NASHVILLE – Sept. 22, 2009 – NRF 2010, “Retail’s Big Show,” officially kicks off on Sunday, Jan. 10 – but the hottest ticket at the show is a one-of-a-kind retail research event scheduled for the day before.

Today the Retail Orphan Initiative (Retail ROI), a charitable foundation established to help the 400 million orphaned and vulnerable children worldwide, unveiled details surrounding its first-ever RetailROI Super Saturday, a research and networking event taking place at NRF 2010.  Retail ROI Super Saturday brings together a “who’s who” of retailers, leading technology/financial research analysts, editors and influencers. The event will allow participants to discuss the key trends, holiday results, and innovative strategies that are shaping the retail industry as the New Year begins.  Sponsorships are currently available, and all proceeds from the event benefit RetailROI directly. RetailROI Super Saturday takes place 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., Jan. 9, 2010 at the Marriott East Side in York City.

“We’ve gathered many of retail's leading strategic thinkers, CIOs and analysts in a single venue. There has never been an opportunity to hear from all these top thinkers in a single event, and it's all for the benefit of the Retail Orphan Initiative,” said Greg Buzek, founder and president, IHL Group and co-founder of RetailROI.  

Top CIOs currently sharing their time and insights for the benefit include:

• Timothy Kasbe – SVP & CIO, Sears Holdings

• Delaney Bellinger – CIO, YUM! Brands

• Dave Finnegan – CIO, Build a Bear

• Vicki Cantrell – COO, Tory Burch

• Robert Fort - Former CIO, Virgin Media

• Ed Collupy – CIO, The Pantry

• Dennis Harris – CIO, Genesco

• John Polizzi – CIO, BJ's Wholesale

• Herman Nell – SVP & CIO, Petco

• Gary King – EVP & CIO, Chico's

Joining the retailers as speakers are top analysts and industry insiders from Citigroup, Gartner, AMR Research, Aberdeen, Retail Systems Research, IHL Group, Cathy Hotka and Associates, PCI Knowledge Base, Retail Connections, RFID Sherpas, RIS News, Secure IT Experts, and StoreFrontBackTalk.  All have donated their time for this event.

RetailROI Super Saturday is free for retailers. Current vendor sponsors include:

• Microsoft

• Epson

• Intel

• HP

• IHL Group

• Marriott East Side

• C-Core Consulting Group.

Additional sponsorships are available, and those signing up to sponsor the event receive visibility and benefits according to the level of sponsorship.

“The single most important benefit to sponsors is access to leading retailers and top analysts,” said Cathy Hotka, president, Cathy Hotka & Associates and a board member of RetailROI.  “In a single day, sponsors have access to top retail executives. This is an unprecedented opportunity to build relationships and share information about specific retail technology solutions. Sponsors can also plug into the research and opinions that are shaping the industry before the show begins, and will be in a much better position to invite retailers to visit their booth at the show.”

For more information on sponsorships, email us at info@retailROI.org or call (202) 549-3954. To register to attend, see the website at www.retailroi.org. The event is free to retailers.

For more information, contact us at info@retailROI.org ,1.615.591.2955 or visit www.retailroi.org. 

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