IRI’s highly anticipated annual State of the Industry event is the region’s largest gathering of industry professionals in the FMCG sector. It will take place on 9 November in the form of a virtual event to maximise the ability for representatives across Australia and New Zealand to attend.
Considered one of the most important events of the year for the sector, the IRI State of the Industry will explore the aftermath of the global pandemic, the challenges and opportunities facing both retailers and manufacturers and how to drive growth in an inflationary environment impacted by volatility, climate change and increased demand for personalisation and convenience.
Paul Hinds, Managing Director for APAC at IRI, the world’s most innovative company for data, analytics and technology to FMCG Retail, says: “This year’s State of the Industry event will be one of the largest events IRI has ever held in the region, signifying the importance of the initiative for everyone involved in the FMCG sector. Some 3000 people are expected to take part. The number of people across industry seeking help and guidance is at an all-time high.
“Australia and New Zealand have shown extraordinary resilience in the face of one of the most significant catastrophic world events in modern history. While we are now coming out the other side of the pandemic, we are walking straight into another unique set of challenging circumstances that require equally careful navigation. Inflation, weather events, continuing supply chain issues and labour shortages are impacting our day-to-day life as well as our ability to plan and invest with confidence into the future,” Mr Hinds said.
“Despite this, we know the future holds immense scope for innovation and growth for the FMCG sector provided we understand how to translate the macro and micro challenges and consumer sentiment and changing behaviours into opportunities.”
“The IRI State of the Industry event will not only clarify the priorities and key areas of focus for our industry, it will also provide important information, insights, guidance and strategies for the sector to drive growth. We will drill down on specifics for each country to ensure optimum relevance for both markets,” he said.
IRI will host the virtual event for all retailers and manufacturers in the FMCG sector. It will be led by experts in the Australian and New Zealand markets, including: Paul Hinds; Craig Irwin, IRI Managing Director, New Zealand; Debbie Simpson-Pudney, Head of Retail and S&I, IRI, New Zealand; Daniel Bone, Insights Director, IRI; Nick Tuffley, Chief Economist, ASB Bank; and, Professor Rachel Kennedy, Associate Director (Product Development), Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science.
Topics covered will include:
- Macro trends impacting the FMCG sector
- Retail resilience despite patchy performance, real income declines and higher interest rates
- Inflationary indecision and resultant market uncertainty
- Volatility due to ongoing pandemic hangover and cost of living pressures
- Evolution of sustainability imperative and its economic benefits
- Beyond the hype – unpacking mixed momentum for categories, channels and products
- Looking forward, how to stay ahead of the curve.
IRI Managing Director for New Zealand Craig Irwin: “Understanding how to seek out opportunities and maintain resilience is crucial to achieving success in these unparalleled times of change. Our line-up of industry experts from Australia and New Zealand will explore these challenges and confront the big issues. We will also draw on our global view combined with our proprietary data sources to deliver timely and accurate information.
“Drawing on our in-depth analyses, we will review the economic outlook, update retail market performance and evaluate the impacts of inflation and macro-trends to arm industry players with the right intelligence to inform their strategy for the year ahead,” Mr Irwin said.
“The retail sector played a key role in supporting people and communities through the pandemic and together as an ecosystem situated at the front line of the economy we will continue to work together and power ahead providing leadership and a pathway forward as we move through the next phase of the post pandemic recovery.”
Event details
Wednesday, 9 November 2022
Australia: 09.00am to 11.30am (AEST)
New Zealand: 11.00am to 1.30pm (NZST)
To register: https://crowdcomms-ltd.reg.crowdcomms.com/iriapacsoi/.