GXN Conference Participant Guide & the ‘One Voice’ Initiative

Dear Member,

Welcome to GXN Insight vol.1, No. 6. It is only a few months now and we will be together celebrating our 5^th Anniversary in Kitzbuehel. As we complete our final preparations, I am pleased to provide more information about the conference arrangements and share with you the GXN Conference Participant Guide. In addition, I wanted this insight to forward a context and vision for the ‘One Voice’ initiative.

GXN Conference Participant Guide

After months of research, organization and preparation we are delighted to announce the GXN Conference Participant Guide. The guide includes:

• A day-by-day event breakdown from Tuesday 6 October through to Friday 9 October, and including, all the important topics covered in the 5thGXN Conference running from Thursday 8 to Friday 9 October.
• Practical information about the venue, the Golf Tournament (dress code, format, protocols) and alternative Non-Golfing activities.
• More information about Kitzbuehel, about travel options and how we can help.

Click the link or visit the GXN website to access the guide. We will keep you informed of any final changes to the programme in forthcoming insights.

The ‘One Voice’ Initiative

GXN is a membership united by shared values and a commitment to shaping the future of our industry. As a community of leaders we collaborate to develop strategic solutions, drive sustainable growth, and foster responsible global leadership. One important challenge facing us all is the perception of branded merchandise’s role, which sadly is still too often perceived and judged by brand marketeers by outdated examples lacking meaning and emotional connectivity. The buyer perception does little to justify the role of branded merchandising in a crowded media space. What we need the market to believe instead is that we are a serious marketing investment – a strategic, tangible marketing channel that creates value. The ‘One Voice’ initiative is designed to bring, just that, a single voice where – united – we work to help brand marketeers unlearn the understandings of the past and learn and showcase the dynamism that defines our industry now and in the future. During the conference we dedicate some of our time exploring how we can make this happen. I hope you will join with me to generate a global promotion campaign with KPIs, standards and initiatives that re-shape attitudes to branded merchandise and cement a deserved stronger positioning in the media and marketing mix.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the conference participant guide and on the ‘One Voice’ initiative.

Best regards,
Michael Freter
Chief Network Officer

PS. Don’t forget to register for the GXN Conference as soon as possible at www.gxn-net.org