Join senior executives and decision-makers at the 6th sixth annual Luxury FirstLook 2018: Exclusivity Redefined conference, the nation's premier event organized by Luxury Daily to discuss luxury business issues, opportunities and challenges spanning advertising, marketing, retail, media, Internet, social, mobile and geopolitics in the year ahead.

The very notion on which luxury stands — exclusivity — is under threat from the democratizing gravitational pull of digital retail and marketing. Add to that the urgent need to reinvent the store business, recruiting and retaining talent with craftsmen skills, maintaining global aspirations with local desires, and the millennial-led push toward experiences over product: the balancing act was never harder. AGENDA BELOW

Focus: How to craft strategy and tactics with proper execution and measurement for 2018 as luxury's lock on exclusive products and services — indeed, the very ability to deliver experiences to material-averse millennials — is challenged by democratizing forces, chief of which are the Internet, ecommerce, social and mobile

Speakers: Offering exclusive data and insights are senior executives from the Boston Consulting Group, Forrester Research, Vice Media, Publicis Groupe's Team One, WSJ. Magazine, Marie Claire, Mitchell Stores, Euromonitor International, Luxury Institute, Select World, Luxury Portfolio, YouGov, Jing Daily, Digital Luxury Group, China Luxury Advisors, Initiatives in Art and Culture, PMX Agency, Martini Media, Shullman Research Center, Concept Bureau, NewStore, BoomAgers and Bomoda

Venue: 10 on the Park at Time Warner Center, 60 Columbus Circle, 10th floor, New York, NY 10019 (entrance is on 60th Street across from Columbus Circle, between Equinox gym and the Mandarin Oriental Hotel)

Price: Only $695, which includes breakfast, lunch and cocktails

Sponsorship: For lunch roundtables and keynotes, tables, breakfast, cocktails and other sponsorships, please email ads@napean.com

REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED FOR LUXURY FIRSTLOOK 2018

AGENDA

Luxury FirstLook 2018: Exclusivity Redefined

7:30 a.m. – 8:15 a.m.

Breakfast and Registration

8:15 a.m.

Welcome Remarks

Digital or Exclusive: A Choice No More
Why quality, creativity and innovation matter even more as the venues of luxury sales and marketing democratize. Luxury’s road ahead spelled out

Speaker:

Mickey Alam Khan, editor in chief, Luxury Daily

Emcee: Michael J. Becker, managing partner, Identity Praxis

8:30 a.m.

Research Keynote

The State of Luxury 2018
Boston Consulting Group has a finger on the pulse of luxury given that it works with the world’s leading luxury brands and retailers, advising them on strategy, tactics and execution. The world of luxury is set to undergo several changes in 2016, forcing marketers to rethink marketing, retailing, media, Internet and mobile approaches. An in-depth look at the state of luxury worldwide across key industry sectors

Speaker:

Christine Barton, senior partner and managing director, Boston Consulting Group

9 a.m.

Who is Buying Luxury – and Why?
Boomers and the silent generation before them continue to prove reliable customers of luxury. But the post-boomer generations, be they self-made or inheritors, do not seem to share the same attitudes to luxury consumption, shopping more with purpose and experience in mind. So what does the luxury customer base look like? Who are the emerging customers, why are they buying luxury goods and services, what are their expectations from the brand and what are their values in this increasingly casual luxury cycle?

Speakers:

Malinda Sanna, founder/CEO, Spark Ideas

Matthew Bauer, president, Madison Avenue Business Improvement District (BID)

Peter Hubbell, founder/CEO, BoomAgers

Mark A. Cohen, director of retail studies, Columbia University Graduate School of Business

Moderator:

Mickey Alam Khan, editor in chief, Luxury Daily

9:30 a.m.

Keynote

How Luxury Brands Should Future Proof
What will millennial and Generation Z consumers look for in luxury, and how can luxury brands excite them? In the Age of Experiences, will consumers still be looking to buy luxury products in the future, and what will be the role of retail stores?

Speaker:

Tammy Smulders, president – fashion and luxury group, Vice

10 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

Break

10:30 a.m.

Conversation

Craft and Service in an Age of Automation: A Contradiction?
Luxury marketers were once known for innovation and craftsmanship before adopting practices from mainstream brands to scale and meet corporate and financial market goals. Shortage of skilled craftsmen has put pressure on heritage luxury brands, in addition to retail floor staff churn. Now, the unrelenting push to automate manufacturing and service processes, as well as technologies such as virtual reality, augmented reality and artificial intelligence, threatens to change the very fabric of what it means to be luxury. Adapt or resist?

Speakers:

Paul Boomsma, president, Luxury Portfolio International

Wolfgang Schaefer, chief strategy officer, Select World

Martin Shanker, president, Shanker Inc.

Lisa Koenigsberg, founder/president, Initiatives in Art and Culture

Amber Treshnell, CEO for Americas, John Paul

Moderator:

Marie Driscoll, principal, Driscoll Advisors

11 a.m.

Experience in a Material-Driven Luxury World
Buzzword of the year: Experience. But what does it really mean in the luxury context? And how is it different from the current in-store experience, which is in a class of its own? And how will experience translate to digital, especially as ecommerce and mobile account for a larger share of shopping and buying?

Speakers:

Alastair Green, executive creative director, Publicis Groupe’s Team One

Joanna Young, management director, Team One

11:30 a.m.

Threat from Premium Brands to High Luxury
The trend to mix-and-match or even trade down in certain categories is obvious. Also noticeable is the pressure from premium brands to high-luxury lines. Can luxury defend its turf? What can luxury marketers learn from Apple’s digital and store experiences, merchandising and market positioning? Is the embrace of Amazon inevitable if that is where the affluent audience is, including the ultra-high-net-worth? What can luxury marketers learn from Apple and Amazon?

Speakers:

Jasmine Bina, president, Concept Bureau

Chris Paradysz, founder/co-CEO, PMX Agency

Donnie Pacheco, co-founder and principal, Clean Channel Consulting

Greg P. Licciardi, chief revenue officer for North America, Elite Traveler/Elite Luxury Publishing

Moderator:

Doug Gollan, editor in chief, DG Amazing Experiences and PrivateJetCardComparisons.com

Noon – 12:45 p.m.

Sponsored Lunch Break

12:45 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

How you Doin'? Leading Trends Across Key Luxury Sectors
Temperature check of major luxury sectors and brands, followed by audience roundtables on major issues and opportunities.

Speakers:

Milton Pedraza, CEO, Luxury Institute

Mickey Alam Khan, editor in chief, Luxury Daily

1:30 p.m. – 2 p.m.

The Era of Brand Meaning
Today’s affluent consumer is placing greater importance on what brands stand for instead of traditional markers of luxury – quality and craftsmanship most notably. While brand values have always played a role in luxury purchasing, a well-articulated positioning has never been more critical to the success of luxury brands. This shift to meaningful consumption is driven partly by the sea of sameness in products and services, but, more importantly, by the acknowledgment that “we have it pretty good” and choices should reflect a desire to do what is right and what is good. Affluent consumers want to find the best of who they are in the choices they make.

Speaker:

Cara David, managing partner, YouGov

2 p.m.

Curated Media in a Content-Saturated and Social-Fueled World
Luxury brands live by their reputation. So do curated media brands. Yet the rise of celebrity influencers is unstoppable, with these individuals boasting larger followings on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. So how do the established media brands stress their relevance in an age of unchecked noise where church-state norms do not apply? Are magazines, newspapers and their digital editions still the best way for luxury brands to connect with their audiences? Does it have to be either/or?

Speakers:

Anthony Cenname, vice president of consumer advertising, Dow Jones, and publisher, WSJ. Magazine

Nancy Berger, vice president and publisher, Marie Claire

David Arnold, executive vice president and managing director, Robb Report

Michael Dickey, chief executive officer, Modern Luxury

Moderator:

Vincent Krsulich, senior vice president, Martini Media

2:30 p.m.

Research Keynote

Digital Disruption in Advertising, Marketing, Media, Agencies and Technology
Digital has disrupted the worlds of advertising, marketing, media and agencies. Technology such as artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), along with chatbots, machine learning and mobile have bewildered the best. Add to that fears of data integrity and security as communications and transactions via ecommerce and mobile dominate. What can luxury brands and retailers expect in the years ahead as consumers expect seamless digital adoption of these tech trends? Sit it out and see how things pan out or dive in and beat the curve?

Speaker:

James McQuivey, vice president and principal analyst, Forrester Research

3 p.m.

Clicks and Bricks: Why Luxury Retail Needs to Innovate – Now
Make no mistake: the retail store model needs immediate attention. Department stores and shopping malls are in makeover mode. Luxury consumers are shopping across channels as they have never done before. They expect seamless brand experiences across bricks-and-mortar and online and mobile channels. Ecommerce now is the fastest-growing retail category in luxury, with mobile becoming a major influencer. How quick is the embrace and what does a delay mean for the brand’s future?

Speakers:

Stephan Schambach, CEO, NewStore

Bob Shullman, CEO, Shullman Research Center

Jack Mitchell, chairman, Mitchell Stores

Inii Kim, cofounder and creative director, King & Partners

Robin Lewis, CEO, The Robin Report

Moderator:

Mickey Alam Khan, editor in chief, Luxury Daily

3:30 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Break

4 p.m.

Keynote

Wellness: Why Health is Hot
Not surprising that retail therapy was always a cure for a blue mood. But now comes the wellness spa/clinic in the department store – a trend that will export to shopping malls, department stores and larger solo-brand stores at some point. Health is wealth, as luxury brands are increasingly realizing.

Speaker:

Fflur Roberts, head of global luxury goods research, Euromonitor International

4:30 p.m.

China: The Love for Luxury Endures?
Despite the government clampdown on official ostentation, the affluent Chinese consumer continues to seek out luxury goods from established brands. Domestic consumption, coupled with purchases acquired from overseas travel including real estate and art, drive Chinese acquisition of the finer things of life. How sustainable is that trend, and how reliable is the Chinese affluent market? Is it only the tip of the iceberg? Can the luxury market thrive without China – it is Communist-run after all where one diktat can end it all?

Larry Warsh, publisher, Jing Daily

Renee Hartmann, cofounder, China Luxury Advisors

Brian Buchwald, CEO, Bomoda

Moderator:

Mickey Alam Khan, editor in chief, Luxury Daily

5 p.m.

You Heard it Here First: Personal Data is the New Luxury Good
How luxury brands handle the economic, technological, cultural and regulatory landscape of personal data management will become key, especially as the European Union sets new terms for data protection through GDPR. The challenge will be how to treat data as a means of economic growth, rather than economic destruction.

Speaker:

Michael J. Becker, managing partner, Identity Praxis

5:30 p.m.

Closing Remarks

3 Key Takeaways and 4 D’s from Luxury FirstLook 2018
Learnings from the conference, plus the four D’s – what marketers should keep doing, stop doing, start doing and do differently.

Speaker:

Mickey Alam Khan, editor in chief, Luxury Daily

REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED FOR LUXURY FIRSTLOOK 2018

Hotels in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood (from nearest to farthest):

Mandarin Oriental New York

80 Columbus Park at 60^th Street, New York, NY 10023; tel: 212-805-8800

Please click here for the Web site

Trump Hotel Central Park

One Central Park West, New York, NY, 10023; tel: 212-299-1000

Please click here for the Web site

Hudson New York

356 W 58^th Street, New York, NY 10019; tel: 212-554-6000