After a thank you to all the sponsors, Day 2 of the FMI Asset Protection Conference began with Libby Christman introducing James Kane, who then re-introduced himself providing us with some of the minutiae of his life. As a behavioral psychologist, he used his introduction as an example of what causes people to be loyal. By providing us with a laundry list of his likes, dislikes, shopping preferences, pets, etc. – each of us found something in common and felt more connected with him. He explained that our brain is continually looking for shortcuts and patterns to help us determine what is safe, which helps with creating loyalty. When you find those commonalities of interest and know about those you work with, you trust them and are likely to remain loyal unless anything changes.
Jim Cosseboom, LPC then helped explain the ins and outs of protecting large scale events from both a physical security standpoint as well as an information and data security standpoint. From being active on the event planning committee and performing a security assessment to creating and communicating the security plan, each step is critical to ensure a safe event with a plan for security risks.
And when it comes to security risks, nothing says risk right now like politics. Thankfully Jim Gerlach the President and CEO of the Business Industry Political Action Committee was here to help discuss potential outcomes of the upcoming presidential and congressional elections and what it could mean for the food retail industry. He stressed the importance of engaging employees, the local community and elected officials to ensure they understand the impacts of certain issues to your business. Be sure people are getting accurate information to your employees to help them make informed decisions.
When it comes to informed decisions, Jennifer Golbeck and her algorithms seem to know it all. Whether you use Twitter, Facebook, or even just purchase items online, you are leaving a digital trail that can now be used to not only predict things about you now but it can also be used to predict things about you in the future. While still in research phases, the algorithms like this offer potential in areas from hiring associates to
The day closed out with inspiring words from Jia Jiang who performed a social experiment he calls 100 days of rejection. After finding himself fearing rejection and reacting poorly to being rejected he decided to face his fear head on and even filmed himself getting rejected. He would then watch them like “game film” and post them online for others. He found himself shutting down at the first sign of rejection and leaving the situation. In hindsight, he decided he could handle rejection in many other ways. By staying engaged he didn’t have to be scared and he could negotiate or even get “referred” to someone else that may not reject the request. In the end it came down to understanding that rejection can be used to your advantage if you change the dynamic of the conversation and use the power of why to turn a no into a yes.
After the lights went down on the last set of exhibit hall hours, everyone headed outside to rock the night away under the desert stars in an old west-inspired social event. With activities like a photo booth and quick draw competition, a good time was had by all.