Top service for top people

The Global DIY Summit started in Vienna in 2011 with several hundred participants. Now, around a thousand participants attend every year. What do they expect from this conference – and what do they get?

John Herbert: The Global DIY Summit organised by Edra/Ghin and Hima has always been very successful – more successful than I could have expected. The reason is that we have found the right mix: networking – that's the most important thing – the programme, the atmosphere, the location, and I would even say details such as the food.

All of this contributes to our reputation. What you don't need is too much content, too many presentations and, as a result, too little opportunity for networking. However, the secret to our success is that we have been able to attract the top people, the C Group. All the CEOs of all the major DIY store operators around the world – with the exception of the USA – come to our summit. And not only them: the purchasing managers come too, and that's why the suppliers come as well. The fact that we bring sponsors together with top retailers at the gala dinner, for example, is a perfect example of networking at its very best – and that's how it's perceived.

But of course it's also important to have top speakers. Iñaki Maillard, Managing Director of the Global DIY Summit and head of the FEK organisation team, does a wonderful job of bringing top people to the summit – so they come.

And then we have some truly spectacular locations. I'm thinking of Guildhall in London or Real Madrid's stadium, where we stood on the pitch a week after the end of the season and were able to hold the trophy in our hands. Then there's the hall in Stockholm where the Nobel Prizes are awarded. So: it's a highlight, it's detail work, it's top-end, it's not cheap, but it has substance, and it's obviously worth it to people. They wouldn't come every year if they weren't completely satisfied.

What are the criteria for selecting speakers and topics?

We look at the previous congress and analyse what the most important topics are. This year, for example, AI is on the agenda, along with all the trends following the coronavirus pandemic: What are companies doing online? What are they doing in online marketplaces? How are they using their own brands? What product ranges…