Please see the schedule below for the 4th Quarter of 2024 meeting schedules. When logged into the RIA portal, you may register directly from the link below for your chosen spot. Please note, registration for each event is limited to 4 retailer members. If you wish to have multiple people from your store join, feel free but please register just once.
Please note all times listed are Eastern Time, your calendar will update correctly- noting our registration server lists Central Time.
The RIA’s mission is to foster collaboration between brands and retailers. So naturally, it makes sense to include the group that creates the strongest connection between retail and brand members: Independent sales reps and agencies.
The RIA is pleased to present this interactive guide for members and non-members alike that takes you through our plan to support the run specialty retail channel. Scroll through the guide to learn about our mission, the strategic pillars that support the mission, and the benefits that we offer to support our strategic pillars.
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The RIA Mission
Our ‘North Star’ is ultimately all about retailers thriving. The run specialty channel has proven to be incredibly resilient and competitive, and our goal is to keep it that way. Because we are a members only trade organization, we work in a closed ecosystem. But we also recognize our responsibility to help drive business into our retail stores, and this is a growing part of our mission.
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Our Strategic Pillars that Support the MISSION
Elevate Retailers
We recognize that if retailers don’t succeed, our brand and associated members also fail to succeed. Accordingly, the RIA seeks to elevate retailers to ensure the health and growth of the channel. So within this pillar we have employed strategies to support retail businesses.
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KEY BENEFITS Learn More:
Mastermind Groups
We currently have 40 stores participating, and intend to expand to include newer and smaller volume members in growth stages.
These are free of charge and include POS sharing. Stores who provide POS data will be able to compare their performance to their peers and identify areas of strength, and areas of improvement.
Freight Program
Not just discounts here! Freight support, issues, troubleshooting. All included.
With standardized access to brand product data in one central location, this marquee RIA benefit will save tremendous amounts of time and money in managing brand product data.
Ensuring that new and growing businesses have mentorship, peer sharing, and exposure to the tools that RIA and our partners offer.
Strengthening the Industry
Within this pillar our initiatives are focused on ensuring collaboration and connection between members, and provide channel insights to inform business decisions.
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KEY BENEFITS Learn More:
RIA Summit
This is our Member event. We’ve designed it to be an organic benefit. It will evolve based on what our members want. But the basis is collaboration and education. That includes stronger connections to our brands and associates and to other retailers.
Our partnership decisions are all based on how that partnership can benefit our members. For example, our partnership with Upper Quadrant provides valuable market intelligence. Our partnership with Parcel Management group provides the Freight Program.
This is our member forum, where conversations can take place on any topic that any member feels is important to discuss, or where members can seek guidance and assistance from other members.
These are free of charge, and keep everyone abreast of how the channel is performing. This benefit doesn’t require anything more than simply signing up.
We conduct our own annual surveys to both check in, and also discover what is important to our retailers. Our recent summer survey created new data on the health of the channel, consumer insights, and ecom, and how the RIA is performing.
Pulse Newsletter
This is for, about, and often by, our members. Content is designed to keep everyone informed about what the RIA is doing, as well as providing insights that matter to our members.
We believe that providing exposure to new and differentiated products keeps our member stores vibrant and improves the customer experience.
Rep Membership
We’re going to expand to include reps, which makes total sense given that these individuals are the main connection between brands and retailers. We’re going to offer market insights, training, and stronger connections to potential new brands. In house rep are already members by default. This is focused on individual reps, or sales agencies
Expand the Audience
Our third strategic pillar is focused on expanding exposure for run specialty, so within this pillar we’re looking to drive more customers into stores.
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KEY BENEFITS Learn More:
Supports RIDC
We’re strongly supportive of Running Industry Diversity Coalition (RIDC), and our National Run Safety Month promotion has a DEI focus.
Our first foray into exposing our member stores to a wider audience.
National Run Safety Month
One of the RIA’s core missions is to inform and raise awareness, and for National Run Safety Month, we feel it is important to recognize there are different experiences surrounding run safety that we have not yet explored.
