RETAILER INFORMATION
Fall 2022 Timeline
June
Vendor contracts issued.
July
Vendor contracts due.
Retailer advanced show commitments due.
August
Appointment requests open up for retailers.
Retailers should plan travel, purchase flights & complete appointment requests.
September
Initial schedules released, schedule change requests accepted.
October
Final schedules released & registration & hotel room blocks close.
November
Education Day June 5
Connect Show June 6-9
Lunch and Learn Sessions June 6-9
Registration
Each retailer's designated Retail Organizer will be prompted for registration payment when schedule requests are submitted.
Registration is $25.00 per retailer attendee. The fee secures the badge required to enter the show, and covers lunches, snacks, and happy hours.
Please contact Rachel Paar for any questions regarding registration.
Resources
Tutorial for Retail Organizers: Inviting your teammates onto the scheduling platform
Live recorded Show Information Session & Scheduling Platform Tour
REIMBURSEMENTS
Qualifications for Retailer Reimbursement
All attendees are required to stay in the Grassroots Hotel Room blocks during Connect shows. Failure to do so will result in total loss of reimbursement funds.
We ask that retailers who attend Connect are fully engaged and have a full schedule of appointments.
Reimbursement Calculations & Examples
The Grassroots Connect Retailer Reimbursement program has three areas of focus that determine the reimbursement: total appointment hours, travel, and business meeting hours. Each area is covered in detail below. The figures in the examples provided below are not representative of real reimbursement amounts and are only provided to demonstrate the mechanics of the reimbursement.
Total Appointment Hours: This calculation rewards retailers who remain busy at the show and take full advantage of supporting the vendors who pay for the reimbursement. Each buyer/principal receives reimbursement based on what percentage of the total show hours they account for.
EXAMPLE: There are a total of 5,000 hours scheduled at the show and $30,000 given to this area. A particular buyer has 50 hours over the course of the week. The buyer accounts for 1% of the show hours and will receive $500 for this portion of the reimbursement.
Travel: Travel dollars are calculated in much the same way as hours. All of the travel miles (based off of store location to convention center) are summed up and reimbursements are allocated based on percentages of total.
EXAMPLE: There are a total of 200,000 miles traveled by all of the buyers attending the show and $20,000 given to this area. A particular buyer travels 2,000 miles from their store to the convention center (driving or flying does not make any difference). The buyer accounts for 1% of the total miles and will receive $200 for this portion of the reimbursement.
Business Meeting Hours: Principals who come to the show primarily for business meetings benefit directly from the Business Meeting calculation. This reimbursement is structured in the same way as, and in addition to, total appointment hours.
EXAMPLE: There are a total of 300 business meeting hours at the show and $10,000 given to this area. A particular buyer/principal has a total of 3 business meeting hours. The buyer/principal accounts for 5.00% of the total business meeting hours and will receive $100 for this portion of the reimbursement.
In sum: Each area of the reimbursement is separate from the others and allows the buyer/principal to make decisions that bring the best value to their store. As the show reimbursement is paid for mostly by the vendors, those retailers who spend the most time with the vendors will undoubtedly see the largest reimbursement for the show.
Below is a recap of the buyer represented in the EXAMPLES above:
Appointment Hours Portion - $500
Travel Portion - $200
Business Meeting Hours Portion - $100
Total Reimbursement for this particular buyer - $800