Future Connect ended with a flurry of sessions hitting the broad topic of how to improve sales, profits and trading partner relations. And the idea that there are new ways of doing things came through again and again. Consider:
Sandy Douglas of Coca-Cola talking about the importance of work/life balance and creating an enviornment where people are happier and working better because of it.
Jeff Howe of Wired magazine gave powerful examples of how the Internet is fueling group activities long thought impossible, with powerful business implications. Every retailer should be checking out Yelp.com to see what customers are saying about you.
Catalina marketing talked about the power of heavy user shoppers and how retailers and suppliers need to better coordinate information to make certain the correct products are always on the correct shelves. Nothing new there unless you consider that less than 2% of shoppers make up more than 80% of Budweiser purchases. Wow, what a party!
And Wegmans together with Coke and Pepsi (there’s a combination) talked about how better trade relations cut costs and improves sales. All useful stuff.
The big lesson from Future Connect seems to be that there is a new way of learning. The conference was collaborative, full of unique forms of peer-to-peer networking and made an impact with all attendees. Every session wasn’t spectucular, but the lessons were powerful throughout. Look for more information on these websites. But the highlight was forcing people to talk randomly to each other. The scene I won’t forget was Kroger CEO Dave Dillon sitting at a table with folks he didn’t know working on interactive exercises. I bet the people at that table won’t ever forget that moment.
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