New Drivers Of Retailer Growth: The MAPIC 2012 Conference Programme

PARIS, Oct. 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- MAPIC, the international networking, exhibition and conference event for retail real-estate professionals, is offering a rich conference programme this year to help retailers align their growth strategies with consumer trends. Organised by Reed MIDEM, a subsidiary of Reed Exhibitions, MAPIC will be held in Cannes from 14 to 16 November.

With a 22% increase in online sales in 2011 (source Xerfi), e-commerce seems untouched by the deteriorating economic situation. This dynamism is largely due to technology innovations that promote a proliferation of access points to the Internet. However, digital traders will have to address the challenges of customer retention and the sustainability of certain business models.

These are the themes of the opening presentation by Robert Tercek, Founder of 'General Consulting Creativity' & President of the Creative Vision Foundation (USA), who will speak about Inventing the Future of Retail. A pioneer in interactive content on digital platforms, Robert Tercek will focus on the opportunities provided by recent technology advances in the retail trade.

With the development of electronic commerce, there is currently a growing logistics issue. This will be the topic of the E-commerce: Impact and implications for the logistics industry conference to be held on Thursday 15 November.

Product and service differentiation, turning transit areas into focal points for consumer communities, and wagering on experiential marketing, are just some of the ways retailers are moving forward today.

The fast-growing phenomenon of retailing in transit areas will be also one of the major themes of this year's MAPIC. Driven by demand with a structural increase in travel (rail, cars, air) and by supply with new retail openings in transit areas, business in these areas is showing strong growth possibilities (source Xerfi).

The conference on Trade in Transit Areas: New Opportunities and Profits, led by Stefano Mereu, Sales & Media Director of Grandi Stazioni (Italy), which manages 13 of the largest Italian stations, and Beng Chee Lim, CEO of CapitaMalls Asia Limited (Singapore) will shed more light on this promising sector.

There is also a new exhibition space focusing exclusively on retailing in transit areas, hosting such major players as A2C, Grandi Stazioni and ATRI (Associazione Travel Retail Italia) for pitching sessions. One of the sessions will cover development opportunities in Italy, while another will focus on the shopping experience in French railway stations.

Due to changes in consumption patterns, a new trend is emerging that has resulted in greater interaction between retailing and culture. From partnerships to joint marketing and sales strategies, what are the new models for business collaboration? Can cultural products and services play a key role in the way we regard and visit shopping centres?

A conference entitled 'Culture and shopping: how to make it work,' will attempt to answer these questions. Orchestrated by Christophe Dalstein (Managing Director, Europa City SAS-Auchan, France) Agnes Saal (Managing Director, Centre Pompidou, France) Fatima Ouali (International Project Manager, Cite des Sciences et de l'Industrie, France) Dr Gerard Groener (CEO, Corio, The Netherlands) and Dr. Basia Metelska (Member of the Board, Director of Marketing and PR, Stary Browar, Poland), this conference will discuss ideas on the role of culture in these new community-focused points of sale.

Twenty-minute sessions will also be organised at the MORE Vision Pavilion, themed around the role of cultural projects in retail sites, their business model, governance and capacity to generate traffic.

See the complete MAPIC 2012 conference programme.

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For editors:

Founded in 1963, Reed MIDEM is a leading organiser of professional, international tradeshows. Reed MIDEM events have established themselves as key dates in professional diaries. The company hosts MIPTV, MIPDOC, MIPCOM, and MIPJUNIOR for the television and digital content industries, MIDEM for music professionals, MIPIM, MIPIM Asia  and MAPIC for the property and retail real estate sectors.

Reed MIDEM is a division of Reed Exhibitions, the world's leading events organizer, with over 500 events in 39 countries. In 2011 Reed brought together six million active event participants from around the world generating billions of dollars in business. Today Reed events are held throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Africa and organized by 33 fully staffed offices. Reed Exhibitions serves 44 industry sectors with trade and consumer events and is part of the Reed Elsevier Group plc, a world-leading publisher and information provider and a FTSE 100 company.

www.mapic.com

SOURCE Reed MIDEM