Conference Resources

Keynote Speaker

Risk Forward and Rock It

Uncomfortable on video? Want to be more engaging and hold your customers’ attention? Wish you had a fail-safe structure that worked every time? Join renowned Performance Coach, Victoria Labalme, founder of Risk Forward® and Rock The Room®, for this high energy keynote experience. Whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert, in this session Victoria will give you select tools to capture people’s imagination, rock it on video and increase your sales.

About Victoria:

Victoria Labalme helps people dramatically elevate their ability to collaborate, connect and come alive. She shows individuals at all levels how to uncover their hidden genius, win together as a team and win over the people they serve. She’s a Hall of Fame Speaker, Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author and a Performance Strategist for Top Leaders and Teams. Learn more about Victoria at  www.VictoriaLabalme.com

Keynote Speaker

The Most Human Company Wins

With a very high-energy and entertaining style but a gravitas that earns attention, Mark uses real-world data and memorable stories to express a new marketing mindset about the consumer.

In this session, you will learn:

• How marketing, advertising, sales, customer engagement, and customer loyalty have changed forever
• Why two-thirds of your marketing is occurring without you
• Why this “third consumer rebellion” is redefining the business landscape
• Practical ideas on what you can start to do today to adapt to the new consumer culture

About Mark:

Mark Schaefer is a globally-recognized keynote speaker, futurist, business consultant, and author. Mark has worked in global sales, PR, and marketing positions for more than 30 years and provides consulting services as Executive Director of Schaefer Marketing Solutions. His blog and podcast — The Marketing Companion — are at the top of the charts in the marketing field. Customized for every audience, Mark’s inspiring and memorable programs specialize in marketing and strategies for digital marketing, social media, and personal branding. His clients range from successful start-ups to global brands such as Adidas, Johnson & Johnson, Dell, Pfizer, The U.S. Air Force, and the UK Government.

Mark is the bestselling author of 10 path-finding books including the first book ever written on influence marketing. Mark’s books are used as textbooks at more than 50 universities, have been translated into 15 languages, and can be found in more than 750 libraries worldwide. Mark is also a popular and entertaining commentator and has appeared on many national television shows and periodicals including the Wall Street Journal, Wired, The New York Times, CNN, National Public Radio, CNBC, the BBC and the CBS NEWS. He is a contributing columnist to The Harvard Business Review, and Entrepreneur Magazine Learn more about Mark at https://businessesgrow.com/.

Moderator & Keynote Speaker

Generational Shopping Panel

Have you ever wondered how consumers make decisions based on their generational preferences? Join globally recognized retail thought leader Nicole Leinbach, Founder of RetailMinded.com, as she moderates a discussion across the generations. Expect to gain practical insight inside the minds of today’s consumers, including a Gen Z college student, a Millennial, and a Gen X and Boomer woman.

This panel will reveal the realities of how consumers truly navigate their paths to purchase while revealing what you – brick and mortar decision-makers – can do to ensure you’re prepared to capture both their attention and dollars. Come prepared with questions for a Q&A opportunity at the conclusion of this engaging, informative, and eye-opening discussion!

About Nicole:

Retail Minded’s Founder Nicole Leinbach is recognized as a global retail thought leader from companies that include IBM, American Express, Lightspeed POS and more – including having been recognized as #3 out of 100 worldwide retail influencers. Together with her Retail Minded team, Leinbach regularly produces events at industry trade shows that include ASD Market Week, NY NOW, IGES and more. She also contributes to media outlets that include Forbes, Entrepreneur, NBC and others – as well as speaks at worldwide events with a core concentration on commerce and consumer experiences.

In addition to Retail Minded, Leinbach is also the Co-Founder of the Independent Retailer Conference and Author of the book “Retail 101: The Guide to Managing & Marketing Your Business” from McGraw-Hill and supported American Express’s Small Business Saturday as their Spokesperson since 2014. Additionally, in 2022, WWD recognized Leinbach as one of their Inspirational Women to follow in fashion and retail.

Breakout Speaker

The Age of New Solutions: How To Manage Change in Changing Times

In business and in life, why do we often feel perpetually stuck, stagnant, and in conflict when presented with today’s challenges? Lightbulb moment alert: It’s because we’re applying old solutions to new problems. New problems call for new solutions, and that means having the ability to shift our mindset and execution perspective. Paul walks you through the necessary steps to ensure your leadership is crisis management-ready and able to bolster your team through changing and unpredictable times.

About Paul:

Paul de la Garza is a seasoned professional mentor/coach and public speaker. He is the Principal at High Performance Solutions, a Colorado based company that promotes personal, executive and team coaching with an emphasis on leadership, sales, and high-performance training. His interactive and personal approach to speaking and training reaches his audience creating a memorable experience. Paul is fluent in Spanish both written and oral and his presentations and seminars can reach both English and Spanish speaking audiences.

Prior to becoming a professional speaker and coach, Paul held several senior management positions in corporate America, including American Airlines, Wells Fargo and Bank of America totaling 25 years of leadership experience. During this period, Paul led, mentored, and coached a several groups featuring personal development, leadership, and sales training. Learn more at https://highperformance-solutions.com/.

Keynote Speaker

It’s Time to EVOLVE

Other topics include:

• Avoiding the Dip: How to Break Patterns and Approach Social Media Differently
• Retail Success Stories – How they did it and how you can too!
• Viral Campaigns for Retailers to Remix
• You 2.0 – Creating the Next Best Version of Yourself

About Crystal:

Crystal Vilkaitis is a world-class social media expert and powerful speaker who helps retailers shine online and bring their unique brilliance to the local and global masses. Fueling entrepreneurs with empowerment to evolve their visibility and results, Crystal’s on a mission to help Main Street businesses thrive. She founded Crystal Media in 2012, where she’s worked with thousands of retailers to increase traffic, sales, and profits using social media. She’s shared the stage with Martha Stewart, Gary Vaynerchuk, Bethenny Frankel, Jim Kwik and many more. Most recently she launched Crystal Uncorked, a podcast that features inspiring guests and interesting business conversations, over a glass of wine. She started the show to share open and honest conversations about her journey, and to talk to other entrepreneurs about their experiences. To learn more visit www.crystalmediaco.com.

Brand and Content Manager

Forging a Brand Personality to Last the Test of Time

Additional topics by Steph:

• Be Brilliant at the Social Media Basics
• Pump Up the Volume With Advanced Social Media Strategies
• Viral Campaigns for Retailers to Remix
• The Content Posting System – how to post awesome content daily in 2 hours or less!

About Steph:

Steph Bechard is the Brand and Content Manager at Crystal Media with over 6 years of experience of building communities online, and skyrocketing engagement for retailers. Her education in brand design coupled with her experience working in diverse roles in marketing provides her expertise with a unique combination of both creativity and purpose. Not only will audience members be challenged and motivated, they will walk away with a bird-eye-view understanding of the tactics Steph shares, from ideation to learning the technical skill required to implement the idea at hand. Steph has received praise for her many high-energy and impactful sessions about marketing small businesses, leaving attendees feeling confident using digital marketing to grow their stores through social media. Learn more at crystalmediaco.com.