Do you ever think about the longevity of organizations and the challenge to remain relevant and fresh across the decades and generations? Not many companies get to celebrate 20, 40, or a 100+ year history. Such longevity requires organizational agility (nimbleness), adaptability, and strong leadership.
It’s with that in mind that I prepare to get ready, like many of us in the retail industry, to attend the 103rd NRF Annual – The Big Retail Show! It never ceases to amaze me at how an event of this size still maintains the ability to deliver such a personalized touch. Each year the Big Show grows in square footage, attendance, and in global attraction. Yet it still remains an event that provides both personal and professional insight that helps people serve themselves and move their business closer to greater customer intimacy.
For me, I find that one of biggest highlights of the show is Super Saturday. This is an opportunity to have valuable 1:1 time with senior retail executives and to focus on the Retail Orphan Initiative. This effort has grown in leaps and bounds as more people have become involved in helping children around the globe. And this has been an especially exciting year for me personally. During the summer my 14 year old son joined me in Honduras to help provide food, shoes and other necessities to Honduran children and to christen the new kitchen and multi-purpose building for the Honduran children’s school Plan Escalon. My son will also speak at Super Saturday this year on a panel of teenagers about their experiences in Honduras with the orphan mission and the impact it has had on their lives and outlook.
The Big Show is also exciting in the way that it brings together over 25,000 global retailers from over 80 countries in one place at one time. The "buzz" of new innovations in Retail and where Retail will be going in the coming years makes the NRF Show unlike any other event ever experienced.
SAP Retail is poised to help so many Retailers on their journey to Customer Intimacy and Insight as well as improving their own business insights. I look forward to speaking to many retailers about how we can partner to continue to innovate in Retail.
See you in NYC!
Lori
Don't miss the National Retail Federation’s 2014 Convention and Expo, January 12 – 15, 2014, in New York City. Register now!
Follow @SAP_Retail and the hashtags #NRF14 and #SAPNRF to stay updated on conference highlights.