There’s still time to register to attend this year’s University of Alberta School of Retailing Thought Leadership Conference, taking place on March 9 at West Edmonton Mall. Some attendees are staying at the Fantasyland Hotel, which is known for its themed rooms and is connected to the mall.

The Conference has just announced that its keynote speaker will be Carlo Venditti — Previously VP of Sales for CIBC, and now Managing Director for SnapPay Canada. INDOCHINO’s President and CEO Drew Green will be the recipient of this year’s Retail Innovation Award. Last year’s recipient was Toni Galli, Country Manager for H&M.

Other speakers will include Tiffany & Co., LUSH Cosmetics, Kinetic, Bounce Box, Smart Access, thisopenspace, Fairfield Commercial, and RAAS at West Edmonton Mall will discuss the latest industry trends. [Download List and Speaker Bios]

One of the themes will be innovation of retail space, which is a critical conversation to have at a time when more people are shopping online. Physical retail certainly isn’t dead — Canada’s top malls are doing better than ever, and retailers that are putting on their A-game continue to see success.

The University of Alberta School of Retailing has some of the country’s brightest students, who are also keen on making a career out of being involved in the broader retail industry. Conference attendees will have the opportunity to meet some students.

A day before the conference, on Thursday March 8, Retail Insider’s Editor-in-Chief Craig Patterson will be giving tours of the mall as well as some retail spaces — the event is also meant to be fun and educational, and there’s no charge for the March 8 activities which even include a private shopping event and VIP reception.

The School of Retailing would like to thank conference sponsors including SnapPay, RBC Royal Bank and West Edmonton Mall.

There are a few tickets left for this year’s Thought Leadership Conference, which is expected to be the best yet, and tickets are available for purchase [BUY TICKETS]

For more information on the conference, contact Emily Salsbury-Deveaux at: salsbury@ualberta.ca.