KNOWSHOW Lifestyle Trade Show Launches KNOWHOW Conference

By Mario Toneguzzi

The KNOWHOW Conference is a tactically focused learning event for brands and retailers aimed at developing the essential marketing skills needed to reach customers in today’s climate. The event will be a key component of KNOWSHOW - Canada’s premiere lifestyle trade show in Vancouver.

[Receive 10% off KNOWHOW registration here]

Perry Pugh, General Manager and one of the founders of KNOWSHOW, said the goal of KNOWHOW is to provide inspiring ideas and actionable strategies to help organizations find, engage, convert, and build solid relationships with key customers.

Perry Pugh

“We created a space for retailers and brands to connect and in the time that we’ve had the show so much about the retail world has changed. Technology and different formats of communication, along with the stresses and strains these small business owners face, from when they started their business, makes it a much different world today,” said Pugh. “At the pace, things are changing, we wanted to create a learning opportunity for these entrepreneurs to be able to sharpen their tools and stay on top of trends and best practices with a tactical focus . . . It’s about the x’s and o’s of how a small business person can take advantage of the technology.”

The conference takes place Monday, July 16, kicking off the summer KNOWSHOW which is an engaging B2B marketplace where leading lifestyle fashion brands unveil their seasonal products to Canadian retailers.

The bi-annual show, produced by Cube Business Media, takes place July 17-18 at the Vancouver Convention Centre, and it connects hundreds of unique retailers and the brands that they buy from in a concentrated showcase of upcoming trends, styles and products. The trade show began in 2006 and annually draws about 600 unique retailers throughout mainly Canada but some American retailers too.

The keynote speaker at the KNOWHOW Conference is Michelle Gault, Head of Product with Vancouver-based Herschel Supply, whose topic is Marketing, Today and In the Next 5 Years.

Michelle Gault. Photo: MISSBISH

Since its inception in 2010, Herschel Supply Co. has followed a meteoric rise to prominence in the streetwear scene and continues to grow today through rapid expansion into new categories. As Head of Product, Michelle Gault has had a hand in the design, development, and manufacturing of an ever-expanding line of goods. In her keynote presentation, she will discuss how as an industry leader, Herschel Supply Co., is bridging the gap between product and brand, and how it is building impactful marketing programs that will speak to consumers today, tomorrow and in the future, say the conference organizers.

Gault is responsible for the entirety of the product at Herschel.

“The biggest things I’m going to focus in on is giving them the tools to understand their goals,” said Gault of her upcoming presentation. “Everything that you do in your business should work towards this.

“I think the biggest thing that’s missing with a lot of these retailers nowadays is the goal. And once they can figure that out the rest is really easy . . . Right now, especially with smaller retailers . . . they’re doing what they’ve always done. Those days are gone.”

Conference workshops also include: Cracking The Instagram Algorithm; 7 Facebook Advertising Tactics Everyone Needs To Know; and Digital Marketing: Where To Start.

There is also a panel discussion on Marketing Success Through Customer Service.

For more information about KNOWHOW, visit www.knowshow.ca/knowhow

KNOWSHOW runs two seasonally-focused events each year with a winter show in January and a summer show in July.  Also, new this year at KNOWSHOW is the expanded the TableTop Market with a curated selection of local and international accessory brands. Organizers say the Market aims to create a more functional sales space for accessory and gift brands that are complementary to Lifestyle Fashion Retail. Categories at the Market include: Jewelry; Fashion Accessories; Craft Pantry Items; Home Goods; Men's Grooming Products; and Bath and Body Products.

For more information about KNOWSHOW, visit www.knowshow.ca

Conference organizers have offered a special discount for Retail Insider subscribers, receive 10% off your KNOWHOW registration with this link: https://knowhow2018.eventbrite.com?discount=retailer-insider.

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