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June 2013

Beverly Hills & Celebrity Ranch Polo Event, LA's Best 25th Year Anniversary and Silicon Beach Fest Highlights

By Joy A. Kennelly

If you're a fan of polo you would have really enjoyed the recent celebrity match between the Beverly Hills and Celebrity Ranch Polo Team. It was my first time ever watching and it's quite an exciting sport! Very fast moving, and attendees all dressed up to fit the Great Gatsby theme which made it even more special.

Even saw my former short film fest (SPIFF) advisor, Writer/Actor, Patrick Kilpatrick there and finally met Ed Lozzi in person after all these years of blindly pitching him for clients. You can view pictorial highlights on my new Joy's Travel Adventures Flickr Account if you click here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/joystraveladventures/sets/72157634199983071/

Now if you're into charities that help children, you would have enjoyed the LA's Best 25th Year Anniversary party which was a great mix of politics, entertainment, fashion and sports attendees.

Here's a sample of the glittering guest list in attendance I saw, and occasionally interviewed,on the red carpet: 

1002234_10151585502518600_367986470_nCarla Sanger, LA's Best President & CEO; MIchaela Pereira, Co-host of brand-new CNN morning show, “New Day;" Guest; Host of the evening, Chris Paul, six-time All-NBA point guard, MVP of 2013 NBA All-Star Game;  and Marvin J. Suomi, LA's Best Board Chair and President & CEO, KUD International, LLC.

941421_10151585501648600_840146986_nJane Fonda, actress/activist and guest. We should all hope to look as beautiful as she does at her age. I may not agree with her politics, but I love her as an actress.:)

1002797_10151585502013600_280797848_nFormer LA Mayor James Hahn and his wife came out too. He told KTLA LA's Best has been helping kids for 25 years and over 350,000 children have gone through this unique after-school enrichment program originally launched by Mayor Tom Bradley (whom I still remember fondly as one of the great LA Mayors if childhood memory holds true.)

1013004_10151585479523600_1630865960_n 945016_10151585479378600_1623062492_nLubov & Max Azria, Honorees, Max (Founder, BCBG brand) & Lubov (Creative Director of BCBGMAXAZRIA) She is the most gracious, elegant, humble, unassuming woman you could ever hope to meet. 

Made my whole night to learn she had read my blog and enjoyed my coverage. It was great to see her and her family too. 

She and her husband were honored for creativity and if you're familiar with their designs and clothing line, you can see why. When I interviewed her that night, she said they were new to the LA's Best family and it was an amazing honor to be included. 

She wasn't the only one to feel that way. Dr. Bill Dorfman AKA Dr. Bill (“The Doctors,” “Extreme Makeover”) told me the same thing. He has been helping children for a long time and brought his family along to celebrate too.

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1010035_10151585477488600_2003451651_nClean Comedian/Style Host, Jonathon Slocumb, arrived looking dapper. Always appreciate comedy that's clean because the world is dirty enough as it is.

1271_10151585477433600_2142557174_nGroupLove, a local sensation who recently appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, were the musical performers of the night.

1044878_10151585504258600_50157235_nMTV's Push Girls delighted all of us. According to Wikipedia, "Push Girls chronicles the lives of four women - Angela Rockwood, Tiphany Adams, Mia Schaikewitz and Auti Angel - who have been paralyzed by illness or accident and displays the day-to-day challenges and triumphs they encounter."

Very inspirational women.  

941421_10151585477313600_1217050325_nSpeaking of inspiring, this esteemed trio has been inspiring children as part of the various LA Best boards. L-R Best Friends Advisory Board Chair: Amber Holley Melius; Advisory Board Chair, Alice Desobry Bowens and Board of Governor's Chair: Marvin J. Suomi.

Very impressive people and boards.

And from the website: "Since the beginning, the core activities at LA’s BEST have been divided into three and a half beats: help with homework, a learning activity that boosts core academic skills such as reading or math, something that’s new and just plain fun, and a nutritious snack. These components provide structure for a program that is otherwise highly customized based on students’ needs and the site staff’s interests and experience." 

I don't know about you, but I was very inspired by the positive work this organization is doing to help children. Makes me want to volunteer in some capacity. I did enjoy a nice chat with our newly elect City Controller, Ron Galperin, who informed me he was looking forward to making a lot of audits and finding opportunities for better use of our cities resources, including more support for the Film & Television industries.

Sounds great to me! It was a very fun experience and although I didn't stay for the entire event, I saw enough to know this is a quality organization with great support throughout many aspects of our Los Angeles community.

Another event which has continued to grow in prestige and attendance is the Silicon Beach Fest which recently happened in Santa Monica. I plan to cover it more extensively for TechZulu, but wanted to give you a few fun pictorial highlights to pique your interestof my written review later. Recognize these people? I'll tell you who they are when I do my formal write-up.

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Sexy Breathe Bikinis, Memoirs by @JoWoodOfficial @TheRebaMerrill @CarolineManzo Carol Burnett & Father's Day BBQ @FireflyBistro

By Joy A. Kennelly

I'm still working on a blog about the recent Grand Opening of Rock & Brews PCH featuring Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, but in the meantime, wanted to share some fun stuff I've been collecting which I thought you might enjoy as well.

First off, if you have a bikini ready body like Volleyball players, Michelle Lafigliola and the entire MCHS champion volleyball team, then check out the new styles from Breathe Bikinis  showcased here.

Recognize Olympic Volleyball player, Eric Fonoimoana? He's the only guy in case you don't know.:)

178 188 182Now if you're looking for some good summer reads while you hit the beach, here's a few famous female memoirs I recently finished which I recommend:

9780062280619_p0_v2_s260x420If you've always wondered what it would be like to be married to a famous rocker from the Rolling Stones, then wonder no longer. Her book will tell you all about it.

Lots of drugs, food, and music. Oh, and sex. Don't forget the sex. Oh, and even more drugs. Have to admit, that got a little tedious, but there is a happy ending to that section so keep reading.

All that said, I enjoyed hearing how Jo Wood pulled herself together after her husband's affair with a teenager (is 19 still a teenager? It's been so long I forget.) and created a whole new life for herself.

I also enjoyed learning about her organic business and how that came to be. She's definitely had an interesting life and this sneak peek behind-the-scenes is factual, funny, poignant and entertaining. Now I know why I am drawn to musicians so often.:)

ImagesOn the flip side, Reba Merrill's book about creating an amazing career launched as an Arizona housewife and building a whole new genre of publicity - video interviews, was extremely interesting, especially as I launch my own video show. She spoke at a recent women's event I attended and was so inspiring I bought her book.

And I never buy books at book signings. Ever.

Seriously. 

Her down-to-earth style of sharing about her amazing life interviewing celebrities over the past 20 years was such an easy read I finished it in two days. She dealt with sexism back in the 70's which I wished more young girls would read about to know how far we've come baby. She also dealt with sexual harrassment - promised her show would air if she performed sexual favors three days a week on some studio pig. She also has faced ageism and shared how that influenced her style and offerings. Very interesting book and if you're in the industry especially, you will enjoy her life story. 

Realbookcrop_t607One of my favorite Real Housewives of New Jersey has also penned a memoir, the fiery redhead, Caroline Manzo, and if you're a fan of the show you will really enjoy this book. Just know the font size is extremely small for some reason making it hard to read at night if you're tired. However, it's very enjoyable and she doles out wisdom, advice, behind-the-scenes anecdotes, Italian recipes, and other information on the show which isn't gossipy, just sharing it like it is.:)

710edUldArLIf you're a fan of Carol Burnett, or in the mood for a heartwarming story about the love of a child and their mother, then you must pick up Carol Burnettt's book (seen above) about her relationship with her wild child daughter, Carrie.

Reminded me of a friend of mine's child there was so much creativity and life in her story. It's broken into two parts and tells of Carrie's career aspirations and accomplishments, Carol's life as her mother and famous person, and is poignant, lovely and very easy to read. 

However, it does break your heart, but then in Part Two, it lifts you back up by turning into the fictional story Carrie had been writing with Carol before she died.

I really, really, really enjoyed this story on many levels.

First, as a huge fan of the humor and career of Carol Burnett, then as a fan of her relationship with her daughter and lastly, as a fan of good writing. Very thoughtful, lovely story.

Paul_rightNow it can't be all about women, now can it?

In light of the fast approaching Father's Day, here's some fun suggestions on where to take Dad and what to possibly buy him, if he's a sporting kinda Dad, old sport. (Sorry, couldn't resist. The Great Gatsby has GROUND that word into my brain permanently. It's a fantastic film however.:)

Now if you haven’t made your plans for Father’s Day, then consider joining Firefly Bistro for some down-home southern music, fantastic beer and delicious BBQ at the 10th Annual Father’s Day Blues Barbeque at Firefly Bistro!

Here's Chef Paul Rosenbluh, executive chef and founder of Firefly Bistro, who was named Best Chef of America (in the ultimate guide of Chefs.) Now, if that's not an endorsement of driving out to Pasadena for some good 'ole Southern cooking with dear old Dad, I don't know what is!

Let Chef Paul take care of all your Father’s Day needs with Firefly’s homey ambience, southern charm and hearty cuisine perfect for the special BBQ menu.

Can you spell delicious? I knew you could.:)

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Now to make sure Dad is looking fine, here's Cash Warren (Jessica Alba's house husband) sporting the Lacoste Corbon suede boat shoe – perfect for all family outings and a great gift for under $100 for dad in time for this Sunday!

Image001 Pick up a pair today at http://www.zappos.com/lacoste-corbon-4

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And lastly, don't forget to watch Dexter's summer premiere on June 30th. We won't forget after enjoying this special ice cream treat delivered to the office!:)

2013-06-12 15.51.07 2013-06-12 15.52.37Kinda creepy, eh?:) And that's all for now. Enjoy!


Fashion Digital Los Angeles Conference Wrap-up Part 2 #Fashion #Ecommerce

By Joy A. Kennelly

300636_10151534099023600_1044892366_nFashion Digital LA recently wrapped up at the Director's Guild of America and what a powerful conference it was. I met upper-level executives from Nordstrom, ShoeDazzle, Jurlique, numerous smaller fashion brands like Apliq and Ellie, and major tech companies like Google, Amazon and more.

9 piece

This is my kinda conference - where tech intersects fashion and people have been in the business a little longer than their 20's, but they're there to liven things up too like the founder of Apliiq.

Founded in 2008, Apliiq is a customizable clothing company that collects rare, deadstock and recognizable textiles and applies them to everyday garments. (From his press release.) Aren't these cute? 

The reason I enjoy fashion is I have an AA in Fashion Merchandising, represented a few stylists, worked in retail for five years and have covered LA Fashion Week and other major fashion events across the country for over 7 years. My wardrobe may not always reflect the latest fashions, but if money was no object I would be a fashionista!:)

I love hearing amazing fashion icons discuss their passions, business practices and experiences in this realm. Especially as I continue to build my online women's community for female travelers. I always find you learn something from everyone regardless of whether or not it's in your exact industry. This one just happened to fit in perfectly with what I'm working on.


Smart people's practices translate across every industry.

And smart people were there at the DGA in full force. First up, was Lubov Azria, Chief Creative Officer, BCBGMAXAZRIA GROUP, who was interviewed by Annie Georgia Greenberg of Refinery 29, both true fashionistas.

960204_10151534085238600_1823987552_nLubov was warm, gracious, humble and nothing like I expected from one of the world's most recognizable tastemakers. And Annie was a very good moderator, not injecting herself into every question. What a breath of fresh air! 485508_10151534088678600_483653901_n

Sometimes younger fashion people can be so snobby and none of the speakers, attendees, and vendors at Digital Fashion LA were anything like that which was really refreshing. It was an extremely professional conference on many, many levels. I was very impressed. Green Pearl knows what they are doing.

Back to the conversation. 

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Lubov explained rather than selling a brand, she feels they are selling a lifestyle. I heard that a lot from many of the speakers and it made sense. She also explained the simple truth, "No one needs more clothes." That's why her company focused on consumer's wants vs. needs and catered to those who really believe in the brand, in particular, her elite customers - those who spend money. She stated that 20 elite customers can bring in 1 million in sales. Whoa!

Her motto is based on Henry Ford's quote, "If I asked people what they wanted, I would have heard faster horses, but I made cars." She wants to inspire people to live inspirationally. She also said they are driven by providing a mix of high and low design, not merchant driven. 

Now this is the part I found fascinating and other e-tailers will too potentially. When asked her e-commerce strategy, Lubov said they believe in engagement specializing in how the customer goes on their site. They listen to customer feedback, consider communication very important and make it easy for the consumer. They also believe in Geo targeting, use Facebook, emails, and blogger partnerships - they create events because both experiences online and in-store are very important.

See? Us bloggers are important!:) 

Lubov supports a charity helping disadvantaged children and was touched to hear a young child had enjoyed her site because it's "the store that's open and never closes. It's fun and you can shop whenever you want." Thus, providing a small escape from the harsh realities of this child's life.

When asked by the moderator for an example of another company doing it right, Lubov offered Net-A-Port as an example of catering to consumers as a brand that does it best. She loved the whole experience of buying from them - the smell, the art and the packaging. Packaging is key! Made me want to buy something just to see what she was talking about!:)

Back to online though, she did share they are limiting their partnerships to keep consistency with their brand. Too many people don't properly use logos, colors or style which affects the brand overall. It's very important to stick to your brand dna - be very clear to your customer who you are. People buy because of what you do. The company's main focus now is on personalizing the experience across all platforms and methods of outreach. She wasn't the only speaker to mention that either.

Many were limiting affiliate marketing except for Pinterest to keep their content consistent with their brand. Currently, BCBG is redesigning the site, including more video (great to hear since that's something I'm including in mine!) with bigger windows, more zoom ability - making it so the customer doesn't have to think and making it easier, more effortless through digital.

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She kinda pooh poohed many of the 360 camera shots of images claiming video was much more interesting and engaged more consumers. 

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However, for many companies I'm sure it's a viable alternative. Plus, as a consumer, I like those visuals. What I hate are tiny thumbnails that make it hard to see the image. Otherwise, I'm cool with seeing it rotate and find it fun to spin the product.:)

263220_10151534089483600_1953739257_nLubov wasn't the only person to say video was key throughout the day either.  960170_10151534086948600_1125271761_nBoth Mary Cooney, AVP - eCommerce, Kérastase & Shu Uemura Art of Hair (seen above) and Sukhinder Singh Cassidy, Founder & CEO, Joyus.com said basically the same thing. (Loved her site name.:)

Here's a fun example from Joyus:    Sukhinder said with video there is more of an implicit trust because people don't feel like they're being sold to. It's just part of an authentic story about the brand. She said it's rare that the founders are involved in the actual video because she preferred to use Network Chefs, stylists, makeup artists and others who are known and unknown to tell the story.

One interesting tool they also employ is adding the shopping cart right in the video making it very easy for the consumer to purchase if they like what they're watching. "We want our customer to be serendipitous," said Sukhinder. "Video is very impactful."

Her company uses curation with a trusted personality aligning with the woman they are selling to which creates a user experience akin to discovery. There's a direct connection to the consumer similar to many of the popular direct selling companies like J. Hilburn which was mentioned in another session. 

David Towers, Vice President – Ecommerce, Wet Seal's advice regarding how video is presented was to keep it short, focus on one item, 2-3 min max, and don't give too many choices. A sample merchandising formula is to create a look, but don't talk about everything. Keep the focus on one product.

Good advice, don't you agree?

That said, make sure it's viable from multiple viewpoints - ie Kindle, cell, mobile and PC. David feels mobile is taking over with his demographic - teenagers. That's why he felt it was very important to have a responsive design. 

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Eric Koger, Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder, along with his wife/partner, Susan Gregg Koger, Chief Creative Officer & Co-Founder, ModCloth, agreed during their session too. With over 1 million sales in 2012 alone, I think I'll listen to what they have to say. 

They employ many cute marketing programs that have been extremely successful in engaging their community. They keep their product line live on the web forever and as a result, any time someone is shopping if they see something they like, Modcloth will accomodate their request if enough people click their "I need it" button. This allows Modcloth to bring back outdated and sold-out items according to customer demand.

It also provides Modcloth with an accurate assessment of customer trends. Another cute idea was having a "love list" which entails clicking a heart similar to a "like" button on Facebook. There was a much higher engagement on mobile with this. When someone clicks the heart button, cute phrases pop up like, "XOXO" or "We were made for each other." The person who came up with all of those had a lot of fun creating these phrases! 

Interesting facts presented throughout the day on conversion rates were as follows:

  • A good e-commerce site will have a 20% conversion rate.
  • A bricks-n-mortar store will have a 20-30% conversion rate.

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  • Modcloth receives 40% of their traffic from mobile and that has doubled since January. Weekends are growing for interaction and Wed too with Thanksgiving their highest sales. They surmised all their users were probably sneaking in shopping while visiting relatives.:) 
  • Modcloth has experienced a 40% increase in revenue every year. They have found installing an app makes a user shop more.
  • They aren't the only company to benefit from mobile. 21% of all users buy 44% of the volume sales. 25%+ are Paypal active and 10% of all payments are made on mobile. Overall transactions are 38%. Now this is the fact that really blew me away. Did you know that Ebay has 112 million active users whereas PayPal has 123 million? That's amazing to me. 

On Gorjana Griffin, 88% have PayPal accounts and customers spent 2.5 million on Ebay during a 12 month period. Wallets were the top sellers with Louis Vuitton and Chanel in the 25 - 50 dollar range were the highest purchases. This fact was courtesy Roy Rubin, Co-Founder, Co-General Manager & COO, Magento if memory and my notes hold true.

3. If someone buys online and picks it up in person, there is a 300% conversion rate.

Interesting fact, isn't it? The experience in the "physical" world is still very important.

Now one program that kept coming up throughout the day as a way to track this online activity was InSparq. It tracks customers as they interact socially. Helps a marketer learn who is driving traffic to your site and then provides a way for you to use that info to segment your audience.

Kinda creepy to the lay person, but as a marketer, you really do want to know what is making your readers, viewers, shoppers "click." How do you like that play on words?:) Many, many of the top online retailers were using it and the Insparq moderator was very sharp. If I were an ecommerce site, I would recommend checking it out. The other popular one was Looker which provides data flexibility, reporting, and decisions in real time.

Another popular program was called MyThings which Expedia and AirBnB employ. It creates ads to drive traffic back to your site which explains why everywhere I looked after I wrote about Tailored Republic, I saw only their ads everywhere. I had always wondered why that was true and my lunch mate explained this was actually part of a software program he sold.

Hadar Paz, North America CEO, inside.tm, gave a very interesting presentation of how his program worked which essentially re-creates the real world shopping experience with a virtual one inside his online store floor plan.

Imagine you're an online shopper searching around a website looking for an item, how would you like someone to pop up and say, "Hi, how's your weather today?" Here's an example of a sample conversation and experience shown visually.

935610_10151534095563600_586689658_n  296177_10151534096993600_1437438696_n

  923214_10151534096108600_1492448846_n 432012_10151534095218600_1424906603_n 430109_10151534096078600_802491693_n I'm giving you highlights because I think these are the key take-aways, at least for me. The whole day was really interesting and I learned a lot.

Here's some random shots to showcase the day's events...  984316_10151534088833600_1247464644_n 582042_10151534099003600_1620491853_n 426627_10151534088708600_1126959807_n 382634_10151534087748600_183547634_n 179728_10151534088768600_1041206112_n 263337_10151534089858600_391052890_n 294191_10151534098473600_57331236_n 425337_10151534089738600_1938554197_n

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Annual ‘CELEBRITY CUP’ Polo Match for Charity Sat, June 8 1pm Bev Hills Polo Team v. Celebrity Ranch Polo Team More details here:

I love horses and this event sounds amazing. Here's all the details courtesy of the publicist.

Hope to see you there! Sounds delightful!:)

Announcing one of Southern California Polo’s most endearing events

The Annual ‘CELEBRITY CUP’ Polo Match for Charity

In the Style of The GREAT GATSBY


Image003 Beverly Hills Polo Team v.

Image002Celebrity Ranch Polo Team

Saturday, June 8th –

Arrivals: 12 Noon  Champagne Lunch: 12:30pm 

Match begins at 1:30 PM

Will Roger’s Polo Grounds Pacific Palisades

On behalf of the Celebrity Foundation for Children

The Polo season in Southern California jumps forward with a spectacular match between the Beverly Hills Polo Club and the Celebrity Ranch Polo Club for a Charity event in tribute to The Great Gatsby motion picture on behalf of the Celebrity Foundation for Children on Saturday June 8th  at the Will Rogers State Park Polo Fields at 1:30PM.

Polo and celebrity fans will experience a spectacular day at one of Hollywood’s most nostalgic past times, competitive Polo.  Image001

“ This famous polo field boasts celebrity actor polo players for over 75 years such as Spencer Tracy, Clark Gable, Darryl Zanuck, David Niven, Hal Roach, Walt Disney, Will Rogers and the Maharajah of India.”, said Michael Farah, the organizer and El Patron of the Celebrity Ranch Polo Club.

More contemporary stars also play here including Tommy Lee Jones, Sylvester Stallone, Stephanie Powers, William Devane, Conan O’Brian, Arnold Schwarzenegger,  Argentina’s Nacho Figueras polo champion and spokesperson for Ralph Lauren, and John Walsh.

Some of them will be dropping by to watch the home team. Joining in to play will be some of Southern California’s most famous polo players including Scott Walker, Joe Anthony, Denny Geiler of Pacific Polo Circuit Government, Dr. Rick Paicius, El Patron of the Nacho Figueras Southern California Team. Members of the United States Military Armed Forces Polo players and many others will attend including two Argentine pro players who will each be competing against echo the Topo Mendez for Beverly Hills Polo and Alejandro Nordheimer for Celebrity Ranch Polo.  

Celebrity horsewomen and other supporters expected will include Shirley Jones, Ed Lauter, Frank Stallone, Lou Ferrigno, Robert Davi, Bo DerekRenee Taylor, Joe Bologna, Martin Landau, Rebecca Holden, and many others being added on now. Also expected is polo player Stefanie PowersMaria Conchita AlonsoTyrone Power Jr., Martin Landau, Chuck McCann, Ken Davitian, George Hamilton, Jacob Diamond(Fast & Furious6)Ron Masak, Charles Fleischer, Deborah Shelton (new DallasBai Ling, cast members from ‘The Great Gatsby’and many others.

The Will Rogers State Park Polo Fields

1501 Will Rogers State Park Road

Pacific Palisades, CA 90272

DRESS THEME: Great Gatsby-  1920’s- Voluntary. Weather will be warm and sunny.

1930’s Classic Auto cars will drive onto the field between Chukkers and halftime.

Special recognitions for Best Hats.

About Celebrity Foundation for Charity: www.celebrityfoundation.com  5000 Children have attended the Celebrity Ranch in Temecula.

TICKET INFO for Publication:  Tickets: (General Admission $100.   VIP Seating  up to $1,000.) Call 949-719-2625 or www.celebrityranchpoloclub.com/events.php

The Public is invited to attend. 


Fashion Digital Los Angeles Wrap-up Part I - Amazing #Fashion #Ecommerce Conference I recently attended.

By Joy A. Kennelly

Finally in the mindframe to write my wrap-up of the amazing Fashion Digital Los Angeles conference I recently had the pleasure of covering. To give you an insight into the caliber of the show, I'm copying their wrap-up first and then will begin my more personalized version after.

Here's Part I lifted from their website directly:

Fashion Digital Los Angeles

Fashion Digital Los Angeles was a great success! Over 450 attendees from over 210 firms participated in May 16th’s event. See who!

Attendees heard from several of the most influential leaders of fashion e-commerce throughout the day of networking and informational panels and workshops.

See our recap from the event and check out more pictures from Flickr. (Side note, isn't Flickr's new design stunning? Or else it's Fashion Digital's brilliance.:)

FDLA-Attendee-Breakdown

Keynote Speakers:

Lubov AzriaLubov Azria, Chief Creative Officer,BCBGMAXAZRIAGROUP

As Chief Creative Officer of BCBGMAXAZRIAGROUP, Lubov Azria embodies both the aesthetic and spirit of the successful, global fashion house. Taking inspiration from art, music, film and travel, Lubov designs for today’s woman with a point of view that is informed by her own life and style. Lubov joined BCBGMAXAZRIAGROUP as a Designer in 1991 and was named Creative Director in 1996, the same year the company’s core brand, BCBGMAXAZRIA, first debuted its Runway collection during New York Fashion Week. Under Lubov’s influence, the BCBGMAXAZRIA brand has evolved from an emerging contemporary line to one of America’s leading design houses.

 

Eric KogerEric Koger, Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder,ModCloth

Eric co-founded ModCloth, an innovative online retailer of vintage inspired fashion and décor, known for collaborating with its global community of female customers on the development of inspiring merchandise. Eric hopes to eventually change the way fashion and décor are developed, discovered, and delivered around the globe. He has been recognized by both Inc., BusinessWeek, and Forbes as a top entrepreneur under 30.

 

Susan Gregg KogerSusan Gregg Koger, Chief Creative Officer & Co-Founder, ModCloth

Susan started ModCloth when she was just 17. ModCloth was operated out of dorm rooms and basements for four years, and after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University in 2006, Susan and husband/co-founder Eric Koger made the decision to expand and sell vintage-inspired clothing from talented indie designers all over the world. Today ModCloth has grown into a thriving business of over 270 employees, and the company has gained attention for its dedication to customer engagement on the site, as well as for being a vanguard in the social media sphere. Susan was recognized by Inc. Magazine as the “#2 Top Entrepreneur under 30 ” and named to BusinessWeek’s 2010 list of the “Best Young Tech Entrepreneurs.” She was also named to Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs List in 2010, Forbes’ “30 Under 30 in Technology” List, and she was named a White House Champion of Change in 2011.

Conference Speakers:

  • Ivka Adam, Director of Mobile, Modnique
  • Jacob Ajwani, Strategic Director, Monetate
  • Lubov Azria, Chief Creative Officer, BCBGMAXAZRIAGROUP
  • Tom Balamaci, General Manager, Zoe Media Group
  • Dave Beveridge, VP – Marketing, ShoeDazzle
  • Christina Binkley, Style Columnist, The Wall Street Journal
  • Don Bush, VP – Marketing, Kount Inc.
  • Dave Cook, Vice President, TheFind
  • Mary Cooney, AVP – eCommerce, Kérastase & Shu Uemura Art of Hair
  • Len Eschweiler, Head of North American Sales & Services, Amazon Webstore
  • Wilson Fong, VP – Business Development, Threadless.com
  • Eduardo Frias, CIO, Stella & Dot
  • Kobie Fuller, Chief Marketing Officer, REVOLVEclothing.com
  • Chris Gale, VP – Field Operations, Ensighten
  • Annie Georgia Greenberg, New York Editor, Refinery29
  • Ryan GibsonVice President – Marketing, RKG
  • Alisa Gould-Simon, VP – Partnerships & Creative, Pose
  • Jennifer Grasso, Director of Product, ModCloth
  • Kurt Heinemann, Chief Marketing Officer, Monetate
  • Rita Kahn, CEO, Fashion TV, President, ZeeReport
  • Eric Koger, Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder, ModCloth
  • Susan Gregg Koger, Chief Creative Officer & Co-Founder, ModCloth
  • Michelle Lam, Chief Executive Officer, True&Co
  • Jeff Lunsford, Chief Executive Officer, Tealium
  • Heather Nigro, Retail Practice Lead, Corra
  • Jim Okamura, Managing Partner, Okamura Consulting
  • Hadar Paz, North America CEO, inside.tm
  • Hilary Peterson, Head of Business Development, Lyst
  • Jon Provisor, CIO, Guidance
  • Elizabeth Ragone, Director – Digital Merchandising, HSNi
  • Michael Relich, Executive Vice President & CIO, Guess?, Inc
  • RJ Rowntree, eCommerce Manager, Rackspace
  • Roy Rubin, Co-Founder, Co-General Manager & COO, Magento
  • Danielle Savin, Director – Retail Strategy Consulting, Lyons Consulting Group
  • Sukhinder Singh Cassidy, Founder & CEO, Joyus.com
  • John Squire, President, eCommera
  • David Sobie, VP – Marketing & Business Development, HauteLook
  • Andy Solomon, Chief Operating Officer, Sole Society
  • Veronika Sonsev, CEO & Founder, inSparq
  • Jeremy Swift, Vice President – Strategic Accounts, BlueHornet
  • David Towers, Vice President – Ecommerce, Wet Seal
  • Philippe von Borries, CEO & Co-Founder, Refinery29
  • Sarah Wallis, Chief Operating Officer, Indochino
  • Craig Wax, Chief Executive Officer, Invodo
  • David Weissman, President & Co-Founder, Little Black Bag

Okay, was this cool, or what?:)

Now, here's a list of what was discussed based on what I heard (there were others, but you can find them on the website here: http://lafashiondigital.com/ 

Conference Agenda Joy Attended Included:

Content + Commerce = More Sales.
Fresh, interesting content engages customers, creates site “stickiness” and creates a talking point. However, great content is neither easy nor inexpensive. Despite these challenges, some retailers have  learned how to make compelling content work for them. Meet a panel of retailers who have cracked the content code.

Beating Amazon with Inspiration-Based Commerce? Yes, It’s Possible! 
Amazon has proven to be the king of “fulfillment-based” e-commerce. If you know what you want, Amazon makes it very hard not to buy from them. There is a weakness in this approach that competitors can exploit – the key is inspiration. Hear from industry experts on how they have been able to inspire customers to buy products that they didn’t yet know they needed when they first visited your site, or only came to buy a single product.

Growing your Business in a Rapidly-Changing Customer Acquisition Landscape

The ground is shifting under the feet of online marketers. Google is changing its algorithms and campaign rules, group buying is affecting affiliates and retargeting is now part of most retailers’ business development strategy. New technologies and startups are bringing a host of services to give retailers more bang for their marketing buck. This panel discussion will feature innovative companies that are taking a fresh approach to improving customer acquisition efforts.

E-Commerce Ballet: The Need for Agility

In e-commerce, a “build it and they will come” approach is not sustainable. Customers are more demanding competition is fierce. Retailers must be agile to keep pace while building differentiated customer experiences. Hear how leading retailers have made their e-commerce business agile and allowed them to stay a step ahead of customers and competitors.

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