The Shop.org 2009 Strategy and Innovation Forum attracted a diverse crowd of retail executives who gathered together as a community to face the challenge of finding opportunity in the face of adversity. While many have responded to this economic crisis by re-trenching and isolation, our attendees took the bold step of meeting with their colleagues to find ways to grow and succeed even during this unprecedented recession. There was something for everyone as attendees were treated to two dinner receptions, inspiring morning keynote presentations, afternoon sessions which tackled numerous crucial topics to online retail, a lively expo hall, roundtable discussions, and our inaugural innovation contest winner demonstrations.

• Author and analytics evangelist Avinash Kaushik kicked off the Forum with a thought provoking presentation on how to create a data driven organization that is ripe for innovation.
• Zappos Chairman Alfred Lin followed with an in-depth look at how Zappos’ dedication to the customer has carried over to their corporate culture and has resulted in dedicated and enthusiastic employees.
• Gartner’s VP of Retail Hung Le Hong showed detailed examples of disruptive business models that have been successful for numerous retailers.
• Lauren Freedman, President of The e-Tailing Group put together a panel of senior retail executives that discussed their unique perspectives in how to spend wisely to ensure smart growth during a recession.
• Our five Innovation Contest winners presented to our audience what specific steps retailers can take to succeed during our recession.
• Bob Thacker, SVP of OfficeMax, presented one of the most inspiring keynote presentations in recent memory on how to make a big splash with marketing even on a small budget.
• Shop.org Board Member and Bazaarvoice CEO Brett Hurt led an open discussion with leading industry VCs about the recent economic downturn, what specific areas they see as opportunities, and what the industry will look like in the future.
• Attendees took the advice of Jeremy Liew, Managing Director, Lightspeed, who spoke on the VC Panel session. He encouraged attendees to actively collaborate with the numerous solution providers in the exhibit hall to identify innovative applications for improved marketing and customer experience, that, until recently, were only available to the largest retailers with deep development resources.
• The SI Forum concluded with three case study sessions that looked in-depth at what innovations retailers have put in place to set them apart from the competition and succeed during the recession.

"All of the presentations were inspiring and thought provoking. True to the theme for Strategy and Innovation."

"I liked the diversity of the speakers. It is nice to get some VC, vendors, and e-tailers on the same stage in one conference."

"I thought the content of this event was the best you've had in a few years. Every single presentation was relevant and newsworthy."

"As always - shop.org is the premier event within the online retailing industry. High quality information, knowledgeable and inspiring presentations and truly actionable take-aways for any online business. I always recommend this event to colleagues and will continue to do so."

"As I am tasked with building our 21st century web site, it was the perfect opportunity to network and cement thought patterns. I thank the group for their honesty and openness."

"The speakers were top notch and I felt like all of the presentations were highly relevant and very inspiring."

"Everyone there seemed incredible open and willing to share experiences."

"This was my first SI Forum and the folks who were there were definitely the right ones - passionate and committed. The wealth of opportunities ensured that I connected with every single person I hoped to."