Macy’s executive to address record number of Wisconsin industry representatives at E-Business conference

More than 650 business executives and managers will attend the 13th annual Business Best Practices and Emerging Technologies Conference, which will be hosted Tuesday, Sept. 27, by the University of Wisconsin–Madison E-Business Consortium.

The conference is an opportunity for business community members to meet and discuss innovative practices and emerging technological trends in marketing and customer experience, information technology and supply chain management. Members of the media are invited to join attendees to hear a talk by a UW–Madison alumnus who became the first chief marketing officer for retail giant Macy’s and is now chief executive officer and chair for Macys.com.

UW–Madison business graduate Peter Sachse will present the keynote address, discussing Macy’s adoption of omnichannel retailing, which combines the company’s social media, television, and other advertising campaigns into a single experience for customers. In addition to the keynote, Sachse, a native of Sheboygan, Wis., will receive the 2011 Distinguished Fellow Award from the UW–Madison E-Business Institute, the research-oriented counterpart to the industry-focused consortium. The award is presented annually in honor of significant achievements and advancements in information technology and e-business.

Wisconsin-based executives and managers will make up the majority of the more than 650 people registered for the conference, up dramatically from a record-breaking 500 in 2010. “The conference is widely recognized as a premier event Wisconsin business and technology professionals,” says consortium communications director Kyle Henderson.

In addition to Sachse, the conference will feature talks from many well-known speakers and representatives of Wisconsin companies, including Shawn Dennis, senior vice president of marketing for American Girl; Stephen Spencer, the best-selling author of “The Art of SEO”; and Laura Kohler, senior vice president of human resources for Kohler Corp.

Founded in 1998, the E-Business Consortium is very active, offering more than 50 meeting opportunities each year for its 67 member organizations, which include a wide range of leading Wisconsin companies. The consortium has a member-to-member advising service and facilitates collaboration with UW–Madison faculty and students.

“The rapid technological advances occurring today — ranging from mobile commerce to cloud computing to real-time analytics — are presenting companies with many strategic questions. Our conference agenda is specifically designed to help business executives address these emerging opportunities and challenges,” says consortium Executive Director Raj Veeramani, a UW–Madison professor of industrial and systems engineering and business. “Each year, our annual conference has proven to be a very effective forum for cross-pollination of successful ideas and practices across various industries. Attendees this year can expect to take away actionable ideas based on the successes of and lessons learned by world-class companies.”

Media are welcome to attend conference sessions, which will be held at the Monona Terrace Convention Center in Madison. Those interested are asked to contact Kyle Henderson at 608-890-2449 or khenderson2@wisc.edu prior to the event for press passes and event details. Learn more about the conference and the consortium at https://www.uwebc.org/2011conference/.