Industry Events
Category Management
Meeting in Vegas The Category Management Conference is a must-attend gathering. By Jamie Bourne
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he 2016 Category Management Conference will be held Sept. 12-14 at The Mirage Hotel, in Las Vegas. 2016 marks the eighth year of the annual conference, and this year’s theme is “Bridging Traditional and Digital: Connecting with Shoppers in the New Retail Landscape.” Organized by the Minneapolis-based Category Management Association (CMA), the conference is known for an excellent networking environment and focus on best practices across multiple categories and channels, as well as total retail development strategies. This is the must-attend event for retailers, manufacturers, industry thought leaders and category management solutions providers, offering endless opportunities for them to learn and grow their professional careers. The conference will host a blend of keynote speakers, case studies presented by well-known retailers and manufacturers, panel discussions, networking, solution provider demonstrations, and much more. At this year’s conference, the CMA is proud to reveal a new speed-networking event and a special CatMan 2.0 panel session.
Dramatic Changes Discussed With the retail industry having changed dramatically since the discipline of CatMan 1.0 was originally
About The Category Management Association The Category Management Association (CMA) is a global professional association that enables professionals to connect with peers, further their careers, and drive meaningful category and brand growth by building shopper satisfaction and facilitating strategic collaboration among retailers, suppliers and solution providers. With more than 7,200 individual members and 160 corporate members on five continents, the CMA provides broad thought leadership, establishes industry benchmarks and best practices, develops relevant certification standards, facilitates collaboration and networking, and creates robust and rewarding career paths and professional development.
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developed in the early 1990s, the CMA felt the need for a major overhaul, and so developed CatMan 2.0, category management for the 21st century. CatMan 2.0 embodies the advances that have emerged in data, analytics, process and success models, and all of the game-changing influence of the digital revolution. To receive an in-depth look into these changes, the conference will feature a special CatMan 2.0 panel session facilitated by Michael Sansolo, featuring the CMA’s Gordon Wade as well as other key contributors to CatMan 2.0. The CMA prides itself on providing broad thought leadership, establishing industry benchmarks and best practices, and creating robust and rewarding career paths for individuals. To support its mission at the conference, it will have a robust lineup of speakers, including business leaders, strategists, practitioners and peers. Speakers will include Daymond John, FUBU Clothing founder, urban entrepreneur, CEO, author, marketing and branding expert, “Shark Tank” reality TV judge, and motivational speaker; Bill Bishop, chief architect, Brick Meets Click; Tom Burkemper, senior director, merchandising, 7-Eleven; Mike Gervasio, VP of category management, Pepsi Beverage Co.; Kevin Hartman, head of analytics, Google; Major Dan Rooney, CEO/founder, Folds of Honor, U.S. Air Force; Michael Sansolo, MC, panel facilitator and retail food industry consultant; Art Sebastian, head of digital shopping and e-commerce, Meijer; Bala Subramanian, SVP global e-commerce, Best Buy; Kelly Ungerman, e-commerce, multichannel, McKinsey; and Rana Nall and Michael McGuire, category management and modular development, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Attendees can register at www.catman.global/events/ annual-conference. “The conference has been the best opportunity for category management practitioners to learn of successful approaches across all categories, and to take those case studies and apply them to their own categories and retail stores,” says CMA CEO Wendy Fritz. The 2017 Category Management Conference will be held May 15-17, 2017, at Caesar’s Palace, in Las Vegas. PG
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Jamie Bourne is senior marketing manager at the Category Management Association.