RFID Journal, the world’s leading media and events company covering radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, and the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA), the leading trade association for the apparel and footwear industries, have announced that Bill Holder, CIO of Dillard’s, will deliver the opening keynote address at the second annual RFID Journal—AAFA Apparel and Footwear Summit, which will be held Aug. 20-22, 2007, at the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York City.
“We are very excited to have the CIO of one of the leading apparel and footwear retailers heading up an impressive lineup of speakers,” says Mark Roberti, founder and editor of RFID Journal. “The quality of our speakers this year shows that this has become the must-attend RFID event for the apparel and footwear industries.”
At the conference, Holder will discuss the work Dillard’s has been doing to determine where RFID can deliver value in the company’s supply chain. Dillard’s has been examining how RFID can improve, among other things, the replenishment processes and product turnover rates. Holder will explain where the company sees benefits from the technology, and how it plans to move forward.
This year’s conference will focus on how to increase sales and cut costs with RFID. The event opens with an RFID Journal University preconference seminar, offering an introduction to RFID tailored to the apparel and footwear industries. The summit also includes the invitation-only Leadership Forum, during which senior executives from major apparel and footwear companies can discuss implementation issues.
Other featured speakers include:
• Frank Cornelius, RFID project leader at New Balance
• Bridget Chan, CIO of Esquel Group
• Nick Tentis, managing director at Nick Tentis
• Neco Can, cofounder of Industry Standard, an RFID-enabled boutique
• Marshall Kay, RFID practice leader at Kurt Salmon Associates
• Patrick Javick, manager of industry development at EPCglobal North America
“This is the only event where apparel and footwear companies in the United States, Europe and Asia can learn from early adopters how to realize the benefits of RFID to improve the way they manufacture, ship and sell apparel and footwear products,” says Mary Howell, VP of industry relations for the AAFA. “Many people commented to me, after last year’s event, that this kind of objective information about a much-hyped new technology is just what our industries need.”
The conference is produced by RFID Journal, in partnership with the American Apparel & Footwear Association. Avery Dennison is the cornerstone sponsor for the event. Platinum sponsors are Checkpoint Systems and Reva Systems; silver sponsors are OATSystems and Tagsys RFID; and the registration sponsor is Paxar.
Discounts for advance registration end on June 22, 2007. More information can be found at the RFID Journal–AAFA Apparel and Footwear Summit Web site, or by contacting attendee registration at
[email protected] or 631-249-4960.