Symposium ’24 Announces Speaker Lineup

New York— Symposium ’24 has announced the lineup of speakers for its inaugural event next month.

The two-day educational event for retailers, presented by The Plumb Club in partnership with JCK, with Jewelers Mutual as the founding sponsor, will be held in an event space on the corner of Madison Avenue and 45th Street in Midtown Manhattan from March 10-11.

Lori Greiner of ABC’s “Shark Tank” will kick off the event with a keynote address on Sunday, and Robert “Cujo” Teschner, the award-winning United States Air Force fighter pilot, bestselling author, and former instructor in the Air Force “Top Gun” Program, will deliver the keynote address on Monday. 

Following the keynote address, eventgoers will attend learning tracks of their choice.

Speakers will offer insights and tips for retailers through learning seminars and case studies across the business, marketing and products, and trends categories.

Attendees can pre-register for a variety of sessions, allowing them to curate a custom curriculum for each day.

The speakers list and topics is like a “who’s who” of the business, marketing, and jewelry world, organizers said.

Here is the lineup:   

Raphael Carty is an adjunct professor at NYU Stern Business School, a former Harvard marketing professor, and an advisor in the areas of branding, strategy marketing, positioning, digital transformation, product management, applying AI, product-market fit, and demand generation. 

Carty will lead a two-session case study titled “Branding, Innovation and Growth in a Changing Industry.”

Frank Cespedes is a senior lecturer at Harvard Business School and faculty chair of the Aligning Strategy and Sales program. He has authored six books. 

Cespedes will conduct a two-session case study titled, “Business Development in a World That Never Stops Changing.”

Krystle Craycraft is the senior vice president of marketing and digital for Jewelers Mutual. 

Craycraft’s learning session is titled, “Insights Unleashed: Navigating the Retail Revolution.”

David Edelman is a senior lecturer in marketing at Harvard Business School, as well as an advisor on the following topics: AI, digitization, organization, and operations. He has been named by Forbes as one of the most “influential CMO’s in the world.”

Edelman will lead the learning session, “Consumer Strategy in the Age of AI.”

Pia Heidenmark Cook is a senior environmental, social, and governance, and sustainability leader. She is the former chief sustainability officer at IKEA.

Heidenmark Cook’s learning session is titled, “Sustainability: A Golden Opportunity – Learnings from European Retailers.”

Melanie Grant, executive director at Responsible Jewelry Council, and Tiffany Stevens, CEO & general counsel for Jewelers Vigilance Committee, will hold the learning seminar, “What Responsibility Means Right Now.”

Aliza Licht is the founder of a multimedia brand and consultancy Leave Your Mark. She is a brand marketer, and an expert in social media and personal branding. She has authored the following books: “Leave Your Mark; Land Your Dream Job,” “Kill it in Your Career. Rock Social Media,” and “On Brand; Shape Your Narrative. Share Your Vision. Shift Their Perception.” 

Licht will conduct the learning seminar, “No One is Thinking About Your Brand. Here’s How to Get Them To.” 

Zach Lipsky, president of software company Boss Logics, and Michael Schechter, the company’s vice president of omnichannel strategy and innovation will deliver a conversation moderated by Jen Cullen Williams of JCW Communications, “Between Two Nerds: Setting Jewelers Up for Digital Success.”

Kelly McDonald is a marketing and advertising specialist and the founder of McDonald Marketing, which was twice named a “top agency” by Advertising Age. She is an expert in the areas of consumer trends, generational differences, and customer experience.

McDonald’s learning session will be, “Deliver a Better Experience, For Every Kind of Customer.”

Ivette Nersesyan-Stephanopoulos, vice president code of origin and trade services North America for De Beers Group, will hold the session, “Addressing Important Contextual Shifts in Selling Diamonds.”

Benny Oeyen, executive head of marketing development for Anglo American, will lead the learning session, “Unlocking Platinum’s Competitive Edge for Your Business.”

Kathy Lee, editor-in-chief of The Zoe Report, and Severine Ferrari, editor-in-chief of Engagement 101, will sit on a panel moderated by Michelle Orman, president of Last Word Communications, titled “Trendsetters Talk: The Importance of Ever-Evolving Metal Trends in Fine Jewelry.”

Robert “Cujo” Teschner is an award-winning fighter pilot and colonel, and former US Air Force expert of post-mission debriefing. He is also the best-selling author of “Debrief to Win” and “Building Resilience.”

Along with delivering the keynote address, he will also lead a learning session, “Debrief to Win Workshop.”

Paco Underhill, an environmental psychologist who is the founder of research consultancy Envirosell, and the NY Times bestselling author of “Why We Buy” and “Call of the Mall,” will deliver two learning seminars— “Shopping in a PostPan World: A Hard Look at the Impact of COVID on Consumer Culture” and “Adornment and Evolution of the Jewelry Customer: A Summary of Findings from Prototype Jewelry Stores.”

Full descriptions of each seminar are available on the Symposium ’24 page of The Plumb Club website. 

Event organizers noted that speakers and topics may be subject to change.  

Each day will begin with breakfast and end with a cocktail reception for networking. 

Lunches will be provided, and refreshments served throughout the day.  

Symposium ’24 is happening amid several other annual events that typically draw the jewelry industry to New York City, including the JA New York Spring Show (March 10-12), the Jewelers Vigilance Committee’s annual luncheon and the Gem Awards (both March 8), as well as the annual luncheon of the Jewelers’ Security Alliance and the 24 Karat Club of New York’s gala (both March 9). 

The event requires an invitation to attend. 

The Plumb Club said the majority of invitations have been sent and seats are becoming limited.  

Retailers wishing to put in a request for consideration should email info@plumbclub.com