If You Are Ready To EXPAND Your Retail Business… Join Us At The 2022 Retail Success Summit!

June 13 & 14, 2022
Grand Rapids, MI

Experience this “can’t miss” conference that the most successful Independent Retailers from North America and around the world attend year after year!

Discover new money-making ideas, build your network of super-smart retail colleagues, get introduced to the latest retail trends, and soak in the galvanizing energy you need to make it all happen. The Retail Success Summit will increase your sales, your profits, your success!

It has been a challenging couple of years, but the tide is turning, and NOW is the time to take advantage of all the heavy lifting, endless pivoting, and plain old hard work you have done. Now is the time to…

Your Sales
Your Profits
Your Productivity
Your Leadership
Your Team
Your Fun
Your Community

Your Knowledge
Your Skills
Your Abilities
Your Brand
Your Appeal
Your Reach
Your Followers

Your Freedom
Your Mindset
Your Passion
Your Dreams
Your Vision
Your Impact
Your FUTURE!

The 2022 Retail Success Summit is Possibly the Most Important Summit… EVER!

The world business landscape – and the retail landscape along with it – continues to change rapidly. There is almost too much going on to grasp it all!

This is no time to try to ‘go it alone’.

At WhizBang! Retail Training, we have been studying the retail landscape closely, and we know that now is the time to develop your business by EXPANDING…

Your Skills – mastering the essential skills that are now table stakes for every retail business, plus looking ahead and picking up new skills that will put you ahead of the game tomorrow,
Your Vision – seeing the big picture, the trending and future opportunities so that you can be prepared to take advantage of them and lead your field,
Your Networks – building tight connections with already successful retailers that provide the support, challenge, and wisdom you need as you expand your business,
Your Energy – fueling your ideas, your productivity, your effectiveness, so you can rise to the business demands you face with vigor and still maintain a vibrant personal life,
Your Optimism – knowing (for perhaps the first time in over fifty years) that Independent Retailers have the upper hand in the retail food chain.

There is so much potential lying in wait for retail store owners… And you need to be ready to make the most of it.

Meet Your Hosts, Bob and Susan Negen

Bob and Susan have a combined forty years of retail store experience – Bob as the owner of the Mackinaw Kite Co., a chain of kite and toy stores, and Susan as an executive at retail giants Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s, and Lord & Taylor. In 1999 they founded WhizBang! Retail Training and for the last 21 years they have been helping indie retailers run super-successful stores.

In those 21 years, Bob and Susan have worked with hundreds of thousands of retailers, presented at trade shows and conferences all over North America, created numerous courses for retail owners, managers, and employees, and written a best-selling book on retail marketing.

Together they have a knockout one-two punch of sophisticated “big business” skills and street-smart small business experience!

Why NOW Is The Time To EXPAND Your Knowledge and Your Vision for the Future of Your Business

We believe that the world is on the cusp of some revolutionary innovations that are going to have as much impact on Independent Retail as…

The rise of big box retail in the 1960’s and 70s,
The development of the internet and world wide web in the early 1990’s,
The expansion of e-commerce behemoths like Amazon in the early 2000s,
The massive disruption of social media in the mid 2000s.

All these earlier market disruptions lead to…

Leadership and immense profit for early adopters,
Business building and stable profit for mid-term adopters,
And playing “catch up” for the rest of the pack.

Our goal for the Retail Success Summit 2022 is to set your feet on the path towards industry leadership, abundant profit, and intentional expansion. We know from the past that there’s a lot of room at the top for early adopters and we want YOU to be among them.

Are you aware of all the emerging, revolutionary innovations and opportunities that your peers will be profiting from?
Has your store made the breakthroughs and laid the foundations necessary to excel in this exciting new world of retail?
Are you confident that you can make good decisions quickly when new expansion opportunities present themselves?

“This will be my 4th Retail Success Summit. Each year I get so many ideas to implement, I make tons of new connections, and I get psyched about my business!”

Summer Allen, Valentine Footwear – Bangor, ME

You’ll come away from the Retail Success Summit with…

New Ideas & Inspirations,
New Skills… so you can confidently face the future and be on the cutting-edge of opportunity and profitability,
New Strategies… to replace those that are out-of-date and causing you to fall behind,
New Insights… into the opportunities and potential dangers that lie ahead,
New Tools… to strengthen your retail fundamentals, grow your business, lower stress, and free your time,
New & Stronger Relationships… within the wider Independent Retail community and your own industry,
New, Refreshed Energy… to lean into the future and surmount all challenges,
New Confidence… in your knowledge, decision-making powers, direction, and insight.

Why is this so important? Several years ago, a Dunn & Bradstreet survey reported in the Harvard Business Review found that…

“90% of the small businesses that fail, do so because of a
lack of skills and knowledge on the part of the owner.”

If it’s the lack of retail skills and knowledge which can tank your business, then logic simply dictates that expanding your skills and knowledge will profoundly increase your chances of business success!

It doesn’t matter if you’re a brand-new retailer or have owned your store for 25 years, the more knowledge you have about what to do and how to do it, the better your results are likely to be.

BUT, knowledge alone isn’t enough…

While we hope you’re engaged, informed, and educated by every single moment of the Retail Success Summit, what we really want is for you to go back home, act on the ideas presented, transform your business, and get more satisfaction from your life.

Education without ACTION is merely entertainment. What you need and what you’ll get from the Summit is…

“My favorite Tip during Day 1 of the Retail Success Summit is so simple, but it will make me thousands of dollars this year. This one little tip paid for my long trip from Ontario to Grand Rapids. Can’t wait to see what I’ll learn tomorrow!”

Gilbert Russell, Brio Bodywear Inc, – Ottawa, ON, Canada

Expand Your Knowledge With Presentations From Expert Speakers

At the Retail Success Summit you’ll learn from the most knowledgeable speakers around – speakers who aren’t just ‘masters of theory’, but ones who have hands-on experience and can highlight both the opportunities and the pitfalls that you will face.

Independent Retail Experts, Bob and Susan Negen

Of course, you’ll get LOTS of mainstage time (plus a couple of breakout options) with your conference hosts, Bob and Susan Negen. Their presentations are filled with inspiring, practical content that has the power to transform your retail business.

Learn More

Keynote Speaker, Joel Comm

A noted futurist, Joel Comm helps businesses and brands cut through the info clutter, identify the important innovations that will revolutionize their future, and understand how to position their companies to take advantage before their competition even takes notice. You won’t want to miss this opportunity to hear his latest forecast for the retail industry!

Learn More

Plus Six More Industry Experts!

You’ll learn everything from branding and open-to-buy to social selling and online strategy in breakout sessions presented by our six industry experts. These folks know their stuff and are committed to helping you expand your business, your reach, your skills, and your profits.

Stay tuned for more info about each of our six amazing speakers!

A Clear Action Plan to Create More Profit

We are not in the entertainment business. We want to make a huge impact on your business, and we know that you can only get better results and have the ultra-successful store of your dreams if you take action.

That’s why there’s one very special feature built into the Retail Success Summit that we know will make an amazing difference in your business.

Unlike most seminars where you come home with a bunch of notes that you stuff in a drawer somewhere, you’re going to leave the Summit with a personalized one-page action plan you can put to work immediately to grow your business.

It’s an exact blueprint of where you want to go and how you’re going to get there… a step-by-step plan for your path to success.

The Summit Experience

Pre-event party for early registration and networking
Custom bag filled with fun and indispensable swag
Main Stage presentations by Bob and Susan starting Monday morning at XX am
Mainstage Keynote Speaker
8 Breakout Speaker Presentations
Event Sponsor Conversations
Monday Evening Cocktail Party

Location, Logistics & Other Details

The Retail Success Summit will be held at the DeVos Place Convention Center in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan on June 13 & 14, 2022.

In the heart of downtown Grand Rapids (named as one of the best places in the US to live by both the Men’s Journal and the Wall Street Journal Market Watch) the DeVos Place is situated on the lovely Grand River and is large enough to hold the 500+ retailers expected to gather for the Summit.

Check-in and name tag pick-up will begin at 8:00 am on Monday, 6/13/2022 and the event starts promptly at 8:30 am. The Summit will close at 5:00 pm on Tuesday 6/14/2022

Fly into the Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR). There’s no need to rent a car, the airport is a short, 25-minute cab ride to the Retail Success Summit’s location at the DeVos Place downtown Grand Rapids.

The DeVos Place is connected via covered walkway to the Amway Grand Plaze Hotel and the JW Marriott, and is within easy walking distance of great restaurants, shops, and museums.

Closest Recommended Hotel: Amway Grand Plaza

Amway Grand Plaza (Connected by sky bridge to DeVos Place).

WhizBang! Retail Training is please to offer discounted room nights of $179 per night for our Retail Success Summit attendees.

Click Here to reserve your room online or call 800.253.3590, and mention the WhizBang! Retail Success Summit. The block room discount is limited so please make your reservations right away.

187 Monroe Ave. NW
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
800.253.3590 | sales@amwaygrand.com

JW Marriot (Connected by sky bridge to Amway Grand Plaza & DeVos Place)

WhizBang! Retail Training is pleased to offer discounted room nights of $209 per night for our Retail Success Sumitt attendees. Click Here to reserve your room online, or call 877.901.6632 and mention the WhizBang! Retail Success Summit. The block room discount is limited so please make your reservations right away.

235 Louis Campau NW
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
877.901.6632 | sales@amwaygrand.com

COUNTDOWN TO THE RETAIL SUCCESS SUMMIT

Day(s)

Hour(s)

Minute(s)

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Seating is Limited. REGISTER TODAY!

Normally, registration for the Retail Success Summit is $997 for the first person and $297 for each additional person from your store. But through midnight on Thursday, March 31, you can take advantage of the special early bird pricing and SAVE $500! Your Retail Success Summit ticket includes 2 full days of business-building, money-making, retail-specific information, nationally-recognized guest speakers, amazing networking opportunities, your take-home action plan, and lots of fun. Honestly, you’d have to sleep through the entire event not to pick up enough great ideas to pay the registration fee 100X, 200X, even 500X over. A $100,000 ROI on this event should be a slam-dunk for any retailer who has half a brain (you do) and is willing to use the ideas you’ll learn (you will).

EARLY BIRD

$497/first person

BEST PRICE – Save $500!
Enter code EARLYBIRD22 at Checkout!

REDUCED PRICE

Amazing Savings!

$797/person

GREAT PRICE – Save $200
Bring Friends for just $297 each!

STANDARD

$997/first person

Bring friends for only $297!
An unforgettable experience!

Your 100% Better-Than-Money-Back Guarantee!

If at the end of the first day of the Retail Success Summit, you do not feel you are getting ideas, strategies, tools, and techniques that (put into action) would generate at least $100,000 in revenue for your store, simply turn your notebook in to our team, have a phone call with Bob, and you’ll get a 100% refund of your registration fees… PLUS $1,000. Why? Because, quite simply, the value is there. No other event gives a guarantee like this, but then again, no other event is quite like the Retail Success Summit!

Register below OR call 800.842.1660 to register by phone. The WhizBang! Team would love to talk to you if you have any questions.

Keynote Speaker, Joel Comm

Joel has already been at the forefront of TWO major commercial revolutions that made mega-millions for early adopters. When Joel talks about the impact of emerging trends, the world’s most influential business owners listen and follow his advice. Joel is a dynamic speaker who takes seemingly complex material and clearly explains what is truly significant, groundbreaking information, why it’s going to affect your business, how you can use it to attract more customers and create more profitable sales, and where you should start.

Joel is the New York Times best-selling author of 15 books, a contributor to Forbes, Inc., Entrepreneur, and the Social Media Examiner, and his work has appeared in The New York Times, on Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show, CNN, MSNBC, and Fox.

His first website was among the first 18,000 sites in the world, and he has extensive experience in Internet marketing, blogging, podcasting, online video creation, social media marketing, and more. Joel hosted and produced the world’s first competitive Internet reality show, The Next Internet Millionaire. He also created a #1 best-selling iPhone app, one of the most talked-about novelty iPhone apps of all time.

How to drive insane repeat transactions and digital sales with text message marketing

Nick McHenry, OneShop

You will learn how to effectively target your customers and send them personalized text messaging to drive 2 - 3X more frequent customer visits and keep them coming back for more!

About Nick McHenry

Nick McHenry is a fashion and retail industry veteran that spent nearly 10 years growing wholesale businesses for luxury brands such as Giorgio Armani and Philipp Plein before starting OneShop. After spending thousands of hours on retail store floors around the world, Nick saw an opportunity to create amazing customer experiences digitally by driving personalized communication and bringing the in store experience to customers no matter where they are. With this, OneShop now helps hundreds of stores engage their customers via text and other channels to drive repeat purchases.

Re-Imaging your Sales floor for the Next Golden Age of Retail

Anne Cecil, ONO Made In The 191

Your sales floor must accommodate so much more than product to meet today’s custom customer expectations. In this session we will discuss the functions your retail store must integrate on the sales floor to provide an engaging, pleasant, and successful shopping experience for the customer, while delivering sales and margins that provide a profit for you.

About Anne Cecil

With 40 years of experience as an artisan, maker, seller AND a 30+ year professional career in merchandising, Anne Cecil of ONO Made in the 191 is uniquely positioned to ASSESS your product and sales spaces, then PROVIDE the knowledge, training and tools for you to create a roadmap to success. Anne will TEACH you how to orchestrate your merchandising to present an engaging customer experience & turn your investment into profit!

What Will it Take To Win In 2022?

Paul Erickson, Management One

Despite the turbulence, 2021 was a good year for most retailers. But how should you approach 2022 to win? Inflation is driving up the cost of purchases, including freight. Supply chain issues are improving but not completely resolved. Employees are demanding higher pay. The outlook for consumer demand could change as excess savings dissipate and government stimulus fades. And the bar for competing digitally continues to get higher. Paul Erickson, with Management One, will outline key strategies that will help you succeed in a changing environment.

About Paul Erickson

Paul Erickson presently serves as Director of Retail Education with Management One Inc. Based out of Minneapolis, Minnesota he has served retail clients throughout the United States, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Widely recognized for his talents as a retail educator, Paul has conducted seminars and workshops to retail trade shows and conferences throughout North America, Europe and Asia. He has been featured in Fortune Magazine, Women’s Wear Daily, MR Magazine and on the CBS Evening News.

Mr. Erickson received a BS in Marketing from the University of Wisconsin and has completed a number of graduate level courses in Data Analysis and Statistical Theory and Probability.

What Will it Take To Win In 2022?

Dane Cohen, Management One

About Dane Cohen

Dane brings more than a decade of experience in the fashion, wholesale, and retail industry to the Management One team. Independent retail is in his blood as he formerly led the retail division of the family-owned chain of speciality department stores, Lester’s. Prior to that he oversaw the global sales relaunch for the men’s collection of Helmut Lang, working with retailers to build distribution channels and growth strategy. Getting his start in the industry at PROJECT Global Tradeshow, he built relationships across the menswear industry and launched the inaugural season of The Tents. Passionate about the new future of retail, Dane is excited to work with retailers and strategic partners to grow the Management One network and help strengthen independent and family-owned retail businesses. As the Business Development Manager, his diverse background in leading sales and retail teams, brand marketing, events, and merchandising provides him a unique and informed perspective for our clients. Dane lives in Manhattan and when not working you can usually find him focusing on fitness, cooking, jamming to new music on Spotify, or shopping... of course.

#Droolworthy Branding and How It Grows Your Retail Biz.

Kaila Piepkow, Dox Design

Join Kaila Piepkow, Owner, Founder & Creative Director of Dox Design, for a lesson in what they’ve coined as “drool-worthy” branding. Kaila will cover the key components that compile your visual brand, and how your brand can stand out in the sea of competitors in your space. You’ll walk away with a foundational understanding of:

The importance of honing in on your target audience, and building your niche
How to create & identify your brand tone
How to create a strategic visual brand that communicates your brand tone to your audience
The must-know info on color palettes, fonts, brand patterns, icons, and your overarching visual brand
How a #droolworthy brand will help you convert followers into paying customers
And much more!

About Kaila Piepkow

Kaila Piepkow is the Owner/Founder of Dox Design, a remote design firm & creative studio dedicated to helping business owners grow through #droolworthy design that connects with their customers... Besides being obsessed with all things dogs (she has 3 Dacschunds!) and design, she is the MOST passionate about supporting ambitious business owners in their branding journey.

After taking her first few years out of college in the traditional agency route working for big brands like Target, Apple, and Herman Miller she (like most entrepreneurs) felt restless... like her cup wasn't being filled to the top. She had a vision, something big, bold, and most importantly, drool-worthy. And so, Dox Design was born!

Today, Kaila is proud to lead a fearless team of talented creatives on a mission to create strong, compelling brands that flaunt their clients’ stand-out qualities in fun and daring ways.

Together, Dox Design works together seamlessly to create #droolworthy brands and design for people just like you: the doers, the dreamers, and the brand-obsessed.

The New Retail: How Retailers Are Using eCommerce to Increase Sales and Serve Their Customers

Josh Orr, Streamline Retail

Brick and mortar retailers have a unique advantage over online-only retailers but most of us don't use it (or even know what it is). What if we could tap into that advantage and find unique ways to serve our customers everywhere, just like we do in-store; all while increasing our in-store sales?

Key Points:

The New Retail Mindset - Going from a store to a brand
Your brick and mortar advantage
6 Steps to the Perfect Online Purchase (A new iteration with what's working now)
Using eCommerce to increase sales everywhere.

My hope is that you'll leave inspired to take your online sales to the next level and with clear action steps to get started.

About Josh Orr

Josh Orr is the founder of Streamline Retail and host of the Retail Initiative Podcast, is one of the leading voices in eCommerce today. He specializes in helping retailers serve their customers through multiple channels, whether it is in-store or online. With his team, he has helped dozens of retailers gain traction in their online sales through customer-centric design and ecommerce marketing strategy. Apart from his company's eCommerce services, you may have seen him on stages at markets and retail events around the US or have taken part in his digital classes or in-person events related to eCommerce marketing.

Apart from his work at Streamline Retail, he lives in Houston with his wife, Christin, and three kids, Ryan (6) and Emily (4), and Ben (1). He also plays guitar, listens to the same music he did in high school, but these days only gets to hear the Frozen soundtrack.

Reels Mean Deals: The Power of TikTok and Instagram Reels and How Retailers Are Cashing In

Maddie Goode, Crystal Media

Are you leaving money on the table by not using Instagram Reels or TikTok to sell to your customers? Short form content has taken social media by storm, so gear up and get in the game! This session will simplify understanding of these platforms, share the posts that will engage (and sell!) the most, show the tricks to save you time, and spell out why retailers need to leverage this content format NOW! Get ready to stand out and cash in. Walk away with:

The strongest, action-worthy posts that’ll translate to dollars
The magic number... How often to actually post to get more Reach than you thought possible
The most compelling ways to promote and get the right eyeballs on your TikToks and IG Reels
The Hashtag know-how that'll get you noticed
Powerful everyday examples of how retailers are seeing success, both locally and online

Learn how to integrate short form content with your overall strategy and why you don’t want to wait another day to leverage it! Get ready to stand out and cash in.

About Maddie Goode

As a Pittsburgh native (and Steelers die-hard), Maddie fulfilled a lifelong dream of moving out west to San Diego where she joined the Crystal Media team in 2019. Her Marketing and Supply Chain Management degree from the University of Pittsburgh, social media management background and flair for creativity made her a perfect fit for the Ads Management team.

A revered Facebook and Instagram Ads Manager by her many clients, don’t let Maddie’s easy-going nature fool you. Partnered with her thorough, detail-oriented approach, Maddie has achieved notable successes for her Ads clients, including a 68.7% increase in YTD sales (from when the client first started working with her) and multiple 10+x return on ad spend from custom Conversion campaigns.

Maddie combines her interest in championing small businesses with her passion for educating and entertaining from the stage, as well. From presenting at Crystal Media events to being spotlighted at regional and national levels (i.e. Travel Goods Show 2020, Nationwide Jewellers 2021, Great Lakes Floral Association 2022), Maddie has trained and left her helpful impression on hundreds of retailers to date.

Learn more at www.crystalmediaco.com

If You Are Ready To EXPAND Your Retail Business… Join Us At The 2022 Retail Success Summit!

June 13 & 14, 2022 Grand Rapids, MI

The 2022 Retail Success Summit is Possibly the Most Important Summit… EVER!

Meet Your Hosts, Bob and Susan Negen

Why NOW Is The Time To EXPAND Your Knowledge and Your Vision for the Future of Your Business

You’ll come away from the Retail Success Summit with…

Expand Your Knowledge With Presentations From Expert Speakers

Independent Retail Experts, Bob and Susan Negen

Keynote Speaker, Joel Comm

Plus Six More Industry Experts!

A Clear Action Plan to Create More Profit

The Summit Experience

Location, Logistics & Other Details

Closest Recommended Hotel: Amway Grand Plaza

COUNTDOWN TO THE RETAIL SUCCESS SUMMIT

Seating is Limited. REGISTER TODAY!

EARLY BIRD

REDUCED PRICE

STANDARD

Your 100% Better-Than-Money-Back Guarantee!

Keynote Speaker, Joel Comm

How to drive insane repeat transactions and digital sales with text message marketing

Nick McHenry, OneShop

About Nick McHenry

Re-Imaging your Sales floor for the Next Golden Age of Retail

Anne Cecil, ONO Made In The 191

About Anne Cecil

What Will it Take To Win In 2022?

Paul Erickson, Management One

About Paul Erickson

What Will it Take To Win In 2022?

Dane Cohen, Management One

About Dane Cohen

#Droolworthy Branding and How It Grows Your Retail Biz.

Kaila Piepkow, Dox Design

About Kaila Piepkow

The New Retail: How Retailers Are Using eCommerce to Increase Sales and Serve Their Customers

Josh Orr, Streamline Retail

About Josh Orr

Reels Mean Deals: The Power of TikTok and Instagram Reels and How Retailers Are Cashing In

Maddie Goode, Crystal Media

About Maddie Goode

June 13 & 14, 2022
Grand Rapids, MI