UPDATE: This event has been postponed. We'll provide details as we get them.
In 2013, five local organizations came together to discuss how to support and grow Milwaukee’s retailing strength. Out of this came a new networking coalition called Retail Rally. The group conducted an online survey of retailers and found that local businesses were interested in learning more about social media marketing, branding, merchandise display and customer service. From there, Retail Rally created the Greater Milwaukee Retail Symposium, a day-long conference to celebrate, support and grow retail in southeastern Wisconsin by providing up-to-date and pertinent retail information to help local businesses thrive.
Now in its second year, the Retail Symposium has grown to offer registrants six hour-long panels/sessions, with topics ranging from pop-ups, retail law and interactive retailing and tracking customer behavior to creating additional revenue streams, building long-term vendor relationships and effective local retail incubators.
Lyn Falk, owner and president of Retailworks Inc. in Mequon and co-founder of Retail Rally, says the event is “a unique opportunity for retailers to get together to network, learn ways to improve and grow their businesses, get introduced to new vendors, find out what’s going on with retail in the greater Milwaukee area and to get inspired.”
Starting off the day is keynote speaker Suzy Teele, chief operating officer of SnapRetail in Pittsburgh. This 12-year retail industry veteran and 2014 Greater Pittsburgh Athena Award finalist will share the five foundation components of a successful marketing strategy as well as offer advice on the best social media sites and their proper usage.
Rocky Marcoux, Milwaukee’s Commissioner of the Department of City Development; Beth Weirick, CEO of Milwaukee Downtown; and Sandy Golden, senior vice president of CBRE will close the event with a panel discussion on Milwaukee’s vision for retail in Downtown Milwaukee, offering advice on when, where and how to begin a retail business.
“We’re really fortunate to have such a great lineup of speakers,” says Falk.
The event finishes with a raffle and champagne toast to local retailing.
The Greater Milwaukee Retail Symposium will be held Tuesday, Oct. 14 at the ManpowerGroup Global Headquarters (100 Manpower Place) from 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Registration for retailers only is open until the day of the event and is $50 per person or $40 for Creative Alliance, Local First, Milwaukee Downtown, Visit Milwaukee, WAWM or WWBIC members. To register, visit milwaukeeretailsymposium.eventbrite.com or call WWBIC at 414-263-5450. For more information, visit retailrallymke.wordpress.com.
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