Pulse Legacy Archive August 2011 | Page 48

 Education at the ISPA Conference & Expo A Priceless Investment To borrow a line from MasterCard’s highly successful “Priceless” advertising campaign, “there are some things money can’t buy.” And education is one of them. Year after year, education continues to be one of the major reasons attendees are drawn to the ISPA Conference. The event, given the caliber of speakers each year, is nothing short of being a gathering place of great minds and experts. The process that goes behind the scene in identifying, selecting and trimming the roster of speakers each Conference year is intensive and laborious—a task taken on by a group of volunteers, the “Speaker Task Force.” This year is no different. The speaker selection for the Professional Development Sessions was a long, tedious process—a necessary measure to ensure that you leave this year’s Conference with industry insights, practical learning and a lifetime of business tools. What to expect this year? There is a strong mix of topics and speakers at this year’s Professional Development Sessions, each designed to fit your varying educational needs. If You Want: Retail and Customer Service Ideas GO TO: 20/20 Retail: Ideas to Improve Performance up to 20 Percent in 20 Days Without Spending a Dime If You Want: Leadership and Management Tools GO TO: How to Build a Frontline That Will Build Your Bottom Line SPEAKER AT A GLANCE: DOUG FLEENER has over 25 years of hands-on retail experience with world-class retailers including Bose Corporation and The Sharper Image. In his ten years at Bose, he grew the Retail Direct Group from four to 100 stores and was instrumental in developing Bose’s unique and engaging retail methods. Fleener is president and managing partner for Dynamic Experiences Group LLC, a retail and customer experience consulting firm that helps retailers and other customer-focused companies to dramatically improve their experience and results. He is the author of The Profitable Retailer: 56 Surprisingly Simple and Effective Lessons to Boost Your Sales and Profits, and publishes the popular blog, The Retail Contrarian. SPEAKER AT A GLANCE: MEL KLEIMAN is an internationally known authority, speaker, and consultant on best practice hourly employee recruitment, selection and retention techniques. President of Humetrics founded in 1976, Kleiman is a member of the Board of Advisors for The Workforce Institute as well as a longstanding member of the Society for Human Resource Management. He is the author of seven books, including the bestselling Hire Tough, Manage Easy - How to Find and Hire the Best Hourly Employees which was featured on CNN Headline News. (CONTINUED ON PAGE 48) 46 PULSE ■ August 2011