WASHINGTON, DC — March 26, 2004 — Low-carb diets, senior shoppers, hot new product trends and numerous other top-of-mind topics highlight the Close-Ups educational program that will be presented at the 2004 FMI Show, May 2-4 in Chicago.

     Close-Ups, a series of fast-paced, to-the-point workshops held on the exhibit floor, focus on contemporary food retailing issues. Featured facilitators include industry experts, authors, top-level marketing executives and others. FMI will present 28 Close-Up sessions in the North and South Halls of McCormick Place during the three-day convention.   

Scheduled sessions and presenters:

     
          
     
     
          
     
     
          
          
     
     
          
          
     
     
          
     
          
          
     
          
          
     
     
          
     
     
          
          
     
          
          
     
     
          
          


          
     

          
          

          

     
          
     
     
          
     
     
          
          
     
     
          
               
     
          
          
     
          
          
     
          
          
     
     
     
          
          
          
   
   
          
   
   
          
   
   
          
   
   
          
          
          
          
   
   
          
   
   
          
   
   
          
   
   
          
          
          
   
   
          
   
   
          

Sunday, May 2
South Hall,STAGE 1
11:00 a.m.	New Product Trends for 2004     Valerie Skala, Vice President, Analytic Product Management and Development, Information Resources, Inc.
Noon	Leveraging the Co-Branding Power of Food and Pharmacy Karl Speak, President, Beyond Marketing Thought
1:00 p.m.	A Medicare Drug Benefit: What Does it Mean for Retail Pharmacy? Donald W. Moran, President, The Moran Company John Fegan, Vice President, Pharmacy, Ahold USA
2:00 p.m.	Understanding the Value of the Pharmaceutical Consumer Maura Ehlebracht, Homescan Associate Director, ACNielsen
3:00 p.m.	Getting a Handle on Rising Healthcare Costs      Tom Keay, President, K-Management Resources
SOUTH HALL, STAGE 2
11:00 a.m.	Private Label: Capitalizing on Growth Categories and Innovative New Products
Noon	Retail Out-of-Stocks: An Examination of Causes and Consumer Responses           Bernie Anderson, Director of Strategic Alliance & Initiatives, H.E. Butt Grocery Co. J.P. Brackman, Global Retail Presence Manager, The Procter & Gamble Company,br> Thomas Gruen, Ph.D., Professor of Marketing, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs
1:00 p.m.	The 50+ Shopper…Gold not Grey           Gary Stibel, Founder and Principal, The New England Consulting Group           Tom Hayes, Principal, The New England Consulting Group
2:00 p.m.	Building Sales and Profits in Center Store Tim Manning, Vice President, Marketing, KhiMetrics           font>
3:00 p.m.	You Delivering What Your Customers Want? A Tesco Case Study           Clive Humby, Chairman, dunnhumby USA Steve Goodroe, CEO, dunnhumby USA
Monday, May 3
SOUTH HALL, STAGE #1
11:00 a.m.	Supermarket Advertising — Why are Supermarkets Not Super Marketers?     Gary Stibel, Founder and Principal, The New England Consulting Group Tom Hayes, Principal, The New England Consulting Group
Noon	Gaining a Competitive Edge on Mass Merchandisers — How Supermarkets Can Eliminate Channel Erosion           Catalina Marketing Corporation           Alliance Research
1:00 p.m.	Capitalizing on Growth Strategies in Center Store Terese Herbig, General Manager, Retail Tracking Marketing
2:00 p.m.	The Impact of Trade Promotions on Industry Growth and Profitability Jim Coleman, Partner, Accenture Steve Baumberger, Partner, Accenture
3:00 p.m.	The Art of Driving Profitable Sales    Lex Barker, Founding Partner, Food Marketing Success                   Lyle Larson, Founding Partner, Food Marketing Success
SOUTH HALL, STAGE 2
11:00 a.m.	Are You Prepared? The Future of Sales & Merchandising Organizations    Jim Sheehan, Strategic Process Leader, Shaw’s Supermarkets, Inc. Karen Spooner, Senior Manager, E-Business and Pricing, Kraft Foods, Inc.
Noon	Compensation: For Love or Money         Tom Keay, President, K-Management Resources
1:00 p.m.	Channel Blurring: A Consumer Perspective Todd Hale, Senior Vice President, Consumer Insights, AC Nielsen           Stuart Rabkin, COO, The Valen Group
2:00 p.m.	Is Low Carb a Fad?Trends in Global Retailing Gus Valen, CEO, The Valen Group           Stuart Rabkin, COO, The Valen Group
3:00 p.m.	It’s Not Your Mother’s Supermarket Anymore! Tristan Coopersmith, Trendspotter Manager, Teen People
Tuesday, May 4
SOUTH HALL, STAGE 1
11:00 a.m.	Managing The Power Shift – Retail Growth Through Customer-Focused Innovation Ted Zittell, Partner Affiliate, McMillan Doolittle LLP
Noon	Managing Store Traffic, Maximizing Profit Herb Sorensen, President, Sorensen Associates
1:00 p.m.	From Ethnic to Mainstream: Successful Marketing to a Multicultural America
2:00 p.m.	What are the Hottest New Product Trends for the Latino Market?
SOUTH HALL, STAGE 2
11:00 a.m.	Category Performance Improvement: Growing Sales and Profit While Defending Against Cross-Channel Competitors Mir Aamir, Principal, A.T. Kearney, Inc.
Noon	Driving RFID Implementation    Peter Abel, Senior Partner/Co-Founder, ePC Group

For details about the 2004 FMI Show, visit the show Web site at www.fmishow.org.