OVER 30 international retailers and marketing experts will share their experiences and insights on the latest trends and developments in the global retailing industry during the 2015 Asia Pacific Retailers Convention and Exhibition (APRCE) hosted by the Philippine Retailers Association (PRA) from October 28 to 30 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.
PRA President Lorenzo C. Formoso said the lineup of distinguished foreign speakers and panelists makes the 2015 APRCE a compelling event for players in the retail space and allied industries.
“Both quantity- and quality-wise, we want to make sure our list of international experts will go down in the history of APRCE as probably one of the best-assembled batch of speakers and panelists,” Formoso, COO of Duty Free Philippines, emphasized.
Vittorio Radice, vice chairman of La Rinascente (Italy) and former CEO of Selfridges Plc. (the UK), will deliver the keynote speech on October 29, the first day of the conference. Other confirmed international speakers include Singapore’s Asia Pacific Travel Retail Association (APTRA) President Jaya Singh, China’s Beijing Capital Retailing Group Chairman Fu Yuehong, Japan’s Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings Ltd. President and CEO Hiroshi Ohnishi, and South Korea’s Lotte Corp.’s Business Headquarter/Senior Managing Director Hyun-chul Park.
They will share with international retail players their knowledge and incisive insights on topics that are vital to retailers and their success during the first day of the APRCE 2015.
The lineup of speakers on the second day of the convention includes The Walt Disney Co. Southeast Asia Chief Strategist Raju Venkatamaran from Singapore, Shook Kelley Design USA Principal and co-founder Kevin Kelley of the USA; IGD-The Global Food & Consumer Goods Experts Chief Executive Joanne Denney-Finch of the UK, AS Louken Founder and CEO Luke Lim from Singapore, and Family Mart Co. Ltd. President Isamu Nakayama of Japan.
The 2015 APRCE is copresented by the Tourism Promotions Board, The SM Store and Wyeth Nutrition. With Bench, Flight 001, and Penshoppe as platinum sponsors; Robinsons Malls and Ayala Malls as gold sponsors; Duty Free Philippines, HP, Wilcon Depot, Kojie-San, Celine and MET Tathione as silver sponsors; Araneta Center as bronze sponsor; Philippine Airlines as official carrier; Sportshouse as sponsor; Solaire Resort & Casino Hotel as official partner hotel; Shook Kelley and IGD as special session sponsors; Media Blitz Group as official PR partner; Retail Asia as official international publication; Asia Pacific Travel Retail Association (APTRA) as partner organization: and Fascin8, as official digital advertising partner of APRCE 2015.
“We thank the companies that have already signed up for the event and we hope more groups will help us in ensuring the success of APRCE 2015. We need greater private sector participation as this will showcase the country to the rest of the world,” Formoso stressed.
The PRA won the bid to host the prestigious biennial event during the 2013 APRCE in Istanbul, Turkey. The APRCE is organized by the Federation of Asia pacific Retailers Association (Fapra), the regional organization of 17 recognized national retail associations in Asia Pacific.
The APRCE is a major activity of Fapra. Every two years, Fapra members choose a member-association to host the grand gala for retailers in the Asia-Pacific region. The event has become Asia’s largest and longest-running retail convention and exhibition since it was first held in 1983.
The APRCE aims to discover new approaches to issues facing the region’s retailers and highlight innovative solutions that can help retailers differentiate themselves from competitors, and to deliver greater value to consumers.
For inquiries, e-mail aprce2015manila@gmail.com, ebbs.philretailers@gmail.com, asecgenbmiranda@gmail.com, or visit its web site www.2015APRCEMANILA.com.ph and www.philretailers.com.