Top meeting in Berlin

Many familiar faces, many new names, plus topics that have been occupying the industry for some time and new outlooks on the future of the DIY trade: this aptly summarises the programme published by the international trade and manufacturers' associations Edra/Ghin and Hima for the 9th Global DIY Summit 2023. The decision-makers in the international home improvement industry will meet in Berlin on 15 and 16 June 2023.

New names on the list of speakers include Verónica Valdez, CEO of the Peruvian DIY chain Promart, Erik Cuypers, group CIO of the Dutch Maxeda DIY Group, Mattias Ankarberg, CEO of the Swedish Byggmax Group, Takashi Yanase, head of GooDay from Japan, JJ van Osten, chief digital and technology officer of Kingfisher and Mariano Imberga, head of operations at Sodimac of Chile.

One name that many congress visitors will already be familiar with is that of retail expert Ken Hughes. Other speakers at the summit, some of whom have made several appearances, include Ira Kalish, chief economist at Deloitte, keynote speaker Steven Van Belleghem, economics professor Chris Roebuck and Erwin van Osta, owner of the Belgian chain Hubo and president of the Brico Alliance purchasing cooperation. The summit will again be moderated by John Herbert from the international DIY trade association Edra/Ghin and his executive colleague Piet de Coninck from the European manufacturers' association Hima.

The groups of topics into which the lecture programme is divided cover pretty much everything that the industry is currently discussing. The main theme of the first morning will be “CX - What are DIY customers really looking for today?" Digital transformation and "data-driven decision-making" will be next on the agenda. On the second day, the conference will consider what collaboration models have to do with innovation and whether sustainability is a trend or reality. "Global home improvement insights" with examples of successful DIY store concepts from all over the world will also be a major focal point.

Notwithstanding the wealth of topics up for discussion, networking is one of the key reasons for attending. That's why there will be plenty of breaks between lectures to allow time for an exchange of ideas with international discussion partners at the accompanying conference exhibition, for example. Of course, the gala evening will also serve this purpose as one of the highlights of the event.

The Global DIY Summit will once again kick off with a store tour and get-together on the eve of the event at the Hotel Estrel Berlin. The organisers offer an early-bird discount for registrations received by 15 March 2023.