The second Global DIY Summit will be taking place in Rome this June, with guest speakers from the country's leading DIY and home improvement brands.
The event is being hosted jointly by the European DIY Retail Association (EDRA), fediyma (European Federation of DIY Manufacturers), and the first global representation of interest in DIY trade, GHIN (Global Home Improvement Network).

Speakers include Kingfisher's Ian Cheshire, ceo of OBI Sergio Giroldi, Groupe Adeo ceo Damien Delaplanque, Homebase boss Paul Loft, president of Bosch Power Tools Henning von Boxberg and director of Google Germany Alistair Bruce.

Running from June 6 - 7 at the Sheraton Roma Hotel, Rome, the summit will include in-depth discussion of the changing face of DIY retail, with focus on multi-channel, social media and future trends and challenges facing the market. Speakers from leading DIY and garden retail and supply companies will give their own interpretation of these topics, with particular focus on multi-channel business.

The second Global DIY Lifetime Award will be presented on the second day of the conference during a gala evening at the Villa Miani Rome. This year's winner is Manfred Maus, selected for his "almost unparalleled contribution over three decades in the home improvement industry." Mr Maus was one of the co-founders of OBI, opening the first store in Hamburg, Germany, in 1970. He was also the first president of the German DIY association (BHB) when it was re-founded in 1991, a position he held until 2006.

Former Kingfisher group ceo Sir Geoffrey Mulcahy will give the laudatory speech for Mr Maus. It was Manfred Maus who gave Sir Mulcahy's laudatory speech back in 2010 when he was awarded the European Lifetime Award in Vienna.