Events

Coming off the success of last year, Online Retailer Conference & Expo returns this July with a can’t-miss slate of international and local speakers, exhibitors, and workshops. Australia’s most recognised e-commerce and retail expo will be held in-person at the ICC Sydney Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour, Sydney on July 19^th, and 20^th, 2023.

With a focus on the future of tech in retail, this year’s conference will feature the who’s who of the industry coming together across two days to talk about the sector’s hottest topics, including AI, sustainability and circularity, and the rise of marketplaces in retail.

The conference itself, which will be ticketed, will have 12 conference tracks catering to all business sizes, access to over 110+ speakers, and unlimited tech, trends, and networking events to explore.

The highly anticipated event will feature more international speakers than ever before, with keynote speeches from some of brightest global names in retail business, including Carney Nir, VP, Global eCommerce and Digital Experience from Orveon Global (bareMinerals and Laura Mercier), Jamie Crummie, Co-Founder, Too Good To Go, and Matheus Stancati, Co-Founder, Serendipity Furniture and Sunken Blimp.

Local speakers will include Lydia Bertini, Head of Customer and People at Miss Amara, Nick Blatt, Head of Ecommerce & Digital Customer Experience from Chemist Warehouse, and Pathum Wanigasekara, Head of Performance Marketing from Booktopia.

Each morning’s keynote speech will be free to attend along with the Expo.

Online Retailer Event Director, Matt Smith said, “We’re so excited to return this year and explore the fascinating topic of innovative, cutting-edge new technologies and the role they will play in the future of online retail. We have developed an exceptional roster of talent to speak to some of the most hot-button issues in the industry. No matter which stage of business each retailer is at, and the level of their own individual career, we are certain there is a panel discussion, workshop, or networking opportunity of tremendous value to them.”

Attendees will have the chance to hear from leading brands and strategic partners on how they are navigating this ever-changing industry – conference highlights will include:

• Customer retention post-pandemic: Hear from international keynote speaker, Carney Nir of Orveon Global — the company behind cult favourite beauty brand bareMinerals. Carney will discuss strategies on investing in your customers to become brand advocates and powerful word-of-mouth marketing tools. She will also discuss achieving customer retention through omni-channel excellence and why sometimes going back to customer basics produces the best results.
• The rise of marketplaces: We’re currently experiencing a marketplace revolution, where brands who have limited resources are being provided with an alternative model to show up in the online retail space. Guests will learn more about why marketplaces are dominating the online retail industry, with panel experts sharing how to create emotional and personalised customer experiences on these platforms.
• Driving resilience through technology and innovation: At the heart of this year’s conference, this topic explores the array of tech solutions, software, and tools available in today’s market, and how retailers can leverage the appropriate technologies to stay relevant, resilient, and responsive to an evolving landscape. Join in this panel discussion to gain insights on how consumer behaviour is predicted to change over the next year and how tech can help retailers adapt to these shifts.

Following the success of last year’s B2B stream, a new conference track will be available to B2B retailers looking to learn from industry experts on how to help grow their enterprise. Key areas of discussion in this stream will involve topics like digital transformation, thinking like a B2C to achieve B2B success, and B2B marketplaces.

Gathering the widest array of ecommerce technology and solution providers in Australasia, the coinciding free-to-attend expo will host 140+ exhibitors set to showcase the newest technologies and innovations, with the express purpose of giving online retailers a leading edge over the competition.

Held on the final evening of Online Retailer, the Australia Post Online Retail Industry Awards (ORIAS) rounds off the event with a bang.  The ORIAS has established itself as Australia’s leading retail awards program that celebrates the excellence of Australasia’s vibrant and innovative multichannel and online retailing visionaries.

Excitement is growing throughout the international beauty industry ahead of the second edition of Cosmoprof CBE ASEAN.

The B2B event, organised by BolognaFiere, Informa Markets, and China Beauty Expo (CBE), will be held from 14 to 16 September 2023. Designed to meet the needs of the fast-growing beauty market in South-East Asia, it is expected to gather top players and experts representing all sectors, from raw ingredients to branded finished products.

Building on the success of the first edition in 2022, when the show welcomed 8,216 visitors from 46 countries and regions and 500 exhibitors and brands, the 2023 exhibition promises to be bigger and bolder. The new location, the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre (QSNCC) in Bangkok, offers convenient access right in the middle of the city centre, and boasts a larger exhibition space of up to 17,000 sqm, ideal for highlighting the latest launches.

More than 1,000 exhibitors and brands are expected, showing a growth rate of almost 50%, while an expected number of 7 Country & Group Pavilions will showcase companies from core beauty destinations Korea and China, as well as many others.

This global industry overview, thanks to the show’s varied and international companies, will attract over 12,000 attendees, while buyers from the ASEAN region will represent, above all, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Singapore and also India. Thanks to the successful Cosmoprof-signature Buyer Program exhibitors and qualified buyers will be able to connect easily, while the Match&Meet platform will help them find the right peers
and schedule meetings while on the show floor.

in-cosmetics Asia will return to Bangkok from 7-9 November, bringing together the cosmetic industry to get under the skin of the most pertinent emerging trends in the sector, creating priceless opportunities to inspire, learn and do business.

The show floor will cover evolving beauty trends and significant product innovations such as multifunctional ingredients, halal beauty and the most recent haircare developments.

The mission of the in-cosmetics Group is to enable the global personal care ingredient community to interact, conduct business, network and learn, whether face-to-face or online.

in-cosmetics Asia is the leading personal care and cosmetic ingredient event in Asia Pacific, bringing together personal care ingredients suppliers (exhibitors) with finished product manufacturers (visitors).

The popularity and success of the event continues to grow year on year, and our recent show in November 2022 attracted 10,032 unique visitors and a total of 13,259 attendees.

From all across the Asia Pacific region, visitors look for new ingredients and innovations from international suppliers of ingredients, fragrances, lab equipment, testing and regulatory solutions, some of which will be exclusively exhibiting at in-cosmetics Asia.

Australia’s most celebrated interior designer and star of Channel 9’s The Block, Shaynna Blaze, will be at the Melbourne Gift & Lifestyle Fair on Saturday, 3rd February, 2024. In a highly anticipated appearance, Shaynna will share her expertise and insights into the latest trends and designs for the year ahead.

Joining Shaynna will be speaker, broadcaster and author, Jo Stanley, who will be presenting on wellness, mindfulness and work/life balance, all important topics for people in the retail business, particularly small business owners.

The Melbourne Gift & Lifestyle Fair, which takes place from February 3-5th at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC),  unites industry suppliers and retail buyers across broad categories including homewares, decoration, fashion and accessories and so much more.

The Melbourne Gift & Lifestyle Fair attracts hundreds of retail buyers who are looking for products that will make their year. The buyers come from retail businesses across independents, online and include homeware retailers, interior designers, contractors, hotel owners, restaurateurs, garden centre owners and much, much more! This is the retail industry’s chance to see, touch and experience new products in person and establish relationships with beneficial supply partners. This Gift & Lifestyle Fair is Melbourne’s all encompassing sourcing marketplace – facilitating connections between retailer buyers, exhibitors and marketers.

The timing of the Melbourne event will allow retailers to stock up after Christmas, as well as get a feel for upcoming Autumn/Winter ranges, with exhibitors showcasing their newest ranges and upcoming trends for the year.

Attendees of the Melbourne Gift & Lifestyle Fair can expect the opportunity to:

1. Gain Exclusive Insights: Shaynna Blaze will provide invaluable insights into the hottest trends and design inspirations for 2024. Her expertise will help retailers stay at the forefront of interior design. Attendees can ask questions, seek advice, and learn from her wealth of experience.
2. Hear from Jo Stanley about wellness, mindfulness and work/life balance so that you can go into 2024 with the right mindset and approach to health to ensure you and your business thrive.
3. Network with Industry Peers: The Melbourne Gift & Lifestyle Fair provides a unique platform for attendees to connect with fellow design professionals, retailers, and potential collaborators.
4. Discover Unique Products: Explore a wide range of innovative and unique products showcased by exhibitors at the fair.
5. Free Admission: This incredible opportunity comes at no cost! Attendees with a relevant business can simply register for their free ticket and with this access Shaynna Blaze and Jo Stanley’s sessions and the entire fair without any entry fee.

Mark your calendars and join us at the Melbourne Gift & Lifestyle Fair for an unforgettable weekend of inspiration and networking. This event promises to ignite your creativity and provide you with the tools you need to thrive in the world of interior design and retail.

Registration for the event is available online at https://giftfairevents.com.au/melbourne/.

The Pharmacy Guild of Australia is pleased to announce this year’s Pharmacy Assistant National Conference will be held from 5 – 7 September, 2024, at the Hyatt Regency, Sydney.

In 2023, the Pharmacy Assistant National Conference (PA2023) was held in conjunction with Pharmacy Connect, an annual Pharmacy Guild event for pharmacists and pharmacy owners,and this year will be the same.

The new look trade exhibition is open to both events, with the 50-plus stand trade exhibition providing pharmacy assistants with access to even more industry suppliers demonstrating the latest industry products and services.

The Conference also features the announcement of national winner of the highly regarded Pharmacy Guild of Australia/Maxigesic Pharmacy Assistant of the Year Award.

A new survey by The Culture Institute of Australia reveals that 75% of Australian workers have experienced toxic work cultures in the last five years. The study, involving 273 companies, highlights senior leadership as a key contributor, with 47% of respondents pointing to leadership failures. The findings call for urgent attention to cultural leadership, as the country’s premier workplace culture conference, CultureCon 2024, approaches.

Scheduled for October 22 at Sydney’s Royal Randwick Racecourse, CultureCon  will feature an impressive lineup of speakers, including Johann Hari, New York Times bestselling author of Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention, as the keynote speaker.

Other notable presenters include David Larocca, CEO of EY Oceania; Georgie Harmon, CEO of Beyond Blue; and Rob Woodhouse, CEO of Swimming Australia. Renowned journalist Tracey Spicer will serve as the event’s MC, bringing her expertise and insight to the day’s proceedings.

The conference aims to address toxic work environments, with a focus on AI’s impact, cultural leadership, and creating high-performing cultures. Notable statistics from the survey include:

• 98% of workers consider workplace culture important, with 81% rating it as extremely important.
• 79% of women report toxic work experiences, compared to 61% of men.
• 45% doubt their employers are ensuring psychological safety.

CultureCon will provide leaders with strategies to build positive, productive workplaces amidst evolving norms like the “right to disconnect.” Tickets start at $695.