This year’s theme summarises the biggest challenge facing all retailers: “Retail transformation today, tomorrow and beyond”.

The WRC has put together a line-up of leading retailers, newer start-ups and disruptors and external experts to provide inspiration. The program will launch several original research reports commissioned by the WRC and steered by leading retailers.

CEOs will be able to meet for private discussion sessions as well as benefit from meetings with the top keynote speakers and join a specially prepared leadership workshop led by Oxford University’s Business School.

Across the three days, delegates will also enjoy business streams and workshops that are more interactive and intimate to ensure maximum output.

As the close of the WRC there will be a gala dinner open to all delegates and their partners to enjoy a very special evening in one of Rome’s top locations. The dinner will also reveal the winners of the 2015 World Retail Awards.

The WRC 2015 will be held in Rome from September 8 to 10.

What does the future hold for your business?

Over three days the congress will dive deeper into specific topics in line with the overarching theme of transformation. These include:

The global agenda and retail: Leading economists, government figures, NGOs, associations and trade bodies will participate to provide a future looking perspective on political, social and environmental movements across the world and their potential impact on the industry.

Leadership and organisational structure: A number of key sessions will address how retailers are defining the “board of the future” and modernising their business culture. In addition, a specially commissioned MBA CEO leadership workshop led by Oxford University’s Säid Business School will provide insight and research to assist CEOs in managing internal transformation.

Sustainable Business Models: Transforming to create a sustainable growth strategy is the order of the day and the program includes a number of discussions and debates on this critical theme. With the focus on profitable, sustainable business development, sessions will assess influential factors including the supplier-retailer relationship and the battle against promotional “fever”.

International Expansion: Sessions designed and led by those who have years of experience in this area will provide insightful discussion on the “where”, “when” and “how” questions. In addition, regional market experts will be on hand to provide extensive knowledge on key countries in question.

Customer Centric Retailing: An important part of retail transformation includes a focus on getting a single, real time view of the customer to build a long-term loyal following. To support retailers in this goal, sessions will focus on providing predictions on consumer behaviour, as well as exploring how retailers can recapture customer loyalty, build trust and develop an effective communication strategy.

Vision 2020: Uniting leading retailers, technology powerhouses, futurologists, academics and industry experts, key sessions will focus on presenting a vision of retail in the future considering predictions for specific retail sectors as well as a picture of how digital, in store, communication and operational capabilities will develop to help retailers better serve their companies.

View sessions relevant to these topics at www.worldretailcongress.com/sessions.

Join the retail elite

The World Retail Awards are an opportunity for success and achievements to be recognised as the very best in the global retail industry.

Read more about World Retail Awards 2015 at www.worldretailawards.com.

Although these awards take place on a global stage, it is innovation, great ideas and proven success that are being rewarded, not the size or location of a business. For the past nine years the congress has received and rewarded retailers, global, national and local, great and small. This year will be no different, with seven wide ranging categories offering all retailers the unique opportunity to be recognised by their peers for the quality of their work and the impact of their ideas.

An exciting collaboration between Inside Retail and the WRC, the 2015 Inside Retail World Retail Congress delegation is exclusively a C-level executive delegation that will feature Australia’s retail industry leaders.

As one of the leading retail events on the global calendar, the WRC is attended by retail industry leaders from across the world.

The event is a dynamic, thought provoking, and forward looking platform where senior retail executives meet to share new initiatives, be inspired by the latest innovations, and debate the challenges and opportunities facing the future of the industry.

Delegates from Australia’s leading retailers and industry suppliers will be ushered through a powerful and strategic schedule filled with innovation and culinary dining experiences.

As well as attending the WRC 2015, the delegation will undertake a retail study tour while in Rome.

By challenging the fundamentals of retail, the WRC will focus on themes of super cities; recapturing customer loyalty; innovation; sustainability; new international growth markets; future store design; omni-channel strategy; luxury retailing; connected stores; changing consumer behaviour; and new disruptive competitors.

 The 2015 Inside Retail WRC delegation will fly direct to Rome on September 6 and return a week later.

To register interest, email Delegation@octomedia.com.au before July 9.

Delegate packages include: a return flights with Etihad from Sydney or Melbourne to Rome; a three-day delegation ticket; gala dinner and awards night ticket; retail study tour day; airport transfers; hotel transfers; five-star accommodation; private dinners; and bespoke Roman experiences.

More information can be found at www.insideretail.com.au/inside-retail-delegation-world-retail-conference/.