Rick Segel, billed as one of America’s most respected marketing consultants, will be the keynote speaker for the 2008 Jewelers Executive Conference, being held March 14-16, 2008, at the Doubletree Hotel in Overland Park, Kan., a suburb of Kansas City. The conference is designed to help store owners, mangers, and executives understand the need to adopt an attitude of never ending learning and improvement as part of their core beliefs.

Segel will open and close the conference and lead one of its five seminars. At the opening lunch on March 15 he will introduce attendees to proven ways to be different from their competitors (whatever their product) and how to stand out in the crowd. At the closing dinner March 16, Segel will summarize the key ideas of all presenters.

Each owner and manager attending the event will be to choose from four of the available five, which follow the conference theme, “Loupe Your Future.” They are:

Luxury Customers: Retention & Acquisition – Barbara Maland, director of Training & Product Development for SA Gems.

On Line Success – Rick Segel.

Utilize “You” In Your Marketing – Amanda Gizzi, director of Public Relations for the Jewelers Information Center.

Purchasing Power: Buy It Right, Price It Right – David Peters, director of Education for Jewelers of America.

Employee Education: Coaching Vs Managing – Nick Failla, president of Premier Consulting Innovations.

Vicki Cunningham and Tom Wright, co-chairs for the 2008 Jewelers Executive Conference For more information, visit on the JEC Web site; or contact Sharon or Bill Blair at sjblair38@kc.rr.com, (800) 487-7822.

JCK