Charleston, South Carolina was the place to be for loss prevention leadership last week, with back-to-back-to-back meetings that supported the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA), LP Magazine, and the Loss Prevention Foundation. The annual events were well attended once again, with loss prevention leaders and solution providers in attendance to provide their advice, ideas, expertise and feedback as each of these industry resources reviewed performance over the past year and presented strategic agendas as we close 2015 and move into 2016.
LP Magazine
The LP Magazine Vendor Advisory Board meeting was held on Wednesday afternoon, with the Editorial Board meeting on Thursday afternoon. As the title suggests, the Vendor Advisory Board focuses on input from the various solution providers that serve the industry, and how we can enhance our presentation of the resources and information provided by these essential services. The Editorial Board meeting serves to address the needs and interests of the entire industry, and how those needs and interests can be best met by both the print magazine and our digital media resources. Both teams offered fresh perspectives and creative insight into the changing landscape of loss prevention and how LP Magazine can most effectively bring that information to our readers.
An essential aspect of these meetings involves actively requesting input on content that has been presented over the past year, thoughts and suggestions on potential topics for the print and digital products, and how we can continue to improve our resources and our reach to bring the LP community the quality product that you have come to expect. Both board members and guests were asked to provide their thoughts and ideas on content, topics, delivery, and other important contributions to further enhance the information and quality provided to our readers.
The meetings also included a presentation from Louise Henham with LP Magazine EU, who discussed how the magazine has been approached, developed and ultimately embraced by Europe’s loss prevention community. The LP Magazine EU has found both popular and critical success rather quickly, after winning the “Most Innovative Cross-Functional Product” in the People & Process Category and also named the “Overall Best LP Product” at Europe’s Retail Fraud Awards.
Results of our Readership Survey were summarized for the board members, along with initial strategies to address the needs and interests of our readership as we march onward into 2016. Everyone who reads LP Magazine is invited to share their voice and offer their opinions on our content and presentation, and that voice is considered a critical aspect of our ongoing strategies.
During these meetings, LP Magazine also reviewed the various improvements and accomplishments that we have experienced over the past year, to include:
- The subjects and articles that have been presented, to include new features such as LP101 and the LP Magazine Instant Polls that offer an interactive experience for our readers. Look for more new and progressive approaches over the upcoming year.
- The various resources and platforms that are available for our audience. The LP Magazine app and expanding the newsletter to a Monday-Wednesday-Friday format were just first steps in our ongoing strategy. There is much more to come as we continue to bring you valued news and information you can trust.
- How we are further expanding our offerings to best serve the LP community. In addition to our new strategies and team members, there will be much more that will arrive in the weeks to come. We’re very excited about the changes that are coming, so be sure to keep your eyes open.
Thursday’s events ended with a dinner conversation with former Naismith College Coach of the Year Bobby “Cakes” Cremmins, whoformerly served as head coach at Appalachian State, Georgia Tech, and the College of Charleston. Cremmins took questions and shared several stories from his days serving as a college coach, including his relationship with fellow coaches Mike Krzyzewski and Jim Valvano and NBA players such as Mark Price, John Salley, and Kenny Anderson, all of whom played for Coach Cremmins.
The Retail Industry Leaders Association
RILA’s Asset Protection Leaders Council was held on Thursday morning, featuring industry-focused presentations, ongoing and upcoming initiatives, insights into many of the key issues faced by today’s loss prevention professionals, and other core topics that can help our industry move forward into the new year.
With the active participation of industry leaders from across the nation, this meeting further serves to address the needs and interests of the retail loss prevention community as we move into 2016. While many are familiar with the annual Asset Protection conference, RILA is also deeply involved in various initiatives and studies that provide valuable insight into many of the key issues faced by today’s loss prevention professionals as critical partners in the retail enterprise.
As a trade association representing leading retail companies in each retail vertical, RILA has served as the premier advocate for America’s most sophisticated retailers, providing a forum for executives to solve common problems and share leading practices. For more on the Retail Industry Leaders Association, visit www.rila.org
The Loss Prevention Foundation
The Loss Prevention Foundation took center stage on Friday morning. Following a board-only session to begin the day, guests were invited to attend the rest of the meeting as presenters reviewed committee reports and specific discussion points regarding the progress of the LPF and the continuing growth of the certification programs.
During the meeting presenters discussed the continuing progress and contributions offered by the various LPF Committees, to include Academic growth and expansion, Armed Services transition services, Diversity awareness and education initiatives, the Requirements and Exemptions committee, the LP Memorial Fund, and the Scholarship committee.
The LPC and LPQ certifications continue to show an upward trend in course participation and certified members, with companies across the country showing a strong and growing commitment to the certification process. Academic support for certification has also continued to expand. Additionally, as part of continuing efforts to maintain the high quality and expectations established by the loss prevention community, the certifications are currently in the process of updating the LPC and LPQ courses, and revision progress was reviewed as well. Students of the certification courses can look forward to expanded content, a fresh look, and enhanced study tools to even further enhance the learning experience.
To learn more about the Loss Prevention Foundation or the LPC and LPQ courses, please visit www.losspreventionfoundation.org.