Announcing the Final Agenda for the Velocity Conference + Expo 2022

On May 16, we’re diving deep into the dynamic world of Retail Brand (private brand/private label), and we’re thrilled to announce our final packed Velocity Conference agenda for our historic return to in person events. The conference is overflowing with some of the biggest names and most exciting leaders in the industry. REGISTER NOW!

We’ll be joined by some of the biggest names and the smartest and most prescient people in the industry, including Alberto Galvan at Albertsons, Brenda Lord at CVS Health, Chris Skyers at Wakefern, Sarah Dodd at Lowe’s Home Improvement, Bob Himler at Rite Aid and Susan Sanderson -Briggs at Party City.

You’ll be able to find and engage with people from across the industry live and in person.

The Conference Rate at the official hotel the Westin Charlotte is $209 and expires May 24th

Our agenda showcases some of the powerhouses in the space, but also plenty of thought leaders that are redefining the future of Retail Brands. Check it out!

REGISTER NOW!

MONDAY, MAY 16

4:00 – 6:00 Crown Ballroom Foyer	Registration
5:00 – 7:30 INNOVATION EXPO Crown Ballroom	Opening Cocktail Reception presented by Marketing by Design (MBD)

4:00 – 6:00
Crown Ballroom Foyer

Registration

5:00 – 7:30
INNOVATION EXPO
Crown Ballroom

Opening Cocktail Reception

presented by Marketing by Design (MBD)

REGISTER NOW!

TUESDAY, MAY 17

7:30 – 10:00 Crown Ballroom Foyer	Registration
8:00 – 9:00 INNOVATION EXPO Crown Ballroom	Continental Breakfast + Networking
9:00 – 9:10 Crown Ballroom	Welcome Laraine Durham, VP of Events & Marketing, VELOCITY INSTITUTE
9:10 – 9:30 Crown Ballroom	Be Bold. The Future is Now! Christopher presents a vision for Retail Brand of the future and the groundbreaking plans for the Velocity Institute. Christopher Durham, President, VELOCITY INSTITUTE
9:30 – 10:00 Crown Ballroom	Reinventing Wakefern Brands Lessons learned while reinventing and growing the Wakefern brand portfolio during the pandemic. Chris Skyers, VP Own Brands, WAKEFERN Glenn Pfieffer, Design & Packaging Manager, Own Brands, WAKEFERN
10:00 – 10:30 Crown Ballroom	5 Things I’ve Learned from Judging the Vertex Awards Maria will take you inside her thoughts on the trends shaping Retail Brands, her experience judging and the changing industry. Maria Dubuc, President, MARKETING BY DESIGN (MBD)
10:30-11:00 INNOVATION EXPO Crown Ballroom	Innovation Expo Networking Break Explore the Innovation Expo exhibitors and network with industry peers.
11:00 – 11:30 Crown Ballroom	Let’s Get this Party Started – Building Brands at Party City The pair will present a look inside the specialty retailer and its development of consumer-focused relevant brands. Susan Sanderson -Briggs, Senior Vice President, Enterprise Brand & Marketing, PARTY CITY Linda Severin, Sr Director Brand Management and Communications Sr, PARTY CITY
11:30 – 12:00 Crown Ballroom	The Inclusion Imperative: The Mindset Shift to Innovation for Retail Brands Presented by WISE In this engaging session we will uncover why leading Retail Brands (private brands) see the imperative to apply an inclusion mindset shift to their DEI and overall business strategies. In the midst of one of the greatest social justice movements, the diversity among generations in consumers and employees, along with the lingering impact of Covid-19, savvy retailer brand managers have a sense of urgency to integrate inclusion as a means to innovation and engagement. You will walk away with 3 key steps that will help you no matter where you are in your journey. Erika Walker, CEO, THE WALKER THOMAS GROUP Judy Clark, CEO, FRESH TEXAS, Board Member WISE
12:00 – 1:00 INNOVATION EXPO Crown Ballroom	Lunch & Networking sponsored by JPG, Opal BPM & Contrast
1:00 – 2:00 Crown Ballroom	Velocity Fast Track: 5 Pitches Watch as the Fast Track finalists present new ideas and products to retail leaders that can accelerate private label innovation. The final five will get their chance to pitch directly to retail senior executives on the Velocity main stage. If it all sounds a bit like ABC’s Shark Tank, that’s because the TV show helped inspire Velocity Fast Track. Beto Galvan, VP of Own Brands Innovation & Product Management, ALBERTSONS Brenda Lord, VP, Private Brands & Quality Assurance, CVS HEALTH Brandon Wehmeyer, Private Brands Category Business Manager, FAMILY DOLLAR Christopher Durham, President, VELOCITY INSTITUTE
2:00 – 2:30 Crown Ballroom	Building Brands: The Lowe’s Home Improvement Story A fireside chat with Sarah Dodd, SVP Global Merchandising of Lowe’s Home Improvement, and Christopher Durham, President of Velocity Institute Sarah Dodd, SVP Global Merchandising, LOWE’S HOME IMPROVEMENT
3:00 – 3:30 Crown Ballroom	Don’t Live With Innovation, Thrive With It The past two years have given retailers and their brands full permission to push innovation into new spaces. Join Katie to hear how to create a culture that inspires teams to thrive with innovation. Katie Kelly-Landberg, Vice President Management, PERISCOPE
3:30-4:00 INNOVATION EXPO Crown Ballroom	Innovation Expo Networking Break Explore the Innovation Expo exhibitors and network with industry peers.
4:00 – 4:30 Crown Ballroom	How to build a more successful, sustainable retail brand through supplier collaboration Moderated by David Orgel Lisa Robinson-Davis, VP of Quality, Process Management & Compliance, PETSMART James Butcher, Director, SUPPLY PILOT (formerly S4RB) Chandi Gmuer, VP Consumer Research and Product Testing, CONSUMER SCIENCE David Orgel, Consultant + Editor, DAVID ORGEL CONSULTING
4:00 – 5:00 INNOVATION EXPO Crown Ballroom	Vertex Awards Ceremony & Interviews See the best Retail Brand package design as the 2022 winners accept their awards live on the Velocity main stage. Best of Show, Retailer of the Year, Agency of the Year and Publishers Choice winners will be interviewed.
5:30 – 7:00 INNOVATION EXPO Crown Ballroom	Winner’s Circle Cocktail Party in the NASCAR Hall of Fame presented by Equator Join us among racing legends to network, engage and win at the Winner’s Circle Happy Hour. Velocity attendees will walk across into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. The high-tech venue. designed to educate and entertain race fans and non-fans alike includes artifacts, hands-on exhibits, a 278-person state-of-the-art theater, Hall of Honor, NASCAR Hall of Fame Gear Shop, and the NASCAR Productions-operated broadcast studio

REGISTER NOW!

WEDNESDAY, MAY 18

8:00 – 9:00 INNOVATION EXPO Crown Ballroom	Continental Breakfast + Netkaworking
9:00 – 9:10 Crown Ballroom	Welcome Laraine Durham, VP of Events & Marketing, VELOCITY INSTITUTE
9:00 – 9:30 Crown Ballroom	Insights for 2022 & Beyond Christopher Durham, President, VELOCITY INSTITUTE
9:30 – 10:00 Crown Ballroom	Inviting Acceleration to Dinner Stacie Sopinka, VP Own Brands at Canadian grocer Sobeys, will discuss how retailers and their brands can effectively respond to changing consumer behavior dynamics and supply chain uncertainty. Stacie Sopinka, VP Own Brands, SOBEYS
10:00 – 10:30 Crown Ballroom	Packaging Design Reimagined: Thinking Globally, Executing Locally With the rapid growth of e-commerce, packaging design has become interconnected, with global trends influencing local design more than ever before. In this segment, Daymon’s global design agency will unveil 5 key was to continue building excitement within your Private Brand Packaging program, uncovering the benefits of bringing global design to the markets you serve. ANDRE LOMBARD, Global Executive Creative Director, DAYMON
10:30-11:00 INNOVATION EXPO Crown Ballroom	Innovation Expo Networking Break Explore the Innovation Expo exhibitors and network with industry peers.
11:00 – 11:30 Crown Ballroom	Viva IRL: An Experiential Evolution. There is no new normal, consumers aren’t interested in returning to the status quo, and retailers will need to respond accordingly. Retail owned brands (private brands) must evolve to meet the needs of modern consumers. Today’s consumers are experiencing a longing for fundamental, human connection and profound, intense sensory experiences —a yearning for the visceral rather than the virtual. Goodpaster and Pompilio will unpack a shift they are calling Viva IRL. The pair will explore the impact of the shift, new consumer types and the new opportunities this presents for modern private brands. Bryan Goodpaster, VP Foresight & Cultural Strategy, MARKS Anna Pompilio, Senior Cultural Strategist, MARKS
11:30 – 12:00 Crown Ballroom	Collaborating to Innovate: CVS Health & Michael Graves Design A look at the innovative CVS Health by Michael Graves Design direct-to-retail design collaboration of adaptive home health care CVS Health brand products. Brenda Lord, VP Private Brands & Quality Assurance, CVS HEALTH Kelli Garvey, Director, Brand & Marketing – Store Brand Healthcare, CVS HEALTH Rachel Gates, Director, Product Innovation – Store Brands, CVS HEALTH
1200 – 1:00 INNOVATION EXPO Crown Ballroom	Lunch & Networking
1:00 – 1:30 Crown Ballroom	Innovation & Collaboration – the Future of Retail Brands A panel moderated by Christopher Durham that dives deep into the potential of collaborative innovation. Beto Galvan, VP of Own Brands Innovation & Product Management, ALBERTSONS Heather Corkery, Executive Director Store Brands, CVS HEALTH Kara Miencier, Sales Executive, PARAMOUNT ROASTERS Zane Adams, CO CEO / CMP, FEDUP FOODS Christopher Durham, President, VELOCITY INSTITUTE
1:30 – 2:00 Crown Ballroom	How Retailers leverage sustainability to drive loyalty With the sustainable shopping sector on the rise, Tolbert will share what consumers are looking for from private brands and share examples of how Retailers can leverage sustainability to drive brand engagement. Lauren Tolbert, Partnership Development Manager – Retail & Food Services, FAIR TRADE USA
2:00 – 2:30 Crown Ballroom	If You Love Them, Set Them Free: Accelerating Change to Win The market waits for no one. Accelerate the scope of brand transformation required to meet the needs of new consumers in a constantly changing world, even if it means saying goodbye to the brands you’ve loved. Bob Himler, Vice President Own Brand Development, RITE AID
2:30 – 3:00 Crown Ballroom	5 Takeaways & Raffle Christopher Durham wraps it up wit five key takeaways. Make sure to stay to the end of the event to be eligible for Conference Raffle and win free event tickets, electronics, etc. Must be present to win! Christopher Durham, President, VELOCITY INSTITUTE

REGISTER NOW!

VELOCITY TALKS

SUBSCRIBE TO VELOCITY TALKS ON YOUTUBE

From Fashion to Velocity a conversation with Laraine Durham

Passion for Good Food: Insights from Neil Stern, CEO, Good Food Holdings

Embracing the Future of Retail: Insights from Lowe’s Foods Anne Gooden Whitfield

Packaging and Sustainability: An Expert’s Perspective with Kim Carswell

Exploring Innovation in Retail and Private Brand with Justin Honaman of Amazon

BuildingProfitable Private BrandConnections with Wayne Bennetof ECRM | RANGE ME

By Christopher DurhamPublished On: April 21st, 2022Tags: Velocity

About the Author: Christopher Durham

Christopher Durham is the president of the Velocity Institute. Prior to this he founded the groundbreaking site My Private Brand. He is the co-founder of The Vertex Awards. He began his retail career building brands at Food Lion and Lowe’s Home Improvement. Durham has worked with retailers around the world, including Albertsons, Family Dollar, Petco, Staples, Office Depot, Best Buy, Metro Canada. Durham has published seven definitive books on private brands, including Fifty2: The My Private Brand Project and Vanguard: Vintage Originals.