Preparations for the 26th National Retail Conference and Stores Asia Expo (NRCE) slated on August 15-16, 2019 at the SMX Convention Center - Manila are now underway after another successful turnout of the country’s biggest retail conference and exhibition last year.
Global and local experts in the industry are expected to grace the 26th NRCE to give insights and provide updates on the latest developments and trends in the retail industry including sustainability, disruptions in retail, cashless payments, market segments and consumer behavior, and customer experience, among others.
This year’s NRCE - organized by the Philippine Retailers Association (PRA) - the national organization of retailers and suppliers in the country - will have the theme “Retail Reimagined” to help retailers and the industry as a whole seek strategies on how to make retailing relevant amidst disruptions and changes in the digital age.
“With the continuous emergence of new digital innovations and e-commerce businesses, the retail sector should be able to find ways on how to adapt and utilize these new platforms for the customers, who want fast and efficient service and at the same time, crave for human and genuine interactions from brands,” NRCE 2019 Overall Chair Fredrick D. Go, president and CEO of Robinsons Recreation Corp. emphasized.
“While last year’s NRCE had a successful turnout, we want this year to be bigger, more advanced and of course, it should cater to the total needs of the time,” PRA President Rosemarie Bosch Ong, SEVP and COO of Wilcon Depot Inc. stressed.
Last year, globally-recognized author of the book “The End of Online Shopping” Wijnand Jongen served as one of the keynote speakers. He was joined by Massimo Volpe, Chairman of Forum on International Retail Associations and Executives (now Federation of International Retail Associations), and Wallaya Chirathivat, Deputy CEO of Thailand’s Central Pattana—the largest retail property development and investment company in the country.
Aside from the main conference, there will be “Retail Spotlights” or more focused discussions on Supermarket and Digital transformation niches for Day 1 and 2.
Side-by-side the conference is the Stores Asia Expo, which will feature solutions and state-of-the-art technology needed by retailers in this digital age, including Retail Solutions, E-Commerce & M-Commerce, Shop Fittings & Store Design, Digital Marketing, Commercial and Real Estate Developers, Web Developers, Non-traditional Advertising, Financial Services, Storage and Distribution, HR Solutions, and Billboard Locations, among others, to help them enhance and expand their business operations.
There will also be on floor seminars billed as “Retail Labs” inside the exhibit area, featuring discussions on essential and new tools and strategies for the industry.
The NRCE is the biggest and the longest-running retail industry event in the country, organized by the PRA. This is the definitive event for retailers looking for solutions and strategies to cope with the various disruptions caused by the digital age.