Workshop #1

Influencers: risk or reward?

• What is a photo worth? Are influencers the way forward for luxury brands?
• The consumer protection challenge
• Entrusting your brand image to a third party

Hosted by Bryan Cave

• Nick Steward, Founder, GALLIVANT
• Melanie Nardo, General Counsel, Coty Luxury Division
• Joby Davis, Partner, Bryan Cave
• Jeremy Bark, Associate Director, Bryan Cave
• Carol Osborne, Partner, Bryan Cave

Workshop #2

Changing trade policies and their impact on the Luxury & Fashion industry

• Current development and disruption in international trade practice and policies is having an impact on the framework on which luxury & fashion companies and investors have historically relied on to develop their global supply chains and businesses more generally.
• How is the sector responding to these challenges and how should luxury & fashion companies be managing the resulting commercial uncertainty and adapting their overall business strategy and supply chain management?

This workshop will look at the various implications of these changing trade dynamics for the industry, in particular in light of the changes in US trade policy and the latest Brexit developments.

Hosted by Baker McKenzie

• Alyssa Auberger, Global Chair of Consumer Goods & Retail Industry Group, Baker McKenzie
• Jessica Mutton, Associate, Baker McKenzie
• Rod Hunter, Partner, Baker McKenzie
• Jon Cowley, Partner, Baker McKenzie

Workshop #3

Safeguarding luxury & fashion brands online

Online counterfeiting is a continuing issue for luxury brands as counterfeiters become ever more sophisticated. EUIPO research in 2016 found that: “The ingenuity of infringers of intellectual property rights appears to have kept track with and even to some extent outpaced the development of the legitimate business models designed to facilitate online commerce.”

This workshop will:

• Look at ways to mitigate the risks of operating in the online sphere
• Consider how counterfeiters develop their networks and reach consumers
• Explain the shift from counterfeits to look-a-likes
• Consider best-practice and legal options using a luxury case study

Hosted by Wiggin/Incopro

• Rachel Alexander, Partner, Wiggin
• Helen Saunders, Chief Product and Customer Solutions Officer, Incopro

Workshop #4

Luxury & Blockchain – Buzzword or Beneficial?

According to the OECD, the retail value of imported fake goods is in the region of $461 billion per year (2013). Luxury companies are rightly seeking to maintain and protect the provenance and quality of their goods, while at the same time, consumers are increasingly conscious of the collective responsibility to ensure their purchases are sustainably and responsibly sourced, and ever more engaged with technology.

Blockchain technology has been alleged to be a solution looking for a problem, but can it be used by luxury companies to meet existing and new challenges? Can Blockchain technology be utilised to address the existing challenges of provenance and combating counterfeiting, enable brands to monitor, enforce and record the significant efforts put in by them to meet the increasing need for supply chain sustainability and responsibility, while simultaneously improving the user experience?

Hosted by Fladgate

• Eddie Powell, Partner, Fladgate
• David Lee, Associate, Fladgate
• Alex Batlin, Founder & CEO, Trustology
• Joel Smalley, CEO, SuperMoney
• Lilly Pencheva, Senior Consultant, Blockchain technology & Digital Risk, Deloitte

Workshop #1

Trust in data, no longer a luxury? – Privacy, security, and consumer trust for 21st century Luxury

Privacy laws are changing, analytics and targeting are becoming business imperatives, and your customers are demanding enhanced connectivity and personalization. Join us as we explore some of the challenges of succeeding in a data-driven market that is undergoing global regulatory upheavals.

Hosted by Hogan Lovells

• Nicola Fulford, Partner, Hogan Lovells
• James Denvil, Senior Associate, Hogan Lovells

Workshop #2

Online sales, risk and competition enforcement in a fast-changing retail environment: protecting your brand

Luxury brands are under threat as powerful ecommerce platforms create added risk alongside aggressive competition regulators. From resale pricing to online sales, this panel will look at the changing nature of brand protection in Europe in light of recent landmark cases, and how to balance meeting business objectives with achieving compliance. Importantly, this panel will also consider the potential impact of the European Commission’s recently launched review of the Vertical Agreements Block Exemption Regulation (VABER), which will thoroughly re-evaluate how competition law is applied to distribution practices. Brand owners, distributors and retailers, as well as ecommerce platforms, will need to pay close attention to the review as its outcome will have a critical impact on how luxury goods and services are distributed for years to come.

This panel will explore:

• What is luxury and why does this matter?
• How does your market position impact your risk exposure?
• How do you manage and incentivise retail partners effectively?
• Can you control pricing, and what if your brand also sells online direct to consumers?
• Can you control sales or advertising on online platforms?
• What are the potential outcomes of the European Commission’s VABER review and how can luxury brands protect themselves?

Hosted by Van Bael & Bellis,

• Edzard Offers, Nike Legal Counsel EMEA
• Åsa Ericson Hedström, Vice President Legal, Fiskars Group
• Andrzej Kmiecik, Partner, Van Bael & Bellis
• Andreas Reindl, Partner, Van Bael & Bellis

Workshop #3

Al Tech and Fashion 

• The emerging roles of artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), and augmented reality (AR) in fashion and retail and how it is reshaping the consumer experience (e.g., “smart” mirrors, “data dresses”, etc.).
• The intellectual property and privacy issues raised by these trends, including:  IP protection for wearable technology; data privacy concerns under regulatory schemes such as the GDPR, HIPAA, and the California Consumer Privacy Act; and the use of verification technologies to identify and combat counterfeits.
• How brands can comply with evolving legal requirements to keep pace with (or stay ahead of) the technology trends in fashion and luxury retail.

Hosted by Greenberg Traurig  

• Danielle Garno, Shareholder, Greenberg Traurig 
• Steve Wadyka, Shareholder, Greenberg Traurig
• David Köröndi, Legal Manager, Eton Shirts

Workshop #4

Nurturing Luxury Innovation

According to Bain, the online share of the global personal luxury goods market is predicted to rise to 25% by 2025.   Augmented Retail will be the luxury shopping reality.  But what does this mean for the luxury customer, how can brands and retailers innovate, and how does a Legal Team partner with a business serving an ever-evolving digital environment?

Join the Farfetch Legal and Store of the Future Teams as we discuss what innovation means at Farfetch.  We will explore building an agile Legal Team, how to collaborate cross-functionality, the importance of open innovation and keeping the luxury customer’s experience, together with brand positioning and visual representation, front and centre.

Hosted by Farfetch

• Alice Flaye, Head of Legal – IP/Commercial, Farfetch
• Bianca Stewart, Senior Legal Counsel – Corporate/Commercial, Farfetch
• Kelley Brogan, Head of Customer Experience for Store of the Future, Farfetch
• Olivia Ferdi, Senior Legal Counsel – IP/Commercial, Farfetch