NACDS sets new ECON 09 lineup for Marketplace Conference in Boston
ALEXANDRIA, Va. The National Association of Chain Drug Stores will unveil a new, multimedia addition to its 2009 Marketplace Conference, aimed at helping its members boost profitability and steer their businesses through a challenging economy.
The new set of ECON 09 programs kick off June 30 during the Marketplace event, which will run from June 28 to July 1 in Boston.
During the opening presentation of the new economic how-to offering on June 30, RetailNet Group CEO Dan O’Connor will offer an exploration of corporate strategies for attracting consumers amid an economy-based shift in consumers. The presentation, called “Survival Retailing 2010,” will examine current economic indicators and forecast “where we are as an economy, the forces that will lead to the end of the recession and why this is important and what it means for retailers and manufacturers as they develop their plans for the first and second quarter of 2010,” according to NACDS.
The second ECON 09 presentation will occur July 1, when Thom Blischok, president of consulting and innovation with Information Resources, Inc., will offer a session titled “Discovering the Real Truth about Shopper Behavior.” During his program, Blischok will examine the trend among many consumers to shop more conservatively — shoppers who are “more concerned about ensuring on-going financial viability for the long term,” an NACDS spokesperson explained.
Both speakers’ presentations “will assist attendees in their business planning with insights on consumer behavior in these challenging economic times,” said NACDS president and CEO Steven Anderson. “NACDS’ ECON 09 provides multi-meeting, multi-media programs that deliver timely, actionable information that positively impacts the bottom lines of NACDS members and meeting participants, and can be readily applied to their businesses.”
ECON 09 was developed “by the industry and for the industry,” he added, with the recommendations of the NACDS Retail Advisory Board. Members can access ECON presentations from earlier this year by clicking on the ECON 09 logo on the NACDS.org homepage.
The initiative will continue in August at the NACDS Pharmacy & Technology Conference — also in Boston — with a presentation by economist Dr. Mark Zandi.