Town Planning has changed its focus in Europe all 25 years: after World War II the hot topic was New Homes, followed due to mobilization in the 70ies by Suburban Living/Shopping Centers; while in the end of the century City Marketing was searching for an update of downtown in balance with Regional Marketing. Now new technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT) enable town-planners to create Smart Cities.

At www.european-retail-academy.org/AEUC a research-project accumulates international studies in a reader with the titel of "Smart Cities" - and in April in Aachen/Germany the reputated international congress of CORP is offering a broad range of new insights: see forecast of presentations (Here).
 

According to Prof.Dr.B.Hallier the combination of Research & Penetration is the success-story of the worldleading exhibition EuroShop for shopfitting, retail technology, POS-Marketing. His exchange-students are part of the communication training for applied sciences (see: YouTube video)

"Students not only use our Sites like www.european-retail-academy.org/EUCVOT as training tools - they develop it ongoing by adding their newest technical skills: by this they are the Young Stars of driving innovation. Such a development can be seen also by comparing the above YouTube with the last EuroShop/EuroCIS YouTube of 2019 (EuroCIS 2019)".
 

Prof.Dr.Th.Purcarea reflects about the last 25 years of permanent changes in Romania, the EU and globally - and how to support the new requirements by their national Association Magazin of Distribution and the academic publication "Holistic Marketing Management Journal".

Historically he sees the kick-off for Romania when 24 years ago the OECD highlighted the need for new indicators of human capital, training and labour requirements while focusing for the knowledge-based economy (OECD/GD (96) ,102), the indicators of the knowledge distribution power and other characteristics of innovation.
 

The Centre for Advanced Retail Studies (CARS) of Massey University/New Zealand joins as a new member the ERA-network. CARS is the only research center in New Zealand focused on the retail industry.

CARS also serves as a mechanism to connect and to promote themes of AgriFoodBusiness, Sustainability, Health and Wellbeing, and Society. For Prof.Dr.B.Hallier those topics fit exactly into the TUN-Thematic University Network (Food) : TUN-Link.
 

For Central Europe the annual CZ Retail Summit in the city of Prague is according to Prof.Dr.B.Hallier a conference brand based on 25 years of experience. In 2019 a total of 1103 participants (among them 125 speakers) attended this outstanding event - initiated in the beginning of the transformation from socialism towards market economy. "In the 90ies the success was in the cooperation between the VSE University under the leadership of Prof.Jiri Jindra, the national Government being present sometimes with several ministers and the retailers (starting later their own Trade Association)" Hallier stated explaining this light-house which had in 2019 also 72 commercial sponsors.

The VSE Prague later became co-founder of the European Retail Academy and in 2006 Prof.Jindra was as the first personality of the Hall of Fame honoured for bringing academia, trade and government together in Central Europe (Hall of Fame). In turn in 2011 VSE Prague honoured Prof.Dr.Hallier by a Dr.h.c. in an outstanding ceremony (Award Ceremony - VSE Prague).