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

          
NoonRetail 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
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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.
NoonCompensation: 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
NoonManaging 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.
   
NoonDriving 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.