The MIA has announced that its annual forum will be held on the 19th October at The Custard Factory in Birmingham. The event is titled ‘What Happens Next’ and takes as its theme what businesses should consider to support trading through a cost of living crisis.
All the features you would expect are in place, which means a full agenda, plenty of time to mingle, and refreshment along the way. But we wanted to call out 5 big reasons why you need to be in Birmingham for this event.
It’s All About You
This will be the only event this year focused on all areas of UK MI. As such it will be a great networking opportunity and a chance to catch-up with colleagues and friends. We have built plenty of time into the schedule to allow this because we feel it’s a really important part of the day.
Plenty To Get Your Teeth Into
We have organised around 10 sessions from mid-morning to late-afternoon. Because we are going to be running content simultaneously over 2 rooms we can pack far more in, and cover far more topics. The rooms will be split between discussion and debate in the main room and practical training and instruction in the second room.
This means it’s a perfect opportunity to attend with a work colleague and achieve double the amount over the course of the day.
Right Here, Right Now
Rather than shy away from the difficulties in the immediate term, we want to focus on the Cost of Living Crisis and help you develop a mindset that will take your business through the course of the next 6-9 months.
As an example, our first panel of the day will be ‘Trading Through a Cost of Living Crisis’ and will be chaired by Suzanne Harlow, who has held senior positions with companies such as Debenhams and Jack Wills.
Practical Opportunities
Our up-skilling space will support the theme of the day by hosting sessions on Impacting with Social Media, Extending Your Retail Footprint with Partnerships, Improving Your Closure Rate with Shop Floor Sales Training and Understanding the Opportunity around the National Plan for Music Education.
Keep It Legal
Competition Law Expert Marc Shrimpling will deliver an update on the changes to Competition Law Guidance and remind us all how we ensure that we don’t fall on the wrong side of the CMA. Marc will also help manufacturers and distributors to understand how they can shape their reseller agreements to best support the go-to-market strategy of the brands they represent. He’ll also focus on collaboration and sustaining Bricks & Mortar retailing. This content will be followed by a Q&A
And if that wasn’t enough, we will be launching our State of the Industry Report & Analysis, helping you understand how to make your business more sustainable and looking at ways you can turbo-sharge your team.
