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The XV World Congress, co-hosted by the World Federation of Direct Selling Associations and the French DSA will take place in Paris, on 1st to 3rd of October 2017.
France, the 2nd largest direct selling market in Europe, is proud to host the 2017 Congress which will be THE place to be for anyone interested or involved in direct selling. Digital and technical revolutions, new managerial trends, and most recent legal developments impacting our business model will be amongst the many topics debated in this prestigious event having “Own the Future” as theme.
High profile speakers, leaders of our industry, media representatives and academia will be presents in this unforgettable event. Emma Crosby, the well-known BBC journalist, will moderate the plenary sessions, and two keynote speakers will share with us their vision of a fast-moving world in constant transformation. Pascal Lamy, former Director of the World Trade Organization (WTO) will enlighten us on the main political and economic challenges we will face in the coming years. On a totally different topic but equally interesting, Bertrand Piccard, the famous Swiss aeronaut who flew around the world with “Solar Impulse”, the first plane only powered by solar energy, will tell us why protecting our natural environment is so crucial for the future.
Besides a CEO Panel discussion between four key leaders of the direct selling industry, the programme of the Congress features a range of interactive workshops which will address a broad variety of subjects that are crucial for the evolution of our businesses:
Generation Y, or Millennials, as they are also called, grew up with new technologies and bring a whole new vision of the workplace. Direct selling companies follow this trend closely as a growing number of young people are interested by the direct selling work.
The collaborative economy is a fast growing business trend. Its concept based on a “doing more with less” approach is in line with the current economic climate. How does direct selling relate to the collaborative economy? The success of this new peer-to-peer entrepreneurial business trend will push retailers and consumers to reinvent the way of doing business.
The evolution of Consumerism and Distribution. Today’s consumers are more, and often better, informed than the seller due to their habits of researching products and services online before making purchase decisions. How can we adapt our companies’ strategies and our business model to the new purchasing habits initiated by this digital revolution? Will customer loyalty be affected by this evolution, and if so, how?
Social Media & Direct Selling. What is the future of social networks in our industry? What is the contribution of new technologies to sales methods and how can these tools best be used?
The company of the Future. Expert predicts robots will take over 30% of our jobs by 2025 and many blue collar jobs will disappear. Flexibility, balanced and healthier life styles, new schedules at work, all these new trends emerge, supported by new technologies. Our companies must adjust their operations to these new trends. How can they meet this challenge?
Wellness products: Tomorrow’s health & connected tools. In the near future, scientists will be able to analyse everyone’s health with the help of connected tools such as the “health watch”. Will these new connected health tools make significant advances in the future and will they boost direct sales of wellness products that occupy an increasing share in the direct selling sector?
Last but not least, this Congress will be a unique opportunity to meet and network with all the key players of our industry, and to socialize during three exceptional evening events, which include a dinner cruise on the Seine river and an unforgettable gala dinner in the Château de Versailles.
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