Last week, we welcomed over 900 general and district managers from across the country to our annual General Manager Conference (GMC). Held at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas, the conference provided an opportunity for our executive team and store leaders to gather together and discuss the Company’s strategies, goals and initiatives planned for the coming year.
Conference attendees participated in town halls and breakout sessions led by our executive team and had the opportunity to visit the 2018 GMC Expo, a 180,000 sq. ft. exhibit hall featuring over 60 interactive booths on the Company’s key initiatives. Expo attendees were able to view new Xersion looks as models participated in a live yoga class, pose with a princess and her Prince Charming at the Disney Enchanted fine jewelry booth, participate in a game of indoor putt-putt at the Nike booth and more. The GMC Expo also showcased live product demonstrations from Sephora inside JCPenney and salon, as well as Copper Chef Eric Theiss, along with exciting fashion shows highlighting looks from key brands including Liz Claiborne, Arizona and more.
A silent and fantasy prize auction held throughout the event, as well as net proceeds from an on-site shop featuring JCPenney branded items, helped to raise over $80,000 for the Golden Rule Relief Fund (GRRF). Created to assist associates facing financial hardship after a natural disaster or unforeseen personal hardship, the GRRF relies primarily on individual donations from associates to support the charitable giving program.
This year’s conference also included the first ever “JCPenney’s Got Talent” competition, providing associates from across the country the opportunity to compete in a company-wide singing contest. Nine finalists were selected to travel to the GMC to perform their solo acts with a professional band and lead GMC attendees in a rousing anthem to become the new JCPenney fight song.
The final evening of the GMC concluded with an awards and recognition dinner honoring our top performing stores with the 2017 Founder’s Award. Over 90 store leaders were recognized for outstanding performance over the past year by delivering strong results in the areas of financial performance, customer and client service and business expertise.
Our general managers and district managers are key to bringing our Company vision to life, serving on the frontline of the customer shopping experience. The 2018 GMC provided an inspiring and engaging opportunity for these leaders to immerse themselves in the Company’s strategy and bring back key learnings to share with their store teams for the year ahead. Our store leaders left our GMC reenergized and fired up to win 2018!
