Good morning, gals! I’ll keep it short and sweet.

We’re just a little over one month out from the Women in Retail Leadership Summit, and I for one can’t wait! However, before we get our sunnies and flip-flops ready for Florida, we’re making a pit stop in Las Vegas and gearing up for The Girls’ Lounge at Shoptalk!

On Mon., March 19, Women in Retail Leadership Circle will be co-presenting some amazing content with The Female Quotient and Network of Executive Women in the Girls’ Lounge at Shoptalk. There will be amazing speakers discussing a variety of topics, including the state of the retail industry in 2018, the power women of retail, artificial intelligence and the female customer, and more! If you’re going to be in attendance at Shoptalk next week, we’d love for you to join us in The Girls’ Lounge. Take a look at the schedule below and register here to join us!

State of the Retail Industry 2018
The retail industry is ever evolving and changing. This panel conversation will feature female leaders in the retail space discussing the state of the retail industry today. Topics will include rapidly evolving technology and innovation and how they’re changing the industry; why focusing on customers and their preferences is more important than ever; why retail stores are here to stay; how Amazon.com figures to impact the future of retail; how to hire the best talent for a new and changing industry; and more.

The Power Women of Retail
Who are the women leaders in retail who are changing the game and rewriting the rules? In this candid panel discussion, female disruptors share how they’re changing the status quo by championing equality in their own companies, creating products and/or services that are impacting the lives of women, and more.

Why it’s Important for Women to Engage Male Allies
Given that men are still the majority of decision makers at organizations (95 percent of CEOs and 80 percent of senior leadership), what chances do women have to reach the C-suite when they’re excluded from the discussion? Not very good. Yes, we’ve been successful in raising awareness of the challenges holding women back, yet the success has been limited to consciousness raising, not consciousness shifting. We’ve been excluding a key demographic in this conversation — men. This panel conversation will discuss how women leaders are including men in their efforts to raise gender equality awareness at the office, and why it works.

EQ, AI and Female Consumers
The final discussion of the day will examine how retail leaders are leveraging tools such as artificial intelligence (AI) and emotional quotient (EQ) to better engage and foster relationships with female customers. Leading brands such as eBay and Tradesy along with best-of-breed service providers will offer their insights into this valuable topic.