Months of planning put into action.....

Hello there!!! My apologies for being MIA so long, how is everyone? The last few months have been a complete whirlwind, travelling all over and organizing our RLI Connect and RLI Awards events back-to-back, not that I would have it any other way. However now that I can draw breath, I can catch you up on all things RLI.

The 5th June saw the launch of RLI Connect, The World's First Global Retail and Leisure Property Deal-Making Forum. The idea for this event is something I have had in my mind for years, to bring together key global retail and leisure decision makers and put them together under one roof, and let the deals get done in person without all the informal emails and layers of phone transfers. I would like to thank our
Headline Sponsor Sands Retail and Silver Sponsor Red Sea Mall for their invaluable Support.

Held alongside our annual RLI Awards on the 6th June at the Natural History Museum, London, the RLI Connect event took place at Chelsea Football Stadium the day before, and what a day it was.....

Having travelled down to London the day before to set-up, me and my colleagues arrived at the venue early to do last minute checks and to greet the early risers. From the moment the doors opened people turned up in their droves and it was an excellent sign of things to come. Fuelled by three courses of buffet food and drink at varying points in the day, people set about to do what they had come for, to create contacts, have meetings and make deals happen! With the creation of our online database well in advance of the event, people turned up knowing exactly who they were going to see, knowing who they wanted to meet and knowing they were being given the opportunity to network in a focused, high-energy environment with the top players in the retail and leisure industry. There was a fantastic turnout for the event, and we even got people turning up on the day who were interested in participating in this unique forum.

We finished the event with a cocktail party (how else?) in the early evening in the main RLI Networking Lounge at the venue, of course this over ran and before we knew it we were being gently persuaded to clear up and get out! Almost all the people who attended during the day made an appearance at the cocktail party to relax and network in a more tranquil setting than the scene had been earlier. This was also a chance to gain some perspective on how others had found the event, and we have had some amazing feedback from participants, some of which are listed below: -

"RLI Connect provided a fabulous platform for retailers and property owners to connect in a positive forum and in a way not offered by other events. Our headline sponsorship derived us great value and we look forward to our continuing association with Jayne and her team for years to come." - David Sylvester - Senior Vice President - Sands Retail (Headline Sponsor)

"RLI Connect 2013 was a great networking platform for me to meet others and share information between retailers and developers. I think it is a must for everyone in the industry to attend" - Mohammad I.B. Alawi - CEO - Red Sea Mall (Silver Sponsor)

"RLI Connect is a useful event in terms of meeting the key stakeholders for new business ventures..... I am sure it will be one of the main events in the Global Retail Events calendar." - Derihon Coquard - International Business Development Manager - George

"RLI Connect was a great forum to network and meet up with fellow retailers, shopping mall developers, service providers and consultants." - Ishwar Chugani - Managing Director - Giordano

"A well organised, concentrated event providing exposure to numerous quality international contacts in just one day" - David Hyde - Group Sales and Marketing Director - AMS Group

"This is an event that we would recommend to any shopping mall, property developer or retail brand to help them crystallise their thinking as to the most practical and profitable ways to move forward." - Roy Seaman - Managing Director - Franchise Development Services

"Jayne put together an absolutely flawless event, it allowed our organisation to have very strategic meetings with retailers looking at expansion into the middle eastern region. Extremely productive and well planned" - Ritu Chopra - Director - Retail Leasing & Client Relations - McArthur & Company

"For a first event, all I can say is that this was amongst the best retail events I have participated in. Everything was well thought out and organised so that we could make the most of the day. Also in terms of networking it was impressive, so we can't wait for the next one" - Filipe Correia - Expansion Director - Parfois

"Both the RLI Connect and the Global RLI Awards events were simply amazing. I made some fantastic contacts as well as some prospective deals..... RLI is a great platform for global retail on all levels." - Steven Wolfson - International Franchise Director - NYS Collection

"RLI Connect was a great success for Haskoll, we got to see a number of people that have eluded us for some time, including a Chinese developer, worth every minute of the whole day's event. Must do it again" - Derek Barker - Managing Director - Haskoll

"This is a great platform to network and do business. We definitely got some great leads." - Hiro Harjani - Chairman - Aftershock London

"All the premium attendees of the over-sized conferences in an intimate environment and all there to do real business" - Andrew Darrow - Executive Vice-President - KidZania

"Intend to take more people next year..... A very successful "first" for RLI with a number of interesting retailers and mall owners/developers from around the globe" - John Strachan - Partner, Global Head of Retail - Cushman & Wakefield

"Great network platform, high class contacts, enough time, good buffet, good location." - Bastian Jendral - Founder/Director - Delice Delikatessen

"Good networking event that allows you to access key decision makers" - Roger Williams - Head of International - Hotel Chocolat

"RLI Connect is a great market place for expanding global retailers to meet landlords and real estate support services" - Ermine Amies - Business Development, Europe - Local Gravity

"RLI Connect was a great event, there was private meeting rooms, a central meeting point and there was friendly and helpful support" - Helen Barnish - Head of International Development - Hamleys

"I was impressed by the spirit of the event, it was a stress-free environment which allowed people to socialize easily and simply, something obvious like this can often be over-looked" - Eric Portelli - Development Director Europe - Carmen Steffens 

"A great event and very well put together - well done! I particularly liked the meeting rooms that gave privacy and allowed for in-depth conversations. I also liked the fact that you introduced us to people that we did not know" - Mohamediqbal Yacoobali - CEO - Dune International

"The RLI Connect Deal-Making Forum was well organized and the pre-arranged meetings went ahead flawlessly. There was a buzz around the event and Jayne made sure that every delegate was looked after. I will certainly be present at her future events." - Khurshid Vakil - CO-Founder - Marina Home Interiors

"The who's who in international retail were present in one room, was a great opportunity to have face time without the need of travelling" - Mark Eve - Director - Global Retail Forum

"RLI Connect was a great experience and I can't wait to join next year" - Roberto Di Giorgio - President - Campo Marzio

"It was a pleasure to attend RLI Connect held recently at Chelsea Football Club. The organisation of the event was superb and all the small details were handled with grace and professionalism. Our meetings were not only interesting but highly productive. We will definitely be back for RLI Connect 2014." - Phil McArthur - Managing Director - McArthur + Company

"An event like this is the best possible option to bring together people from all over the world to have productive meetings about retail business. Without taking part in RLI Connect, it would have taken us years to find and contact these companies." - Gregor Garbajs - Manager - Maya Maya

"Yet another great event by RLI" - Michael Ellis - Partner - 5+design

"I appreciated that the number of operators was limited to the best players in the real-estate market" - Paola Macchi - Real Estate Director - Dolce & Gabbana

"RLI Connect proved to be a very beneficial event for Yours Clothing. Being able to discuss opportunities with members of UKTI, international landlords and developers as well as being able to network with other retailers and colleagues made this first event one to remember. Certainly an event to attend for 2014!" - Richard Aquilina - International Consultant - Yours Clothing

"Great forum to get your brand exposed to the international real estate community. Makes for excellent networking" - Daniel Spinath - CEO - Crepeaffaire

"Great venue, very professional and the RLI team did a splendid job on the day. The event was worthwhile, interesting and useful on many levels" - Simon Taylor - Head of International Franchise - New Look

"It was a great, well-organised event in a central location. For us, the difference from other events we attend was the opportunity to meet a wide range of new faces, from the retail, catering and leisure world - facilitated through Jayne's connections - putting us in touch with people we hadn't met before. We will certainly attend next year." - Helen Carr - Senior Manager, Leasing - intu Properties

"It was a pleasure to attend the RLI Connect event. The event was very organised and it was easy to use the meeting rooms which were very private and that made it easy to have one on one meetings. I found it very interesting and will most likely tie up a very good business deal over the next month so it was definitely worth it." - Armand Grech - Director - Square Deal

"It was a great event to meet with potential business partners. I particularly liked the private areas to conduct meetings and the two general mingling areas" - Bernard Smith - Head of Franchise - Laura Ashley

"Was a great event and I found it very useful, I look forward to the next one" - Naresh Abrol - Managing Director - Internacionale

"Overall it was a great event and very worthwhile going to, the ease of meeting all of the mall developers and representatives in one place on one day was a particularly good feature." - Cathal Power - CEO - Zumo

Looking ahead, we will also be taking on board the positive comments made to make sure we include these elements again next year, but with a fresh spin, and to act on the possibilities for improvement brought to our attention here at RLI. We already have several ideas we are looking forward to implementing at the second RLI Connect, such as providing an improved online meeting system to give users an even better chance of concluding deals on the day, which is what this event is all about.

After what was an exhausting but extremely productive day, I think everyone (myself included) was grateful to collapse into their beds for some much needed rest before another huge day, and the eighth annual RLI Awards.