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Events & Education
One of Retail Council of Canada's proudest achievements is its roster of events designed to bring retailers and retail suppliers together in a variety of settings to network, build partnerships, and share best practices. Though competitive by nature, the retail business is one in which a collegial atmosphere works to the benefit of all, and over the past year RCC members — whether as committee members or event participants — distinguished themselves as professionals committed to the retail cause.

STORE 2007 — Canada's Retail Conference
More than 850 attendees came out to RCC's annual convention, a 20% increase in attendance over the previous year. The two-day celebration of retail excellence and achievement focused on "The Customer Experience," a topic discussed at length during both the concurrent breakout sessions and the main stage super sessions. The event, which saw retailers from across Canada network with their peers, also hosted the Excellence in Retail Awards Dinner and the Canadian Hall of Fame Luncheon, two events designed to honour retail's innovators and pioneers.

Human Resources Conference
RCC's annual networking and education event for human resources professionals in the retail sector celebrated its fourth year in April 2008 with more than 360 delegates in attendance, a 28% increase from the previous year. With labour supply issues and productivity issues dominating the retail landscape, the conference discussed compensation strategies, multi-generational recruitment issues, and many more issues of vital importance to the retail industry.

Loss Prevention Conference
An event that brings together loss prevention professionals from across Canada, RCC's Loss Prevention Conference is the premier event for retail LP professionals in Canada, with last year's registrants totaling almost 350 people, a 19% increase over the previous year. Retail organized crime and privacy issues were just some of the issues discussed at the one-day conference, which also featured the official launch of RCC's Loss Prevention Portal, a Web resource that enables legal information sharing among retail investigators.

RCC Annual Golf Tournament
The best business connections aren't made in the boardroom — they're made on the golf course. That's why RCC brings together more than 200 golf enthusiasts each September for a day of golf and networking. Last September's event saw more than 240 retailers and suppliers, a 30% increase over 2006, come out to play.

Retail Organized Crime Roundtable
From June to October 2007, Retail Council of Canada hosted a series of workshops across Canada to bring retailers, government officials and law enforcement personnel together to discuss the state of retail organized crime in Canada and address regional concerns related to the issue. The events, held in Moncton, Toronto, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver, were a valuable tool in educating all stakeholders of the need to work together in combating this growing threat to retailers and consumers.

Professional Development Workshops
RCC's Events team held a series of workshops throughout the year to provide expert advice and realistic solutions to retailers of all sizes. This past year saw record numbers of retailers turn out for workshops on Coaching Your Way to a More Engaged and Productive Sales Team, held in Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary and Moncton last year. Also this spring, RCC hosted the first of several Loss Prevention 101 workshops, which will tour the country between April and October of this year.