Hard to believe it, but it’s here! Ecommerce Operations Summit 2021 is kicking off this Tuesday, Aug. 17 at the Gaylord Opryland in Nashville, and we have lots of great things on tap for you as we regather in person as a community of ecommerce/DTC operations and fulfillment professionals.
As a quick side note: Our regular Multichannel Merchant e-letter running on Mondays, Hits of the Week, will be on hiatus for Aug. 23 and Aug. 30 as we take a bit of a break, editorially.
Starting Monday, Aug. 16, we will host a “Badge Pickup Party” in the Tennessee Ballroom lobby at the Gaylord, from 4:30p-6:30p. At our welcome event, attendees can enjoy some complementary food and beverage and get the networking started right!
On Tuesday, Aug. 17, after our networking breakfast, we’ll hear from our first keynote speaker: Mark Irvin, Chief Diversity, Inclusion and Talent Officer for Best Buy. In his presentation, “Building a Workforce for the New Era,” Mark will share the retailer’s workforce management journey, from associates to management. He’ll also talk about how demographic, economic, cultural and industry changes are impacting his mission, and how they’re being addressed today with an eye to the future.
Our exhibit hall, representing some of the most cutting-edge solutions on the market today, will be open from 10a-6p on Tuesday, and from 9a-4:30p on Wednesday. It gives attendees an opportunity to learn up close about the latest offerings covering 3PL, robotics and automation, packaging, supply chain systems, fulfillment technology, labeling solutions, shipping software, carrier services and much more.
On Tuesday at 12:30p-1:30p, Cart.com will host a special “lunch and learn” entitled “Pain Point to Strategic Advantage: You Don’t Have to Hate Your 3PL.” The startup company will explain how it stood up 8 new fulfillment centers with over half a million square feet of logistics space in just 8 months, and how it’s e using best-of-breed infrastructure and analytics to drive scalable success for ecommerce brands.
At the end of the day’s agenda Tuesday, relax and unwind from 4:30p-6p with your adult beverage of choice during our happy hour and pub crawl in the exhibit hall, sponsored by ABM and MH Engineered Solutions.
A full day of impactful sessions follows on Wednesday, with topics ranging from 5G, IoT and smart warehouses to multi-carrier strategies and the booming recommerce trend.
Letitia Webster, SVP of Ecommerce, Omnichannel and Master Data Management at Tractor Supply Company, will be our closing keynote presenter. Her topic, “Meeting Evolving Customer Needs in a Growth Mode,” will cover how Tractor Supply met the operational challenges of quickly scaling up omnichannel capabilities in 2020, and how those lessons are still being applied today.
Finally, join us for a closing happy hour reception in the exhibit hall following the keynote, for a great send-off from two packed and informational days in the Music City! Looking forward to seeing you all there at Ecommerce Operations Summit!