--Meeting to Continue Push for Global Technology Standards--
To help IT leaders within the retail industry maximize their ROI with standards-based solutions, the Association for Retail Technology Standards (ARTS) announced today that it will be holding its first Global Retail Standards Summit in London. The summit, organized by ARTS and the National Retail Federation (NRF), has been developed with guidance from European IT leaders and will be held on October 1, 2003 at Le Meridien Russell Hotel in Russell Square, London.
Key topics to be discussed at the summit include:
- How a Standards-Based IT Infrastructure enables solutions implementations with maximum ROI
- Navigating the Standards Maze
- Creating a Standards-Based IT Environment
- Implementing ARTS Standards
- Business Case for Standards
- ePC and RFID
Speakers for the event include: Peter Burrows, CIO Reebok; Simon Langford, Manager, RFID Strategy, Wal-Mart; David Hogan, Senior Vice President and CIO, National Retail Federation and Richard Mader, Executive Director of ARTS.
"Implementing technology standards is critical to the growth and success of business in today's global environment," said ARTS Executive Director Richard Mader. "This summit is designed to help IT professionals understand how global standards tie into the latest trends in retail technology and bring a return on their investment."
The Association for Retail Technology Standards (ARTS), a division of the National Retail Federation, is a retailer-driven membership organization dedicated to creating an international, barrier-free technology environment for retailers. ARTS was established in 1993 to ensure that technology works to enhance a retailer's ability to develop store level business solutions and avoid situations that limit a retailers' ability to implement change while providing industry standards designed to provide greater value at lower costs.
The National Retail Federation (NRF) is the world's largest retail trade association with membership that comprises all retail formats and channels of distribution including department, specialty, discount, catalog, Internet, independent stores as well as the industry's key trading partners of retail goods and services. NRF members represent an industry that encompasses more than 1.4 million U.S. retail establishments, employs more than 20 million people -- about 1 in 5 American workers -- and registered 2002 sales of $3.6 trillion. NRF's international members operate stores in more than 50 nations. In its role as the retail industry's umbrella group, NRF also represents 32 national and 50 state associations in the U.S. as well as 36 international associations representing retailers abroad.
NRF is pleased to grant complimentary registration to editorial staff members of the press. To register for ARTS Retail Standards Summit, please contact Ellen Tolley at tolleye@nrf.com.
