Grassroots Member Education Day

June 5, 2022
Knoxville Convention Center


Schedule of Events

AM Sessions
9:00am-10:45am

ReConnect Coffee
9:00am-10:00am

Have coffee with us! This is an OPEN session for Grassroots Retail owners and buyers to reconnect and network before we kick off the Membership Meeting.

Audience: Grassroots Retail Members, Owners & Buyers
Location: KCC, Cumberland Concourse

Membership Meeting
10:00am-10:45am

Membership Meeting is the not-to-be missed, all-hands meeting! We will cover all Grassroots initiatives, update you on the state of specialty outdoor retail, and launch our newest membership programs.

Audience: Grassroots Retail Members, Owners & Buyers
Location: KCC, Ballroom E

11:00am-12:00pm
Session

KEYNOTE KICK OFF!


Blazing the Path to Unity

Sponsored by Oboz

Presenter: Earl B. Hunter Jr.


Earl B. Hunter, Jr is an authentic storyteller. He guides his audience to think from a solution point of view. He will present the 3 reasons why Black Folks have been left out of the life-giving power of nature and discuss the impact this has on our nation’s overall psyche: (1) Fear; (2) Knowledge; (3) Invitation. Earl will share ideas on how we can all help to improve the situation. His presentation will focus on how important it is to INVITE “more” folks into the outdoors. In addition, Earl will discuss how the Unity Blaze, which is the campfire in the center of Black Folks Camp Too logo, is quickly becoming the symbol of Unity in the outdoors. The Blaze means "treat everyone, everywhere, equally."


Presentation Objectives

  • Share foundational knowledge about what has kept many Black Folks from experiencing and enjoying the great outdoors.

  • Clarification of the “inclusion opportunities and immediate solutions” present in this moment.

  • Communicate the value of “inviting” more Black Folks and underrepresented folks into the great outdoors AND ways to increase ROI (Return On Inclusion) via outdoor industry and lifestyle.

Audience: Grassroots Retail Members, Owners & Buyers
Location: KCC, Ballroom E

1:00pm-2:15pm
Sessions

Session A
Attracting + Retaining Workforce for Independent Specialty Retailers

Presenters: Basecamp Outdoor, Jenna Celmer & Ali Carr


Basecamp Outdoor believes that hiring is branding. This session will help retail owners learn strategies and solutions for attracting and retaining team members. Become a Destination Employer by learning and understanding the needs of today's workforce and providing it to your team! This session will include presentation time as well as open forum discussion.

Audience: Grassroots Retail Members, Owners
Location: KCC, 301 DE

Session B
Buyers 101 Session: Excel for Buyers

Presenter: Carrie Watson, Outside Looks


Learn Excel secrets from an experienced buyer to master your skills & save time. As an experienced buyer & Excel nerd, Carrie spills her Excel knowledge and shares tricks of the trade.


You'll walk away with:

  • A solid foundation of Excel knowledge.

  • Essential formulas cheat sheet (vlookup, if statements, sumif, etc).

  • Overview of Retail KPIs.

  • Pivot table basics.

  • Formatting tips for imports.

    Audience: Grassroots Retail Members, Buyers
    Location: KCC, 301 C

Session C
Buyers 301 Session: Convert your Pandemic Shoppers into Loyal Customers

Presenter: Marty Cohen, an Outside Looks partner


In this one hour workshop style session Marty will address the "Pandemic" shopper (the new to the outdoors and your store customer), how to capture them and keep them coming back! You'll walk away from this thoughtful presentation with a new point of view to take back home and test.



Audience: Grassroots Retail Members, Buyers
Location: KCC, 301 A

Session D
Tour De'Grassroots

Presenters: Dana Howe & O'Ryan Lovins


New to Grassroots or just a little rusty on all the ins-and-outs of your membership benefits, requirements & resources? This session is for you. We will cover the following items:

  • Member benefits & resources.

  • How we organize and share member information.

  • Communication tools and methods.

  • Tech tools and how to use them to your benefit.


Audience: Grassroots Retail Members
Location: KCC, 301 B

2:30pm-3:30pm
Sessions

Session A

Forum: Big Box Comes to Town, Now What?

Presenters & Collaborators: Wes Allen & Tara Kuipers + panelists TBD


National retail chains are identifying new markets to enter. We are seeing it all over the country in various marketplaces. What can local established specialty retailers expect when Big Box comes to town? What are some ways to prepare and respond? Wes Allen will help frame up this conversation with some facts and future strategies of these retailers. Tara Kuipers will lead a panel of retailers who have had big box come to town and open forum discussion with attendees.


Audience: Grassroots Retail Members, Owners
Location: KCC, 301 DE

Session B
Buyers 101 Session: Why the Vendor Scorecard is Detrimental to Your Business

Presenter: Marty Cohen, an Outside Looks partner


As retailers, we place a lot of emphasis on BRANDS…is it hurting our businesses to think this way? We follow the principal that categories, not brands drive business. Come to this one hour workshop to learn how to analyze point of sale data to better inform buying processes and evaluate your business.



Audience: Grassroots Retail Members, Buyers
Location: KCC, 301 C

Session C
Buyers 301 Session

Buyer's Strategy for Preseason Buying

Presenter: Carrie Watson, Outside Looks


The Buy Plan is our buyers' favorite tool. For the first time at GOA, we walk through how to use this valuable work flow. After this session, you'll feel confident in developing a preseason buying strategy and spending your budgeted Open To Buy dollars.


Key takeaways:

  • How to wisely prepare for the buying cycle.

  • How to dissect POS reports to build a detailed spending plan.

  • Complimentary take-home excel tool: Buy Plan.

  • Important considerations while building your Buy Plan.

  • Common mistakes and how to avoid them.


Audience: Grassroots Retail Members, Buyers
Location: KCC, 301 A

Session D

5 Tried-And-Proven Marketing Plays to Fuel Your Retail Shop

Presenters: Greg Squires & Patrick Bonner, PivotPoint


In this session, we’ll cover five simple and actionable marketing tactics that can help solve common challenges that independent retailers face. With recommendations sourced from experienced marketers and retailers, you’ll leave with a toolkit for reaping the benefits of marketing no matter the size or sophistication of your outdoor store.


Come Learn:

  • Time-saving and easy-to-deploy retail marketing strategies, and how to overcome common challenges.

  • How to focus your marketing strategies to minimize efforts and maximize profits.

  • How new vendor funded local marketing campaigns drive customers into your store.


Audience: Grassroots Retail Members, Owners, Managers, Marketing Teams
Location: KCC, 301 B

3:45pm-4:45pm
Sessions

Session A
Wisdom from the Trenches: Pack Rat Outdoor Center, Sustainability Solutions for Small Businesses

Presenters: Chally Sims & Faebyan Whittle

Wisdom from the Trenches is Grassroots retailer story-telling session where member stores provide insights into their successes and actionable take-aways for other retailers to model in their own businesses. Pack Rat Outdoor Center has been on a journey to sustainable business practices and we are excited to share our story with other retailers. Learn about closed loop systems, waste audits, resource management, and establishing a culture of stewardship and environmental sustainability within the workplace.



Audience: Grassroots Retail Members, Open to All Retail Member Attendees
Location: KCC, 301 DE

Session B
How to Use Your Data to Improve Sales & Profits

Presenters: Greg Squires, PivotPoint & Teddy Schiavoni, Locally


It’s no secret that your POS data can be a powerful tool, but how do you gain from your data when running your outdoor shop? Your data has value, and it can work for you if you know how to use the free tools designed for retail shops like yours.


You’ll learn how to:

  • Harness your inventory data to drive foot traffic.

  • Leverage easy-to-implement web strategies with local pickup for a convenient shopping experience.

  • Tap into Grassroots bestseller data to stock in-demand products that can fly off the shelves.

  • Use your transaction data to make important buying decisions quickly.

  • Grow your customer list and build a valuable shop asset.


Audience: Grassroots Retail Members, Owners, Managers, Marketing Teams
Location: KCC, 301 B

4:45pm-6:00pm
Sessions

Session A
Principal's Break-Out Session: Bringing it All Together

Facilitator: Tara Kuipers


This session is a reconvening over conversations of the day. This session will allow business owners to revisit important topics presented throughout the day's education themes and dive deeper into them with their peers. Retailer owners will have the opportunity to ask questions, share best practices, and feedback with each other in small groups. Each group will have the opportunity to discuss each theme of the day.

  • Recruitment, Hiring & Retention

  • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, what does that mean for your business and your hiring practices?

  • Modern Retail solutions


Audience: Grassroots Retail Members, Owners
Location: KCC, 301 DE

Session B
Buyer's Meeting & Break-Out Session

Presenters: Dana Howe, O'Ryan Lovins, Carrie Watson


A classic favorite! Join fellow buyers to collaborate and learn. Carrie Watson will help guide conversation, leading with sales trend information, Pivot Point data, and also prompt buyers to think about their role in business successes, workflows, and share their best practices with each other.


Buyers will also have ample time to breakout into categorical groups for open conversation about brands, trends, and sharing best buying practices.


Audience: Grassroots Retail Members, Buyers
Location: KCC, 301 A (breakouts in A, B & C)