News & Media
5th Annual David Sobey Centre National Retail Innovation Awards
Date Published: October 12, 2021
Presented by the David Sobey Centre for Innovation in Retailing and Services at the Sobey School of Business, Saint Mary's University
Date: October 28, 2021 | Time: 4:00 - 5:30pm ADT | Virtual
Created in 2017, the National Retail Innovation Awards recognizes up-and-coming retailers, or companies supporting the retail sector, for their innovation and unique contribution to Canadian retailing over the past year. Join the David Sobey Centre as we celebrate the achievements of four impressive companies who have demonstrated retail excellence in the categories of Retail Design, Sustainability, Technology and Community Service.
Normally an in-person luncheon ceremony in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the awards had to pivot to a virtual live stream in 2020 due to the pandemic. For the safety of attendees and award winners, this year's ceremony will also be virtual. We look forward to hopefully being back to an in-person awards celebration in 2022.
Featuring Special Keynote Speaker:
Neil Hoyne, Cheif Measurement Strategist at Google
Too many companies have a short-term strategy when it comes to data: focusing on the point-of-purchase moment with a customer, rather than building their business around long-term relationships. A Senior Fellow at Wharton and Google’s Chief Measurement Strategist, NEIL HOYNE has led over 2,500 engagements with the world’s biggest advertisers—helping them acquire millions of customers, improve conversion rates by over 400 percent, and generate billions in incremental revenue. In his upcoming book Converted: The Data-Driven Way to Win Customers’ Hearts (Penguin Random House, 2022), he shows us how to sharpen our long-term marketing strategy and unleash true value.
In talks, Hoyne brings his experience as an analyst and researcher to life, captivating audiences with his stunning expertise on topics such as digital transformation, customer relationships, behavioral science, marketing attribution, product development, machine learning, and many more. He’s been a witness to, and participant in, both billion-dollar successes and instructive failures, using them as tools to build indestructible customer relationships. After earning degrees from Purdue University and UCLA, Hoyne returned to academia in 2018 as a Senior Fellow at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
