SME to discuss ‘what’s next’ in May 7-8 conference
The Puerto Rico Sales and Marketing Executives Association will hold its annual conference on May 7-8, from 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., at the Sheraton Puerto Rico Hotel & Casino titled, focusing on “What’s next?” for the industry.
This event will include presentations by local and international speakers, focused on global sales and marketing trends, to promote the development of innovative business strategies, the trade group announced Wednesday.
“We are bringing to Puerto Rico outstanding speakers who are experts in the areas of sales, marketing and digital, so that the local public can benefit from this valuable information without having to travel abroad and incur in all the related expenses,” said SME President Esteban Colón.
“These conferences will allow them to learn about business trends and best practices, to help them to plan and execute sales and marketing strategies,” he added.
The program kicks off on May 7 with the participation of Ryan Holiday, media strategist and author of the best seller “Growth Hacker Marketing: A Primer on the Future of Public Relations, Marketing, and Advertising” who will speak about the changes implemented by mega brands such as Facebook, Dropbox and Twitter, which have replaced traditional marketing for a new growth hacking strategy that allows them to reach a greater number of people.
He will be followed by LaVon Koerner, chief revenue officer of Revenue Storm, who will discuss the new role of the sales professional to achieve business objectives. During the afternoon, Kristen Lawrence, vice president of social strategies and consumer satisfaction of rFactr, will speak about how companies can maximize profits through social media. From Puerto Rico, motivational speaker and founder of A Otro Nivel Enterprises, Héctor Millán, will help participants to take their leadership skills to the next level.
On May 8, Gerhard Gschwandtner, founder and president of Selling Power Inc., will speak about global sales trends that impact businesses, and as a value-added will offer participants a free subscription to his Selling Power Magazine.
The next speaker will be Nir Eyal, author of the best-seller “Hooked: How to build habit-forming products,” whose presentation will focus on how to use the psychology of consumer habits to develop products and services that creat habit.
During the afternoon session, Marti Barletta, author of the book “Marketing to Women,” will speak about marketing aimed to women; and Wesley E. Cullen, general manager of the Puerto Rico Coliseum, will speak about “Powering Up and Rocking Your Work Day.”
The conference will end with the participation of Jake Katz, vice president of audience and insight strategy at Revolt.tv, who will speak about how this music channel came about after understanding the behavior, myths and business opportunities presented by the Millenial generation, as well as the new marketing and media strategies to reach those consumers.
María Elena Lampaya, executive director of SME, invited businesspeople, entrepreneurs, self-employed professionals and business students from local universities to participate in the conference.
“It’s important for all business sectors to keep themselves updated about new trends to promote the economic development of Puerto Rico,” she said.
As part of the annual conference, the SME will have a networking, learning & expo center where different local experts will offer 30-minute “power talks” about topics related to research studies, legal aspects of marketing, corporate social responsibility, among others. These presentations are free of charge and participants will also be able to interact with exhibitors and maximize their business opportunities.
Most conferences will be in English, but there will be simultaneous translation service for participants who require it, the trade group said.
