Welcome to the The Voice of Retail , I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with Retail Council of Canada.

Marc Saltzman is a self-proclaimed technology evangelist. As a super popular and respected freelance journalist for over 25 publications including USA Today and Costco Connection Magazine, Marc covers innovation in consumer tech and translates what he calls ‘geek speak’ into ‘street speak.’

Today on The Voice of Retail, I catch up with Marc and we get the scoop on the latest trends in consumer technology. First, Marc gives a highlight reel of the recent CES conference - a show that has been the global stage for technology innovation for over 50 years. Then, we look at what to expect this year in the tech and electronics retail space.

Thanks for tuning into this special episode of The Voice of Retail.  If you haven’t already, be sure and click subscribe on your favourite podcast platform so new episodes will land automatically twice a week, and check out my other retail industry media properties; the Remarkable Retail podcast, the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, and the Food Professor podcast.  Last but not least, if you are into Barbeque, check out my all new YouTube barbecue show, Last Request Barbeque, with new episodes each and every week!

I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company & Maven Media, and if you’re looking for more content, or want to chat  follow me on LinkedIn, or visit my website meleblanc.co!  Have a safe week everyone!

About

Marc Saltzman has reported on the high-tech industry since 1996 as a freelance journalist, author, lecturer, consultant, and radio and TV personality.

His specialties lie in consumer electronics, computers, Internet trends and social media, business tech, interactive entertainment, and future trends.

Along with his weekly syndicated column with Gannett and USAToday.com, Marc currently contributes to more than 30 prominent publications, including USA Today (the most read newspaper in the U.S.), Yahoo, Costco Connection (U.S. and Canada), MSN, Toronto Star, Metro, Media Planet, WatchMojo, Rogers Connected, Common Sense Media, and Homefront.

Marc Saltzman was one of the first journalists in the world to break open the MP3 phenomenon in late 1997 on CNN.com. He correctly predicted this controversial audio file format would revolutionize the recording industry.

Marc has written 16 books. His latest is Apple Watch For Dummies (Wiley).

Marc also writes and hosts "Gear Guide," a technology-focused video that runs nationally across Canada at Cineplex Entertainment movie theaters. It is seen by a "captive" 7 million people per month.

Marc is also a frequent guest on CNN, Headline News, FOX, Global and CTV. Marc has also made appearances on NBC's "Today Show," QVC's Saturday Q" and the "CBS Early Show."

Marc is one of the busier public speakers on the circuit, covering a wide range of keynote topics including the future, tech and education, how tech is changing retail, fintech trends, keeping kids safe in the digital age, STEM studies, and more.

Finally, Marc also hosts 5 radio shows. "Tech It Out" is syndicated to 248 stations in the U.S. via the Radio America network. In Canada, there's "Tech Talk with Marc Saltzman," a weekly hour-long program on Toronto's NewsTalk 1010 (Bell Media), Montreal's CJAD 800 (Bell Media), and Winnipeg's 680 CJOB (Corus).

www.marcsaltzman.com
tech@marcsaltzman.com

About Michael

Michael is the Founder & President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc and a Senior Advisor to Retail Council of Canada as part of his advisory and consulting practice. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience and has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. He has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions with C-level executives and participated on thought leadership panels worldwide.  Michael was recently added to ReThink Retail’s prestigious Top 100 Global Retail Influencers for a second year in  2022.

Michael is also the producer and host of a network of leading podcasts, including Canada’s top retail industry podcast, The Voice of Retail, plus the Remarkable Retail with author Steve Dennis, Global E-Commerce Tech Talks and The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois.  Most recently, Michael launched Conversations with CommerceNext, a podcast focussed on retail eCommerce, digital marketing and retail careers - all available on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music and all major podcast platforms.   Michael is also the producer and host of the “Last Request Barbeque” channel on YouTube where he cooks meals to die for and influencer riches.

Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur.  He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. 

Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada’s Retail Marketing conference with leaders from Walmart & Google.  He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.

Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.

Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fourth year in a row, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer.  If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael’s cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.

Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.