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Agenda

 

   
7:30 a.m. - 8:00 a.m. Registration

Continental Breakfast
   
8:00 a.m. - 8:45 a.m. CHHMA Annual General Meeting & Strategic Plans for 2018
   
8:45 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. Break to Allow Retailers to Join the Conference
   
9:00 a.m. -10:00 a.m. Brian DePratto, Senior Economist, TD Bank Group
  The Economic and Financial Outlook
  A review by one of Canada’s top economists of key factors impacting the Global, U.S. and Canadian economies over the past year and the forecasts going forward. Always a conference highlight, this session will give you timely insight on the Canadian dollar, interest rates, the housing market, GDP growth rates and other important economic topics to keep you in the know.
   
10:00 a.m. - 11:15 a.m. Richard Worzel, Futurist
  What’s Next? How Our Future Will Be Affected by the Megatrends Ahead – and What You Can Do About It
  Housewares and hardware manufacturers, like every business related to the retail industry, has been buffeted by massive changes over the past decade, including the lingering effects of the Great Recession, and the e-tailing revolution. Are we due for calmer times ahead?

Futurist Richard Worzel is a Chartered Financial Analyst as well as a business visionary who nevertheless works in the real world. In this presentation he looks at both what forces will drive change, and how CHHMA members should prepare for what’s to come, including:

  • How consumers’ use of technology is likely to change, and therefore how they will want to be served by retailers;
  • Which technologies are likely to expand or emerge over the next 5-10 years – and how manufacturers can anticipate the changes they will produce;
  • The Wild Cards likely to create uncertainty in our economic outlook, and what you can do to offset or even capitalize on that uncertainty; and
  • How stable the world is likely to be, both in terms of the global economy, and in geopolitical terms, with an unpredictable president in the White House.

Richard will end with an overview of the futurist’s toolkit, with emphasis on tools that you can use to improve your ability to think strategically, and innovate to overcome uncertainty.
   
11:15 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Break
   
11:35 a.m. - 12:50 p.m. Andrew Au, Co-founder & President, Intercept Group
  Marketing to Millennials
  The marketing landscape has evolved. Marketers are making a big shift from mass to millennial. Every brand is competing to win this single largest living generation. 17-37 years of age today, millennials are in the thick of life’s biggest moments. Careers. Side hustles. Families. Home ownership. They are claiming their new position as head of household, and every brand is vying for their attention. So, how do you break through? Andrew shares the winning formula for millennial engagement based on proprietary research and experience working with some of the largest brands including Microsoft, Intuit, 3M, Scotiabank, 7-Eleven and more. This rich keynote sheds light on the latest lifestyle habits, psychographic insights, social media trends, shopping habits, top brands and breakthrough marketing strategies.

Key Highlights:
  • Optimizing your message for millennials
  • Core values and psychographic insights
  • Social media trends and engagement strategies
  • Breakthrough marketing campaign strategies
   
1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Hall of Fame Luncheon
   
2:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Richard Worzel, Futurist
  Conversation with a Futurist: How to Make Future Uncertainty Work for You
  Following lunch, Mr. Worzel will host an interactive conversation about how to make use of the futurist tools he described in his morning session. “No one can completely predict the future,” Richard says, “But that doesn’t mean you’re helpless to prepare for it.”

Intended as a more informal discussion focusing on the specific questions or needs of the participants, this hands-on discussion will help you become more sensitive to the future, and to be better prepared for the uncertainties to come.
   
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