The 23rd edition of the National Retail Conference and Stores Asia Expo 2016 (NRCE) on August 10 and 11 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City will be graced by a list of international topnotch retailers and experts who will discuss the ongoing global shift to the digital age.
NRCE 2016, with the theme “Shifting Gears in Retail: Consumption in the Digital Age,” is a platform for bringing together the key movers and shakers of retail and its allied industries in a two-day conference. It will put together CEOs and top-level executives of companies all over the Philippines to talk about topics, including disruption, omnichannel and virtual connections, among others.
Lazada Philippines’s Inanc Balci leads the pack of topnotch speakers and will discuss the topic “Disrupting the Culture of Shopping.” Balci is a cofounder and the CEO of Lazada Philippines.
Balci is the driving force for the Lazada brand and oversees all operations to ensure its success in the country.
He began his career at an investment bank in London, where he worked on mergers and acquisitions. He identified the strong potential of e-commerce and joined Rocket Internet in 2012 as a managing director.
He then steered the growth of Lazada along with a pool of more than 1,500 employees. Under his leadership, Balci has managed to progressively transform the shopping nuances of many Filipinos and defy the geographical boundaries in the more than 7,100 islands of the Philippines by providing customers from the remote areas an access to the Lazada shopping experience.
Within two years under his leadership, Lazada has successfully captured 90 percent of the online population in the Philippines with a direct audience of more than 2 million, making it as one of the most popular and most trusted e-commerce sites in the Philippines. Balci graduated with a double degree in Industrial Engineering and Economics from Purdue University in the United States. Another speaker who will discuss the topic Unfolding the Dynamics of Retail, is Acacia Leroy, Asia Pacific Trend strategist for TrendWatching and responsible for trend thinking and content in the region.
Leroy, who’s based in Singapore, conducts lively trend sessions, as well as cultivates TrendWatching Insight Network (TW:IN) in this part of the world.
She graduated from the National University of Singapore with an honors degree in Business, specializing in Marketing. She currently manages TrendWatching’s Asian content, and her trend bulletins have been featured at various publications such as CampaignAsia, ABS-CBNnews, and mUmBRELLA.
Leroy travels throughout the region to conduct lively trend sessions across major cities in Asia. Her recent speaking engagements include trend presentations and workshops for Johnson & Johnson Medical in Mumbai, PierreFabre Dermocosmetique in Taipei, and Facebook in Indonesia.
Occasionally, she also makes media appearances, such as in Channel NewsAsia’s First Look, to discuss consumer trends and innovations.
Another expert, Stuart Jameson, who is the managing director of Nielsen Philippines, has been responsible in leading Nielsen’s Watch and Buy growth strategy in the Philippines as managing director since 2012. He will be discussing the demands of the so-called millennial generation.
Recently, Jameson took on an expanded role when he was appointed as cluster lead in the Emerging Markets group, overseeing the business performance of Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar. Prior to these appointments, he had held various leadership roles in Nielsen’s businesses in Australia and New Zealand.
His expertise goes beyond market research, having worked in media and consumer packaged goods industries prior to starting his career at Nielsen. An experienced presenter, he is a frequent featured speaker in various industry events and press interviews in which he shares his insights on consumer behavior and media consumption.
Freddie Santos, who earned the distinction of having won the Aliw Award for Best Stage Direction record four times, on the other hand, will talk about the importance of music in the marketplace.
Benoy Limited (Singapore) Director Stephen Chow will also join the plenary to highlight the importance of “Exploring New Trends in the Design of Bricks and Mortar Retail Destinations.”
He is responsible for a broad scope of work ranging from Concept to Detail Design and Project Management, across sectors including residential, hospitality, retail and mixed-use.
Christophe Guillot, who has over 12 years of experience in Hong Kong, China, and the region leading research activities in the luxury industry, will talk about the so-called omnichannel and its importance in the retail industry.
On top of business development, his responsibility at Fitch as business development director for Southeast Asia also cover marketing and public-relations initiatives in this region.
This year’s NRCE will highlight the ever changing and dynamic trends in the industry brought about by the continuous evolution of technology and the growing discerning consumers.
Back to back with the Conference is a 2-day retail suppliers expo which is the only focused and dedicated retail suppliers’ exhibition in the Philippines. It brings together under one roof top suppliers in the field of Retail Solutions, E-Commerce & M-Commerce, Shopfittings & Store Design, Digital Marketing as well as Retail Marketing.
For registration, sponsorship and exhibit inquiries, please contact the PRA Executive Secretariat at 6874180, 6874181, 6874985, or e-mail: projects@philretailers.com; info@philretailers.com; communications@philretailers.com, or visit www.nrce-ph.com.