By Lori Szudarek, Manager of International Services
The 2010 HECNA Global Forum brought together members of the international business community in Miami, chock-full of opportunities geared towards helping attendees increase exports, international business development and networking with housewares buyers and industry professionals. Attendees to the 2010 Global Forum remarked:
“It was of great benefit to have the opportunity to interact with other HECNA members and presenters. I was impressed by the depth and breadth of experience of the participants and found the group very congenial and enjoyable to be with.” Eric Caldwell, Director of International Sales, HoMedics Inc.
“The interaction with the other attendees and hearing the issues and successes that others are seeing and solutions that have developed to help get over hurdles in these times was of great benefit.” Chad O’Donnell, Branch Manager, Grupo O’Donnell
The 2011 HECNA Global Forum will take place September 18 – 20 in San Juan, Puerto Rico and September 21-22 Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
Monday, September 19 will feature an executive education session on Customer-Centric Marketing conducted by Dr. Sundaresan Ram, a professor of international marketing at Thunderbird (the top International Management Masters school in the U.S.) and former HECNA Global Forum speaker. Dr. Ram will focus on:
- Consumer Insights: Understanding the key issues related to consumer-centricity
- Positioning Strategy: Examining marketing with attention to challenges stemming from globalization
- Service Metrics: Assessing potential gaps between customer promises/expectations & solutions to those gaps
Tuesday, September 20 the speakers will be focusing on housewares-specific topics aimed at giving attendees tools to grow international sales; these speakers include:
- Buyers from Ambiente Gourmet, Columbia. Patricia Velez, CEO, will give a company overview of their position within the Colombian market and a thorough examination of the Patricia Velez Brand being heavily marketed through Social Media.
Honorees of the 2010 HECNA Global Forum in Miami, FL - Ace International. This buying Co-op services more than 400 stores in 60 countries worldwide. Angel Gracia, VP of International Sales & Marketing, will go over the Ace operating structure responsible for growth in sales/profits for both Ace and it’s vendors.
- Walmart Puerto Rico. The retail giant will discuss operations within their Puerto Rican stores including how the region sources, how they buy and the integral components to becoming a key supplier for the market.
Tuesday’s events will also feature a special networking session and break-out sessions. The networking session will revolve around strategic problem solving, designed for participants to discuss international topics with non-competitive housewares industry professionals. The break-out sessions will give insight on how to do business in certain markets including Columbia, Peru, Turkey and Third Party Logistics*. These sessions will give an overview of key retailers, distribution and entry strategies within these markets.
Check back soon for details on the final two days of the Forum that will take place in the Dominican Republic. If you have any questions please contact Lori Szuderak at lszudarek@housewares.org.
*Speakers, presentations and schedules subject to change.
