Main RMI Number
408-554-4960
SCU - St. Joseph's Hall
Room # 108
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Retail Management Institute Newsletter - Winter '06
National Retail Federation in NYC - 2006
RMI Seniors Mike Vincent and Andrea Graziosi and RMI Junior Jessica Travis attend the NRF retail conference in New York, NY.
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The Jill Curran Scholarship to attend the National Retail Federation’s Big Show and Expo in New York City presented three fortunate RMI students with an unforgettable experience.
The scholarship was created by the Curran family in memory of Jill, class of 2004, who passed away while studying abroad in London in 2002. The trip to New York honored Jill’s admiration for the city by allowing students to take part in this event.
The trip to New York truly speaks of RMI’s commitment to providing students with quality opportunities, thanks to the generosity of its members and families who support our program. In reflecting on our NY experiences, a multitude of fond memories come to mind. The following sections highlight some of our favorites:
Andrea Graziosi
We were exposed to many aspects of retail during our trip to New York, from the innovative ideas presented during the panel sessions to new products and services featured at the expo. By meeting with RMI alumni who currently work in New York, we were exposed to retail on a personal level. The conference in which various national and international companies gathered to discuss new trends and ideas, effectively brought to life the concepts we study in the classroom. During the panel sessions I heard talks about the “trading up” concept embraced by brands like Coach and Williams-Sonoma; heard a talk by Paco Underhill, the author of a book we read here at Santa Clara; and sat in on a forum about the state of online retailing with Terry Lundgren and Brian Devine.
The networking dinners were also a highlight. We were exposed to the social side of retail, which is rarely a classroom topic. Meeting with alumni working in New York essentially tied the experience together. We met New York-based RMI alumni, who similarly worked summer retail internships and after a couple years of hard work achieved successful positions in retail.
Lastly, simply experiencing the city was fantastic, this being my first trip to New York. Professor Kirby invited us to watch the Phantom of the Opera and take a tour backstage after the show. Overall, the trip left me with a favorable lasting impression of New York City, the RMI program, and most notably, the Curran family who made it all possible.
Jessica Travis
Visiting New York City and attending the NRF Big Show and Expo provided a look into what I can anticipate in my retail career in the years to come. I experienced networking with suppliers on the EXPO floor and even made contacts with retail consultants who provided suggestions for hardware, software and POS systems that would provide cutting edge improvements in operations and customer management. Numerous international retailers also attended the conference, which gave me a unique opportunity to conduct business in Japanese, my second language.
On our second night in New York City, we were invited to IBM’s executive reception at the Tavern on the Green in Central Park, where the three of us met people from all over the world. I introduced myself to executives from Japan, providing yet another opportunity to employ my Japanese language skills. Our discussion covered a range of topics, from where in Tokyo we each grew up to the ways in which Japanese retailers expand their business in the U.S. market. I developed so much more confidence when speaking and networking with retailers, even international ones. Receiving the Jill Curran Scholarship has, so far, been the highlight of my college experience and an invaluable opportunity that I hope other retail students will have a chance to experience as well.
Mike Vincent
Since its mythic beginnings in Arthurian legend, the Round Table has come to symbolize equality among all members seated. This concept was almost impossible for me to grasp during the Branding Round Table I attended while
Melanie Avelar (RMI '95) Senior Marketing Manager, Maybelline/Garnier (a division of L'Oreal USA) spent time discussing marketing strategy examples for Maybellline products to the students.
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at the National Retail Federation Conference. Imagine a college student sitting among a dozen vice presidents and C-level executives, discussing branding in light of how companies implement various strategies.
If you are envisioning this student entirely absorbed in everything these men and women said, you have an entirely accurate picture of my experience. It could be because not a single moment of silence offered the opportunity for me to chime in, but in reality these people were willing to share a wealth of valuable insights regarding many successes and failures regarding branding.
John Wong (RMI '02) Account Associate, International Wholesale, Coach, presented the students in New York with a tour of the newest Coach concept.
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While I have studied the subject matter thoroughly over the past four years, it was enlightening to see which practices worked best in actuality as well as other factors that have caused companies to fail on certain initiatives. I was also able to relate the examples to my own business experiences in previous internships. In retrospect, I realize that we had many branding successes as well as failures, but more importantly there were many times in which we didn’t take the risk to implement programs. Furthermore, the greatest takeaway from this modern-day Round Table proved to be that in business, the only way to change or improve your brand is to take a chance by nurturing worthwhile ideas into a reality. |
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Retail Management Institute - Santa Clara University
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