Fall 2019 – News Beat

ERA ANNOUNCES 2020 CONFERENCE KEYNOTE SPEAKER

ERA announced that Connie Podesta, Hall of Fame speaker, award-winning author, former radio/TV personality, therapist, expert on the psychology of sales, leadership, change, accountability and engagement, and comedienne, will be the keynote speaker at the upcoming conference, scheduled Feb. 23-25, 2020, at the AT&T Center in Austin, Texas.

Connie will open ERA’s 2020 Conference program on Monday morning, Feb. 24, with a presentation titled, “Stand Out from the Crowd … Out-Think, Out-Lead and Out-Sell the Competition.”

Connie is a game-changing, revenue-building, sales-generating ball of fire whose rare blend of laugh-out-loud comedy, killer take-away strategies and interactive, no-power-point delivery style have made her one of the most unique and memorable speakers on stage today. As a human relations expert, Connie, who is both refreshingly candid and wonderfully entertaining, will bring out your edgy, creative, competitive side as she takes you inside the minds of today’s savvy, but super-demanding global market and delivers some powerhouse strategies that will help you increase sales, profits, good will and your customer base. Competition – watch out! Business as usual? No way! Status quo? Move over? Change? Keep it coming!

ERA 2020 Conference Committee Chair Mike Swenson, CMPR, President, Mel Foster Company, said, “The Keynote Sub-Committee did an outstanding job selecting a keynote speaker who will offer not only an unforgettable conference opening but also invaluable take-away strategies. I am confident that Connie will deliver a powerful high-energy presentation and make sure that we all walk away with a fresh perspective on how to be more accountable, exceed expectations and discover unique ways to sell more at the ‘street level.’”

ERA CONFERENCE COMMITTEE ANNOUNCES MONDAY GENERAL SESSION TOPICS AND SPEAKERS

ERA Conference Committee announced the two Monday, Feb. 24, General Sessions topics and speakers at the upcoming 2020 Conference.

Dr. Robert Genetski, one of the nation’s leading classical economists, will present the Monday morning General Session, “How Tariffs, China & the 2020 Election Will Impact the Economy.”

The Monday afternoon General Session, “The Disruption of IoT: How the Forces of AI and Blockchain are Changing IoT and the New Opportunities that are Being Created,” will be presented by high-tech industry leader and IoT Consultant Ali Sebt.

For more information about the ERA Conference, visit https://era.org/era-events/era-conference/.

SALES DECLINE IN SEPTEMBER FOR MOST RETAILERS AFTER STRONG SUMMER

U.S. retail sales declined 0.3 percent in September, the first decrease in seven months, leading to concerns that weakness in manufacturing is spreading to other parts of the economy. Households reduced spending on building materials, hobbies, online purchases and vehicles, the Commerce Department reported.

According to MarketWatch, the big question is how much consumer spending wanes, especially with businesses largely sitting on the sidelines. The trade war between the U.S. and China has disrupted global supply chains, upset business-investment plans and caused executives to hunker down until the dispute is resolved.

So long as consumers do their part, the U.S. is likely to avoid recession. The Federal Reserve’s decision to cut interest rates also appears to have given parts of the economy like the housing industry a boost.

ELECTRONICS MANUFACTURERS FEEL THE EFFECTS OF U.S.-CHINA TRADE WAR

Almost 90 percent of U.S. electronics manufacturers state that they are troubled by the increased tariffs imposed by the U.S. and China on each other’s imports – some are even investing less in the U.S., evertiq.com reported.

The data comes from a survey conducted by the industry association IPC, which queried its U.S. members on the effects of the tariffs.

On average, the companies report they have seen tariff increases on 31 percent of the total dollar value of the products they import. Twenty five percent of companies report over half of the dollar value of the products they import are facing higher tariffs.

Some 69 percent of companies report that they are seeing lower profit margins as a result of increased tariffs, which carries with itself a ripple effect of negative consequences: 21 percent report they are reducing investments in the U.S., and 13 percent say they are even cutting back on hiring and/or reducing headcount.

More than a third of companies say that they cannot increase their prices to cover the cost of higher import tariffs, due to various factors.