Vendors: Reserve Your 2010 Expo Booth Today
from MSA
Act now! Reserve your booth for the 2010 MSA Expo in Austin, TX, from April 17–19. The MSA Expo will give you access to buyers from cultural venues such as museums, historic sites, zoos and more. Exhibit space is limited so reserve your spot today. More

Coming This Fall: The 2009 MSA Retail Industry Report
from MSA
Pre-order your copy of the indispensable industry guide for cultural retail operations. The 2009 MSA Retail Industry Report will provide benchmarks, give insight and enable you to make smart business decisions. More

Attention MSA Museum Members – Volunteers for the MSA 2009 Nominating Committee Needed
from MSA
MSA is seeking nominations for MSA Museum Members to serve on the 2009 Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee is responsible for selecting qualified candidates to run in an election to serve on the Association's board of directors. The deadline for receipt of all nomination forms in the MSA office is July 13, 2009. Get more information and complete the online form. More

Data Privacy Rules Coming as Massachusetts Trumps the Feds
from BNET
A privacy bill under consideration in Washington would significantly impact retail through provisions that would spell out how companies would have to protect customer data and what they must do if information is compromised, yet, as worrisome as that might be for some, any concern is essentially moot because a Massachusetts regulation with substantially the same provisions will go into effect Jan. 1. More

Social Media Users – Who are They, and What Do They Do?
from NRF via Shop.org
Many of those in the online retail space have discussed at length the many strategic and tactical aspects of designing, developing, and managing social media for their businesses. The authors wanted to step back and understand better who social media users at this point are, and what they are doing. More

Stationery & Gift Trends
from One Coast
Walking the 2009 National Stationery Show, you couldn't help but notice the shorter aisles and smaller overall footprint. Yet, the atmosphere of this stationery and gift "main event" was full of energy and optimism. The National Stationery Show served as a bright harbinger of hot summer product and buying trends. If you weren't able to attend the show, read on to find out more about the stationery and gifting trends seen amidst the aisles. They will serve as a guide for you as you head into the busy summer show and buying season. More

Expect an Early Christmas?
from Internet Retailer
For Thomas Harman, whose BalsamHill.com retail site depends entirely on Christmas, the holiday shopping season is basically over by Dec. 10. And the shopping season for every retailer will be earlier this year than last year, he advises. More

Bringing "Theater" into the Store
from One Coast
If all the world's a stage, retail has the role of leading lady. According to Chris Hite, principal of Texas-based HITE advertising and brand consulting, a store's promotional calendar is its script, while visual merchandising sets the stage, the store owner and associates serve as cast members and customers make up the audience. With that in mind, read on to learn how to earn a round of applause for your store's dramatic efforts. More

Retailers Cut Back on Variety, Once the Spice of Marketing
from The Wall Street Journal
For years, supermarkets, drugstores and discount retailers packed their shelves with an ever-expanding array of products in different brands, sizes, colors, flavors, fragrances and prices. Now, though, they believe less is more. More

New Marketing Mix Model Uses Virtual Platform to Predict Shopping Behavior
from Retail Touch Points
Marketing mix modeling has proven to be an important practice in driving bottom line performance among leading retail and consumer goods companies. However, the complex technique of using regression-based models to calculate marketing's impact on sales is often too time consuming and costly for some companies. More

Troubled Economy Increases Shoplifting Rates, According to National Retail Security Survey
from National Retail Federation
As retailers struggle with a pullback in consumer spending, the economy continues to present new challenges for companies' bottom lines. Preliminary results of the latest National Retail Security Survey, released at the National Retail Federation's Loss Prevention Conference and EXPO, show that retail shrinkage averaged 1.52 percent of retail sales in 2008, up from 1.44 percent in 2007. More

Summer Outlook Dark for Retailers
from The Detroit News
As consumers get ready to celebrate Fourth of July, many merchants already have dismissed summer as a washout. Macy's flagship store has racks of summer tops, swimwear and dresses marked down as much as 50 percent, while luxury retailer Bergdorf Goodman is slashing prices on designer goods by as much as 70 percent. Meanwhile, piles of clothing as well as barbecue grills, tents and gardening tools are bypassing stores and heading straight to liquidators as merchants try to conserve their cash. More

Apollo 11 Moon Landing 40th Anniversary Activities Take Off at the National Air and Space Museum
from Artdaily
Millions of people across the globe watched as two men set foot on another world for the first time July 20, 1969. The National Air and Space Museum is commemorating this defining moment in space exploration with several 40th anniversary-related programs including astronaut appearances, book signings, the opening of an art exhibit and gallery talks by the museum's Space History curators. All events are free and take place in the National Mall building. More

Los Angeles's MOCA Raises $57 Million
from Bloomberg
The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles said today that it raised about $57 million in the first half of 2009. The museum said it has reversed a decade of declining contributions to its endowment fund. The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, started by homebuilding and retirement fund billionaire Eli Broad, will match a $4.25 million contribution from MOCA’s board to the museum’s endowment, the organization said in a press release. More

Disney Museum Set for Presidio
from San Francisco Chronicle
You know the name, the movies, the television shows, the theme parks. Starting in October, California residents will have a chance to get to know Walt Disney the man. A 77,000-square-foot museum complex built mostly in former Army barracks at San Francisco's Presidio is set to open Oct. 1 to illuminate the man who went from a modest Midwest beginning to define entertainment for generations. More