Agenda

Small LP teams are often responsible for hundreds of stores, large physical spaces, high‑volume markets and elevated risk, yet despite a lean head count, the team is still expected to protect people, product and brand while contributing to profitability. The session investigates how J.Crew’s LP team maximizes impact with limited resources by prioritizing high‑value work, strengthening cross‑functional partnerships, leveraging technology to balance travel and using proactive safety programs — all grounded in a leadership philosophy built on thoughtful resource stewardship.

Retail crime doesn't stop at a single store, brand, or jurisdiction. But most investigations still do.

In this session, retailers and law enforcement share how cross-retailer intelligence sharing and direct collaboration with law enforcement reveals what no single team can see alone. By linking cases across stores, retailers, and jurisdictions, teams identify repeat offenders earlier, map patterns of movement and escalation, and take coordinated action before incidents multiply.

Powered by AI and connected network intelligence, this approach helps teams focus on the offenders driving the most harm across North America. 

Session details coming soon.

 Retail is no longer “bricks versus clicks” — it’s one connected landscape where omnichannel shopping reshapes both customer behavior and criminal tactics. Organized retail crime now moves fluidly between digital fraud and in‑store theft, exposing the limits of siloed teams.

This session reveals where the industry is headed: unification. Using LPRC survey findings, real-world stories and current AI/ML solutions, John Matas will show evidence that convergence under asset protection leadership isn’t just possible — it’s underway. Attendees will leave with a clear view of emerging risks, new opportunities and a practical roadmap for unifying fraud, AP and solution providers into a proactive, future‑ready defense.

Session details coming soon! 

Explore how emerging leaders in retail asset protection are intentionally shaping their careers and expanding their impact. This dynamic panel features rising LP/AP professionals — from field roles to corporate and specialized positions — who will share the practical steps they’ve taken to grow: deepening industry knowledge, pursuing learning opportunities and building strong cross‑functional partnerships.

Attendees will gain insight into how engaging with industry groups, professional associations and community networks can accelerate development and broaden career pathways. Designed for professionals at any stage, this session offers clear guidance, real-world perspectives and actionable strategies to help you strengthen your career trajectory and build the competencies needed to thrive as an asset protection leader.

As global volatility accelerates, retail asset protection teams must be prepared to think holistically, act quickly and advise confidently. This session immerses attendees in two high-impact scenarios — one rooted in a recent global event and one projecting a plausible future threat. Guided by leaders with deep enterprise risk expertise, participants will examine how global developments can disrupt retail operations, influence consumer behavior and challenge brand protection efforts. The session emphasizes how AP/LP professionals can build global situational awareness, strengthen cross-functional communication and develop proactive strategies that safeguard people, product and reputation. Designed for all experience levels, this session equips attendees with a forward-looking lens and practical tools for navigating an unpredictable world.

Fraud‑prevention strategies have traditionally been siloed — separated by inconsistent data access, differing mitigation methods and unclear ownership across teams. Because fraud manifests differently across business channels, many organizations struggle to build a unified, enterprise‑wide approach. In this session, you’ll learn how one of the largest and most complex retailers in the world is creating a business‑aligned fusion center to transform its fraud strategy. You’ll see how they are connecting disparate data sources, aligning teams and leveraging AI‑powered analytics to uncover gaps, strengthen link analysis and integrate fraud detection across the organization. Practical examples — including data visualizations, analytical maps, frameworks and tools — will bring this approach to life for retailers of all sizes.

Retailers are adapting LP strategies to account for generational differences in technology adoption, communication preferences and expectations around psychological safety and culture.

Younger retail workers show significantly different safety and reporting behaviors, including a strong preference for anonymous reporting and a higher level of discomfort when it comes to confronting aggressive customers. Older workers tend to prefer legacy processes, are slower to adopt and adapt to new technologies, and tend to view surveillance differently. Is there a method for juggling generational dynamics.

Join Wicklander-Zulawski CEO Dave Thompson as he hosts a live episode of the “Truth Be Told” podcast.

AI is rapidly entering the investigative toolbox — bringing both promise and risk. In this live “Truth Be Told” podcast recording, Thompson will be joined by Brandon May, PhD, a leading researcher in AI and interviewing science, to break down what today’s loss prevention and asset protection leaders need to know before adopting emerging tools. The two will explore where AI can genuinely enhance investigative work, its current scientific limitations, and the ethical, legal and reputational risks of misuse or overreliance. Attendees will gain practical guidance on bias, transparency, governance and the guardrails required for responsible implementation. Focused on clarity over hype, this conversation will equip decision‑makers with the right questions to ask as they evaluate AI’s role in sensitive, high‑stakes investigative environments.

Session details coming soon! 

Retailers are facing an alarming surge in phone‑based scams, fueled by increasingly sophisticated criminal tactics and the expanding reach of organized retail crime. Recent industry data shows that 70% of retailers experienced rising phone scams in the past year, marking one of the sharpest increases across all fraud categories. This session examines how criminals are exploiting phone‑based impersonation, AI‑generated voice technology and caller ID spoofing to deceive both customers and front-line retail employees. Panelists will also explore how phone scams act as gateways to broader fraud, including account takeovers, fraudulent returns, BOPIS exploitation and coordinated ORC activity targeting store teams. Attendees will leave with actionable insights into how retailers can strengthen defenses through cross‑functional fraud and AP collaboration, improved call verification processes, employee training and emerging AI‑based authentication technologies.

In an era where shopping centers serve as vital community hubs, maintaining safety and security requires a proactive, multi-layered, tech-driven ecosystem. Learn from a panel of property security leaders about cutting-edge technology and unified, strategic partnerships they use to build trust for their customers and provide a safe and secure environment for your customers.    

What happens when an asset protection team reimagines the way stores get help? It builds B.E.C.K.I. — a virtual AP Manager fueled by AI and born from design thinking. Join us on the innovation journey: Uncovering store frustrations, brainstorming bold ideas and ultimately creating a tool that delivers instant support, clear answers and streamlined communication. After learning and applying the key concepts of design thinking, attendees will learn how EssilorLuxottica tackled the project, and will walk away inspired by how design thinking plus AI can redefine efficiency, elevate the store experience and reshape risk management.

(All-Access Retail Pass Holders can register for the Design Thinking Workshop being held on Monday, June 8, 2026, from 1 - 3:15pm for a hands-on experience on how to utilize the design thinking process.)

Return fraud has become one of retail’s fastest‑growing sources of loss — and one of the hardest to measure. In this 45‑minute panel, leading retail experts unpack the latest data on return fraud trends, the most common abuse patterns and why traditional loss prevention approaches often miss the full picture. Panelists will explore the internal challenges LP teams face, including measuring fraud at scale, clarifying ownership and aligning across departments. The discussion will highlight proven tactics for early detection, behavioral risk assessment and AI‑powered prevention methods. Attendees will leave with practical, actionable strategies to better identify fraudulent returns, protect loyal customers and strengthen their LP framework.

This presentation introduces a modern approach to loss prevention by transforming traditional store visits into virtual, camera-driven engagements. Using store-based camera systems, Guess? LP shifted to a face-to-face virtual model, gaining more engagement without the constraints of travel or scheduling barriers. This approach dramatically increases coverage, consistency and speed while enabling deeper coaching, follow-up and real-time training opportunities that are often impossible during in-person visits. Leveraging camera visibility allows LP to observe shipment processing, floor supervision, customer engagement, awareness, teamwork and overall operational discipline at any time of day or week. The result is sharper insights, stronger accountability and quicker corrective action. Most importantly, this model fosters a holistic partnership between loss prevention, district sales management and store leadership — aligning all teams around operational excellence, shrink reduction and improved customer experiences. This session will demonstrate how camera-driven audits elevate performance across the entire organization.

Session details coming soon! 

How prepared is your organization to address uncommon but high-impact workplace threats, including behaviors tied to sexual deviancy, suicidal individuals or conflicts involving third-party violence? These situations may fall outside standard WPV patterns, yet can pose serious risk and concerns to people, operations and brand trust. Attendees will revisit key principles of threat assessment and management before engaging in scenario-based discussions to challenge their thinking, strengthen decision-making and strengthen their program through collaborating and learning with their peers.