95th Annual NRF Expo

The National Retail Federation is the world's largest retail trade association, with membership that comprises all retail formats and channels of distribution including department, specialty, discount, catalog, Internet and independent stores as well as the industry's key trading partners of retail goods and services. NRF represents an industry with more than 1.4 million U.S. retail establishments, more than 23 million employees - about one in five American workers - and 2003 sales of $3.8 trillion. As the industry umbrella group, NRF also represents more than 100 state, national and international retail associations.

The NRF, the largest retail expo of its kind, has this year featured a host of exhibits and services, everything from CEO insights, which enable people to ask CEO’s for their insight into their company’s strategy and the future of their industry; to booths with all kinds of merchandise; to super sessions, which assist retailers in meeting the challenges of retail; to ARTS Standards Pavilion, enabling people to see how retailers are using applications built by leading vendors on ARTS standards to achieve savings and flexibility.

Participants in this years show included Cisco, which participated in the NRF X05 "Bookstore of the Future," a prototype of a "Smart Store" constructed on the show expo floor. Cisco and other industry and technology leaders have worked together to exhibit the latest design ideas, innovations and technologies that provide an exciting in-store customer experience. Cisco and leading industry suppliers discussed new developments in the retail market. People had the opportunity to learn how to take the "Vision of the Future" and make it a reality in their store.

As an added treat, keynote speaker Cal Ripken, Jr., former Baltimore Orieles player and Baseball Hall of Fame inductee, spoke at the expo, outlining his six very important principles, “Leadership Matters,” “Success is a Process,” “The value of a good work ethic,” “The Importance of Perseverance,” and “Lessons Learned in Winning and Losing.” He projected using a positive mental attitude, referring to the determined nature of his father, and show retailers how they, too, may apply the right principles for success. Mr. Ripken also gave not to his latest book, “Play Baseball the Ripken Way

This w as a great expo with a packed out crowd that came from all over the country to attend (there were even international attendees, who came from far and wide to hear Mr. Ripken and the other speakers at the show.)”

We at Liberty News Online Magazine would like to thank Mr. Scott Krugman for assisting us in covering this event. Anyone interested in learning more about the National Retail Federation may feel free to visit their website, at www.nrf.org.