Sourcing Journal Hosts Top Retail Executives Nov. 5 to Discuss State of Apparel Sourcing and Manufacturing

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With hundreds of tickets already sold, we can clearly see that this conference responds to a pressing need in the industry, which is candid conversation about the challenges facing global sourcing and manufacturing today.

New York, NY (PRWEB) October 17, 2013

Once an obscure afterthought of the apparel industry, sourcing has become the lynchpin of retail success. It’s not an exaggeration to say that sourcing and product development is the key driver behind a product’s price, quality and speed to market. And the recent tragic Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh has drawn public attention to social compliance, and has raised awareness about sourcing to foreign countries plagued with poor working conditions.

This year likely constitutes a historic inflection point for global manufacturing, the time when it reached the heights of public attention but also the height of public criticism. Sourcing has never been more important or more beleaguered: extolled as the principal feature of the apparel business but also demonized as the root cause of global poverty and squalor.

Whatever one’s view of sourcing, there can be no controversy that this is the best time ever for an industry wide summit devoted to its discussion. Sourcing Journal, the largest global trade journal that covers the sourcing supply chain for the apparel and textile industries, is hosting the industry’s biggest conference November 5.

The conference, “SOURCING 2013: REFLECTIONS & PROJECTIONS,” will bring together key industry leaders from across the professional spectrum: top executives from sourcing companies and retailers; officers from government departments and regulatory agencies; heads of NGO’s and representatives from major foreign trade associations will all be in attendance. The event is certain to become not only an essential hub for the sharing of vital sourcing information and insight, but also an exceptional networking opportunity.

Edward Hertzman, Founder and Publisher of the Sourcing Journal, said, “With hundreds of tickets already sold, we can clearly see that this conference responds to a pressing need in the industry, which is candid conversation about the challenges facing global sourcing and manufacturing today. We have attendees and speakers flying in from all over the world, a testament to how rare and important this kind of event is.”

SOURCING JOURNAL SUMMIT PROGRAM:

8:00-8:45am Breakfast/Registration
8:55-9:00am Opening Remarks, SJ Editor Ivan Kenneally
9:00-9:40am “The Current State of Retail”
9:45-10:35am “Sourcing Trends 2014”
10:40-10:55am “Political Dysfunction in the Supply Chain”
11:20-12:00pm “Lower Your LDP”
12:05-12:50pm “Alternatives to China”
12:55-1:00pm Closing Remarks, SJ Founder and Publisher Edward Hertzman

PANEL DESCRIPTIONS:

“Sourcing Trends 2014,” facilitates top executives from leading global sourcing firms to discuss the shifting landscape of sourcing, the changes in their clients’ needs, and how they are evolving their business to stay relevant during the shift to factory direct.

“The Current State of Retail,” top Investment analysts and consultants discuss the success of the off price market, why mall based retailers continue to struggle, what retailers are positioned to gain in 2014, and the outsized impact the hedge fund community and private equity investors are having on retail business models.

“Lower Your LDP,” examines the techniques that successful companies utilize to dramatically lower landed duty costs. These concepts and principles are used by knowledgeable importers to save their company money. This discussion will also project how such savings might be available under the TPP and T-TIP. Covered topics will include customs programs like first sale strategies and duty drawback specifically curtailed toward apparel and the soft goods industries.

“Alternatives to China,” responds to the fact that rising labor and raw material costs demand new savings strategies in order to keep sourcing from China viable. This panel will investigate new ways to minimize costs within China as well alternative sourcing destinations.

CONFIRMED SPEAKERS INCLUDE:

Robert Sinclair COO, LF Sourcing
Kevin M. Burke is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA)
Munir Mashooqullah, Principal and Founder, Synergies Worldwide
Rick Helfenbein, President of TellaS Ltd (Luen Thai USA) and Vice-Chairman of the American Apparel and Footwear Association
Thomas G. Travis, Managing Partner of Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg (STR)
Jerry Cook – Vice President, Government and Trade Relations, Hanes Brands, Inc.
Faye Landes, Managing Director, Cowen Group
Nicole Bevins Collinson, President, International Trade and Government Relations of Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg (STR)
David Bassuk, Managing Director, AlixPartners
Maytee Pereira, Director, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Allan Ellinger, Senior Managing Partner, MMG
Jeff Streader, Operating Partner, Retail, Marlin Equity Partners
Sylvia Reyes, Apparel and Textile Director USA, Proexport-Colombia
John Kernan, Vice President, Cowen Group
Mark Messura, Senior Vice President, Global Supply Chain Marketing, Cotton Incorporated

The event will be held at the prestigious University Club of New York located at 1 West 54th Street New York, NY 10019. The University Club is a storied institution that imposes some strict attendance requirements: men are asked to please wear a jacket and tie. Ladies, please dress in comparably formal attire. All cell phone use within the University Club is prohibited. Please remember that breakfast is served from 8-9am. At the conclusion of the breakfast hour, the seminar activities will start promptly. To attend the Summit as a guest or arrange for a press pass, please contact either Edward Hertzman (edward(at)sourcingjournalonline(dot)com) or Ivan Kenneally (ivan@sourcingjournalonline.com).

Owned and operated by Hertzman Media Group, Sourcing Journal has become an indispensable guide for top executives, designers, and entrepreneurs working in the textile and apparel industries. With more than 50,000 readers, Sourcing Journal knows that intelligent business decisions are based on strategic, time-sensitive information. With continuous updates on global market conditions, breaking news stories, top-tier investigative journalism and industry white papers, we make sense of an increasingly complex sourcing landscape.

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