Connect Education Day will feature sessions on store management, AI’s impact on people and policy, and winning the last mile with today’s shoppers.
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (Oct. 27, 2026) — With the Connect retail buying show just weeks away, Grassroots Outdoor Alliance, the national organization dedicated to the health and growth of specialty outdoor retail, unveiled its schedule of retailer-focused education sessions that will take place on Connect Education Day Sunday, Nov. 8, the day prior to the four-day Connect show. This is an extension of Grassroots Outdoor Alliance’s ongoing mission to provide support and resources to its speciality retailer members on trends and best practices.
"A colleague passed along a phrase that has stuck with me: circles, not rows," said Jenni Evertsen, Director of Retailer Development at Grassroots Outdoor Alliance. "In rows, we listen to someone at the front. In circles, we face each other, and the best ideas come from everyone in the room. That's the spirit I want to bring to education and programming at Grassroots: more conversation, more connection, and more learning from the people who know independent retail best, our retailers."
Connect will also debut an educational resource booth on the show floor on Monday, Nov. 9. Evertsen and the Grassroots educators will be on hand to answer questions, help retailers sign up for The Grassroots Hub, and offer one-on-one time with educators. The booth gives retailers and Connect guests a new way to meet the Grassroots education team and staff.
Featured sessions at Connect Education Day include a framework for moving from hope-driven to data-driven store management, practical guidance on the human side of AI in independent retail, and tactics for winning with today’s online shoppers.
Scheduled programming for Sunday, Nov. 8, includes the following educational sessions:
From Hoping to Knowing — Led by Dan Mann, this session contrasts “hope management” with “causal management.” Retailers will learn nine warning signs of a hope-driven store, nine disciplines that replace them, and a repeatable rhythm of written expectations, agreement, training, measurement, and one-on-one follow-up.
AI and Personal Wellness: The Human Cost — Marty Bhatia builds on his June Connect session on AI’s speed and scale. He will cover three hidden costs of working alongside AI: afternoon overload, skills that fade, and growing reliance on unchecked output. Attendees will leave with practical ways to spot these costs and build a healthier relationship with the tools.
Human-Centric AI Policy Workshop — In this hands-on session, also led by Bhatia, retail teams will draft their own AI policy, starting from their values. The workshop covers where human review is always required, how to pace rollouts around wellbeing, and how to recognize low-quality AI output. Attendees leave with a first draft.
Shopper Behavior Is Changing Fast. Learn How to Use What’s on Your Shelves to Win the Last Mile. — Brian Nero and Mike Massey of Locally will explore the tools and tactics specialty stores can use to win with today’s online shoppers and AI agents. Topics include how AI is driving on-demand shopping, how co-op marketing can help retailers win e-commerce shoppers and bring them into the store, and why same-day delivery is an emerging trend that tilts local shoppers back toward independent retailers. The session includes open Q&A on the challenges and opportunities most relevant to the Grassroots community.
Other sessions during show week:
Women’s Luncheon: PLOT TWIST! The Life-Changing Power of Pivots, Plan B’s, and Course Corrections — On Tuesday, Nov. 10, Tara Kuipers will look at the strengths gained from past pivots and how to build the resilience, agility, and grit to change course again.
The Fall/Winter Connect Show takes place Nov. 9-12, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo., with both the Grassroots retailer education day and Discovery on Sunday, Nov. 8. With registration now largely complete, there are 160 retailers and nearly 400 retail buyers registered to attend the show, a slight uptick from the previous fall show. On the vendor side, 143 brands will attend Kansas City Connect during the primary part of the four-day show, also a slight increase.
About Grassroots Outdoor Alliance
Grassroots Outdoor Alliance is a retailer-owned network of 100+ independently owned outdoor retailers and 75+ vendor partners, working together for the health and growth of specialty outdoor retail. Through data collection and analysis, direct member support, specialty events and deep vendor partnerships, Grassroots Outdoor Alliance is creating both a vision and roadmap for the long-term success of independent specialty retail. Grassroots Outdoor Alliance also operates Connect, a twice-annual legacy show experience that spans four days, offering an efficient and structured format for retailers to conduct pre-season line showings and business conversations.