The Lead Brings Retailers into the Classroom
- By [ Noah Gellman ]
- 08/25/2020
The world went sideways in March. Nearly all of us were cruising down the highway at 65 mph, looking out over the next few quarters, planning for summer, back to school, and holidays. And then it all came to a sudden stop.
If you are like me, you desperately wanted to know how to proceed. In the months to follow, we at The Lead turned to hourly zoom meetings, daily huddles, and weekly webinars. We were looking to be consoled, to hunt for information, and to know what to do next.
In our time of need, we turned to each other.
Out of fear, panic, curiosity, gut-checking, benchmarking, whatever the motive may have been – people sought each other for answers. This was especially true in an industry like ours which is changing at an incredibly fast rate.
The Lead is in the business of bringing fashion, retail, and consumer leaders together with the innovators, technologists and direct-to-consumer brand builders that will define the next phase of the industry.
In our own effort to contribute, The Lead hosted close to a dozen LeadTalks, a facilitated zoom discussion of eight brand and retail executives facing similar challenges during this time.
We used our expertise - built through our research lists, quarterly publication, and learnings from executive events - to create a safe and professionally moderated environment for industry practitioners to come together.
Speaking of lists and research...
In partnership with RILA, The Lead was proud to publish The Defiant 25 a few weeks ago. . This list of 25 brands & retailers with winning business models for 2020 & beyond was crafted through interviews with CEO and senior execs, reviews of annual company reports, consultations with wall street analysts, analyses of transcripts, and conversations with industry insiders.
The Lead Research Lists
- The Defiant 25: Brands & Retailers with Winning Business Models in time of dramatic change
- The Foremost 50: Leading digital-native brands that are reinventing & redefining the fashion, consumer & retail industry.
- The Leading 100: Break-out tech start-ups innovating across the fashion, consumer & retail industry.
Research lists are great, but actionable insights are better. Presenting: The Lead Classroom
The Lead Classroom is taking place next month. We have invited some of the smartest minds in the industry to deliver case-study presentations to small groups of like-minded people. Case study speakers include industry leaders like:- Locke Andrews (CIO & CDO, UNTUCKit),
- Scott Lux (VP, eCommerce & Digital, Theory & Helmut Lang)
- Dan Cherian (VP, Global Innovation, VF Corporation)
- Harry Cunnigham (VP, Retail Brand Experience, Vera Bradley
- Mario Lang, (VP Digital Innovation, PVH)
At the end of The Lead Classroom, each of the 360+ participants will leave will something tangible. At a baseline, participants will leave with new connections, a gut-check of assumptions, and fresh insights. For our friends in Stores & Retail, these assumptions and insights might be about the state of retail and current customer value proposition. For our friends in eCommerce, they might be about going into holiday without precedent and data; and for those coming to Innovation, they might be about reconsidering priorities, working through roadblocks and opportunities, and adding depth to your vendor bench.
Seats are currently available, but space is limited. Please find us at The Lead Classroom for more. Sessions run Sep. 9 – Oct. 9.
People need people. People need the right information. People need outcomes. It may not be at a convention center, or at a hotel ballroom, but wherever it is - meeting each other is more important than ever. We look forward to seeing you at The Lead Classroom.
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Technology & Innovation
