Foreword to the ERA Global News, Summer 2019
Dear ERA Europe Members, Dear Readers of the ERA Europe News Summer edition,
After the summer conference a year ago, we were all still overwhelmed with the demise of ERA U.S. We promised a year ago that THE SHOW MUST GO ON.
Today we can clearly say, that the show goes on. We have found a partner in the U.S. to have two non-European venues while ERA Europe is in the middle of its transformation process to ERA Global. A year later, we can celebrate that our members now come from all five continents whereas before our membership was limited to European members only. As promised a year ago, ERA Global will ensure, that our global industry community stays together and remains one.
For the last 12 months, Maja Umek from Studio Moderna, as the Chairwoman of the Board of Directors, has manoeuvered our boat through high tides and rough seas. In Budapest, the 2019 – 2021 Board constituted itself, and Maja handed over the steering wheel to Ken Daly, CEO JML, who is our newly elected Chairman. We would like to take the opportunity to thank Maja for all her dedication and energy, and for the excellent co-operation and leadership over the last two years.
The constitution of the new board also means a new board composition. Known board members are Isabelle Fournier, (Ventadis), Andrew Malcher, (Highstreet TV), Sergei Mazourik, (Sankom), Sylvie Mouradien, (Teleshopping), Vera Nickel, (HSE24), Dieter Schneider, (Mediashop). New to the board are Giuseppe Bianchi, (Mediashopping) and Miguel Morales, (Industex). With the inauguration of the APAC Chapter, Jonathan Gregory from Oaklawn/Shop Japan and the APAC Chapter Chair, was also appointed to the board to ensure the respective representation of that chapter there.
In this edition we will reflect the latest transformation developments and give you a full retrospective on the 2019 European Multi Channel Home Shopping Conference in Budapest.
The Budapest Conference started on the first morning with the First Timer Business Speed Dating Event. Approximately 20 new companies had the chance to have guaranteed meetings with the most important players in our industry. Each company had a quick 10 minute meeting to introduce their company and business idea to receive some tutorship, guidance or, best case a follow up meeting to conclude a deal.
Another highlight was the MCMS (Multi-Channel Money Streams) Congress (panel sessions), which was organised in co-operation with the EMOTA. We learned first-hand about opportunities and challenges in China or India, and heard the latest news about Alibaba and other trade platforms.
Budapest also saw the inauguration of our APAC Chapter, a forum where we will discuss in depth with companies from the region to ensure that their voice is heard and their need respected in our global association.
The evening of the 2nd day was fully devoted to the EMMA Awards – our global Teleshopping Oscars. We have never before awarded prizes in so many categories to winners from all over the globe. The event adjourned with our After Show Party at the hottest club in town, the famous EXTRA Bar. … and of course a lot of business was done.
One third of the attending companies in Budapest were new to our show. In particular, we saw a strong increase in Asian companies attending our event.
You may also want to have a look at our Government Affairs Bulletin. ERA has formed a task force defining its position regarding the liability of intermediary platforms. It is a hundred million € business to sell counterfeit goods or to provide a platform for traders that do not pay VAT. It's a big business for platforms and these traders and a heavy distortion of competition for our members that play by the rules.
So please enjoy the latest edition of this newsletter. As usual you will also find the latest news of our industry and we are convinced that you will find interesting articles, interviews and even more inspiration. We would like to gratefully thank all our contributors to this newsletter.
Best regards,
Dr. Julian Oberndörfer
Chief Executive Officer/ Administrateur Delegués
Electronic Retailing Association Europe