Virtual Summit of the Americas Summary

For a comprehensive recap of the Virtual Summit of the Americas, grab a coffee and a comfy chair and get ready to scroll in every direction. Here are some of our favourite sessions that speak to the most salient points around the recovery and that overlap with our service offerings.

To begin, start here: https://ezine.moodiedavittreport.com/the-moodie-davitt-ezine-294/introduction/ 

• “Road to Recovery: Retailer Perspective” – 3Sixty,  Dufry and Motta International shine a spotlight on the most pressing items for the recovery.  The panellists highlighted the need to reinvent the traveller experience and to make it more meaningful by creating better experiences.  An example of this might be awakening the magic of travel and offering more travel exclusives. The panel also highlighted the need to collaborate as stakeholders because ‘all the rules have changed’. There is a need for partnerships, relationships, and collaboration.  Brands will play a key role in the recovery and the retailer panel asked for brands to be there, to partner with them and to support. Brands have benefited from the local market and from digital channels and travel retailers have not had this opportunity, therefore brand support and collaboration will be key.   

• “Driving a bright future for brands in the channel” – Bacardi, Essence Corp and Hershey representatives discuss the future opportunities for these categories and collectively align the key areas to support the recovery.  Brands are committed to invest and support retailers while recognizing that the shared investment will allow stakeholders to jointly benefit. Among the priorities will be an adapted customer experience, the need to adapt to remain relevant and the call to embrace the change and redesign our future services and offerings.   

IN SUMMARY: 

Many questions loom.  How do we begin to rebuild? Where do we start? What are the immediate priorities in the absence of a clear roadmap and in the middle of this fog?  How can we be most resourceful? What are the labour market dynamics that will affect the future of the channel?  How can we attract, retain and promote the right talent? 

It is our genuine desire to help solve some of these questions with you.  Our focus and our future rest on combining great HR with great sales and customer service disciplines.  The desire to offer relevance, effectiveness and efficiency is at the heart of everything we do.  We are confident that with the right alignment we can play a vital role in the recovery.  Therefore, we are inviting conversations with brands and with retailers that desire a collaborative, professional and accountable partnership that rests on the strengths of each contributor.   

Please put us to the test and ask us your hardest questions, we believe that committed partnerships will outpace the recovery trend. We also believe the recovery will reward those who have planned well.  

The new Brand Partner Program is designed to best serve the sales and promotional priorities in the next years.  It is a large undertaking and a big vision. We welcome brands and retailers to provide input and to help shape the future.  Our sales and promotional support not only desires to encourage the most professional standards, but also the most accountable processes that best define our shared success.   

The retailer and the brand discussion panels at the Virtual Summit of the Americas confirm this approach and we are prepared to align in a meaningful way.  Wherever possible we want to include ROI and offer appropriate guarantees. 

Please contact us at heidi.vanroon@sparkgroupinc.com, we really hope to speak with you soon.  Now is the time to develop the plan and to understand the budget.  Whether in big ways or in small ways, we hope to support and come alongside in a meaningful way.