Mar 2, 2005
WASHINGTON, DC — March 2, 2005 — Ethnic food trends, meal solutions strategies, consumer attitudes towards health and wellness, proliferation of intelligent shopping carts, the growing connection between pharmacy and the whole store, and new product trends for 2005 are among the far-reaching topics that will be explored during the Close-Ups educational program at the 2005 FMI Show, May 1-3, in Chicago, IL.
     

Close-Ups are a series of interactive workshops held on the FMI Show exhibit floor. This year’s Close-Ups will be targeted towards the show floor’s product segment areas of ethnic marketplace, general merchandise/health and beauty care, meal solutions and technology. There also will be general focus Close-Ups, which will feature practical ideas and tools to help attendees grow their businesses and better serve their customers.
     

FMI will present 28 Close-Ups in the South Hall theaters of McCormick Place during the three-day convention. Scheduled sessions and presenters:


Sunday, May 1


SOUTH HALL Theater #1


  • 11:00 a.m. —    What’s New in Ethnic Trends


    Terry Soto, President, About Marketing Solutions

              
    Thomas Tseng, Principal & Co-Founder, New American Dimensions


  • Noon —      Ethnic Marketing and Merchandising: Creating a Point of Differentiation
              

    Terry Soto, President, About Marketing Solutions


  • 1:00 p.m. —    Leveraging the Connection Between Pharmacy and the Whole Store


    David McConnell, Jr., President, General Merchandise Distributors Council


    Robert Doyle, Executive Vice President, Information Resources, Inc.


  • 3:00 p.m. —    Business Process Change: Realizing Benefits Through Data Synchronization
              

    Dan Staresinic, Senior Manager, Consumer Business Practice, Deloitte Consulting


SOUTH HALL Theater #2


  • 11:00 a.m. —    Growing Profitability: Improving Freshness in Your Perishable Departments
              

    Mark Chandler, Principal, Industry Director to CPG Retail & Supply, Kurt Salmon Associates


  • Noon —    Building Your Reputation for Quality Through Private Label
              

    Mary Brett Whitfield, Senior Vice President, Retail Forward


  • 1:00 p.m. —     Controlling Meal Solutions Shrink
              

    Bill Hale, President, The Hale Group


  • 2:00 p.m. —    Day-Part Merchandising — Growing Meal Solutions Sales


    Howard Solganik, President, Solganik & Associates


  • 3:00 p.m. —    How Hi-Lo Retailers Can Rebuild Their Declining Price Image
              

    Mir Aamir, Principal, Consumer and Retail Practice, AT Kearney Inc.


Monday, May 2

SOUTH HALL Theater #1

  • 11:00 a.m. —    Meeting the Ethnic Challenge in HBC and GM
              

    James Dodge, Vice President, Consulting Services, ACNielsen
              

    Jim Wisner, President, Wisner Retail Marketing


  • Noon —    Driving Consumer Loyalty Through Corporate Brands
              

    Pam Boynton, Director of Marketing, Daymon Worldwide, Inc.

  • 1:00 p.m. —    Sourcing Ethnic Products: The Keys to Doing it Right


    Nino Jefferson Lim, President, Island Pacific Supermarket


  • 2:00 p.m. —    Intelligent Shopping Carts: Transforming the Consumer Shopping Experience

    •           

  • 3:00 p.m. —    Capitalizing on the Rx to OTC Switch Opportunity


    Jim Hertel, Senior Vice President, Willard Bishop Consulting, Ltd.
              

    Jon Hauptman, Vice President, Willard Bishop Consulting, Ltd.


SOUTH HALL Theater #2

  • 11:00 a.m. —    Defending Against the Dollar Store


    Mary D. Pietsch, Vice President, Homescan Group Director, ACNielsen


  • Noon —    A Look at the Foodservice Industry’s Product Trends to Enhance Sales & Profitability


    Nancy Kruse, President, The Kruse Company


  • 1:00 p.m. —    Build Your Meal Solutions Sales by Increasing Your Associates’ Passion for Food


    Karin Solganik, Vice President, Solganik & Associates


  • 2:00 p.m. —    Understanding the Low-Carb Craze: Where Are We Headed?


    Larry Shiman, Vice President, Opinion Dynamics Corporation


  • 3:00 p.m. —    Marketing Health: From the Food Perspective


    Elizabeth Pivonka, President, Produce for Better Health Foundation


Tuesday, May 3

SOUTH HALL Theater #1

  • 11:00 a.m. —    Building a Successful Ethnic Brand


    Karla Fernandez Parker, President, K. Fernandez & Associates
              

    Craig Espelien, Director, Store Brands, SUPERVALU


  • Noon —    HBC and General Merchandise — More Important Than You Think


    Jim Wisner, President, Wisner Retail Marketing


  • 1:00 p.m. —    How Consumer Health & Wellness Trends Are Reshaping the Grocery Industry


    Maryellen Molyneaus, President, The Natural Marketing Institute


    Steven French, Managing Partner, The Natural Marketing Institute


  • 2:00 p.m. —    RFID and the Electronic Product Code: What it Means for Your Business


    Sean Campbell, Partner, IBM Consulting Group


SOUTH HALL Theater #2

  • 11:00 a.m. —    Understanding Today’s Perishable Customer


    Bruce Axtman, President and CEO, Perishables Group


  • Noon —    Today’s Meal Solutions P&L: A Realistic Look at the Category’s Sales Opportunities and Expense Challenges
              

    Bill Hale, President, The Hale Group


  • 1:00 p.m. —    New Product Trends for 2005


    Valerie Skala-Walker, Vice President, Analytic Product Management & Development, IRI


  • 2:00 p.m. —    Delighting Your Customer — Exceeding Expectations


    Tony Ruesing, President, Ancillary Enterprises


          
For more details about the 2005 FMI Show, please visit FMI’s Web site at www.fmi.org.