Goodbye Las Vegas… Hello New York!

My time here in Las Vegas is winding down (about to head out to the Las Vegas online sellers meetup in a few minutes). I’m packing my bags and leaving one leading industry conference for another. I’ll be at the National Retail Federation 2012 from Sunday – Tuesday to cover all things eBay Inc.

eBay Ink at NRF

Sunday, January 15:
Panel Session: Mobile Payments: Making Dollars and Sense in Mobile Payments
Don Kingsborough, VP/ GM of Retail and Prepaid at PayPal
12:00 pm – 1:30 pm
Hall E, 1E 07/08
Overview: The mobile payments space comprises two different systems: 1) payments using the mobile network, and 2) contactless payments. Payments and the services mobile payments enable at the store level can serve as a powerful and disruptive force in the retail environment. This session reviews the latest in this rapidly evolving technology and business, and details the newest players in the mobile payments ecosystem.

Monday, January 16
Panel Session: Social Shopping: Mobility, Social Media and Personalized Services
Bob Schwartz, President, Magento
3:15 pm – 4:15 pm
Hall A, 1A 10/12
Overview: Connected devices make what was once a solitary trip to the store a more socially connected event. Smartphones don’t serve as just another marketing vehicle—they can be a platform to combine the digital and physical worlds. As shoppers go through the process of discovering new products, testing them and reflecting on their purchases, they share these thoughts with their social networks and influence perception among their peer group. This session will examine why retailers must embrace and facilitate this sharing of information, and how retail outlets need to evolve to create experiences that drive sales in-store. Retailers will learn how to integrate mobile and social media strategies into a cohesive business model that enhances marketing and merchandising.

Booths:
Check out the NRF floorplan with highlighted eBay Inc. booths.

Twitter:
I’ll be live-tweeting throughout the conference from @ebayinkblog using the #eBayatNRF hashtag.

Other key Twitter handles:@PayPal, @X_Commerce, @MiloShopping, @GSICommerce, @Magento, @bobschwartz

The Passport:
Attendees will receive a passport that they can get stamped at the 3 booths (PayPal, GSI, Milo) and if they get stamps from each of the 3 booths, they will be entered in a drawing for $1000 (3 drawings in all).

Finally, I sat down with eBay Inc. CEO, John Donahoe, at CES 2012 to talk about the eBay Inc. portfolio and how consumers are changing their shopping behaviors and how that impacts eBay’s participation in certain industry events, like the NRF:

Cheers,
RBH