Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM JULY 2020 22 Beyond browsing, Catalog Connexions also enabled retailers and designers to submit requests for product information. Some 422 leads were generated, with requests coming from 32 states and four countries – Canada, Bolivia, Honduras and England. Designer Dana Roeser of Dana Roeser Interior Design in Winnetka, IL. used Catalog Connection to request product information. "I found Catalog Connexion very easy to use, and I loved being able to see the vendors and their products to jog my memory," she said. "These digital tools obviously can't replace physical markets, but they are a good resource." While IMC's High Point Virtual Market Experience has concluded its live presentations, recordings of all webinars are posted online. The Catalog Connexion is also still accessible through the website until the Fall 2020 High Point Market, Oct. 13 – Oct. 21, 2020. "We are grateful for everyone who participated in the successful debut of IMC's High Point Virtual Market Experience," Maricich explained. "Until we can meet again in person in High Point, we will keep the materials posted to and easily accessible on our website." International Market Centers (IMC) is the world's largest operator of premier showroom space for furniture, gift, home décor, rug and apparel industries. International Market Centers owns and operates nearly 20 million square feet of world-class exhibition space in High Point, NC, Las Vegas and Atlanta. IMC's mission is to build and operate an innovative, sustainable, profitable and scalable platform for the furniture, gift, home décor, rug and apparel industries. Visit www.IMCenters.com for more information on IMC. LG ANNOUNCES U.S MARKETING TEAM Award-winning marketer Vanderwaal to retire, new leadership role for Peggy Ang, Chris Hong joins LG as digital head LG Electronics North America President and CEO Thomas Yoon announced leadership changes in LG's U.S. marketing team: • Industry veteran Peggy Ang has been named head of marketing at LG Electronics USA. • Digital innovator Chris Hong will lead North American digital transformation initiatives. • Award-winning marketing leader David VanderWaal is retiring after 13 years at LG. Peggy Ang has been promoted to head of marketing for LG Electronics USA. She will oversee LG's U.S. cross-business-unit advertising, consumer research, sponsor- ships, shopper insights and promotion initiatives. For the past two years she has been Division Vice President, Brand Marketing, Mobile Communications, LG Electronics USA. Ang joined LG in 2016 as head of Home Appliance Brand Marketing. Prior to LG, she held senior brand and marketing positions at Samsung, Coravin, Sony Electronics and Discovery Communications. Chris Hong has joined LG Electronics North America as senior vice president, chief digital officer. His organization will be responsible for digital transformation strategies and initiatives in North America. Hong is an experienced marketer and thought leader who has led digital innovation since 1994 for both large global tech companies, as well as a number of tech startups. Most recently, he was chief strategy officer for HSAd, an LG sister company. Hong began his career at LG Electronics, and has now returned after 23 years. David VanderWaal, LG USA's senior vice president of marketing, announced his retirement effective July 31. Since joining LG in 2007, VanderWaal has held a variety of key marketing positions. He led LG's award-winning in-store marketing initiatives for five years, before leading home appliance marketing in 2012 and adding home entertainment marketing in 2014. He was named vice president in 2015 and senior vice president in 2018. VanderWaal's three decades of industry experience included spearheading market- ing strategies for such top brands such as Sprint, Hallmark, Maytag and Jenn-Air. I N D U S T R Y [ N E W S ] PEGGY ANG CHRIS HONG DAVID VANDERWAAL

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