gayle Young, OTC category manager at Giant Eagle. "It will be a great experience to have the opportunity to engage suppliers around product discovery, attend sessions to learn from industry experts on how they reacted to the pandemic, and to join in thought leadership around possible future trends and roadmaps as we all move forward in this new retail landscape."

The event opened up Aug. 23 for product discovery and meeting scheduling, which can take place through Oct. 18. Buyers can browse relevant brands and products on RangeMe, then re-quest a meeting with brands they find interesting. The meetings will take place Oct. 18 to 22 in the ECRM Connect Platform. 

"I'm really looking forward to the retailer presentations," said Joe Wallington, Chief Revenue Officer of Ark Naturals. "Understanding their goals and objectives will help us to better posi-tion our products to better serve their customer base."

To learn more about the event, click here

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