{ 2017 Agenda }

Held at The Ritz-Carlton, this casual get-together is the perfect way to kick off this year’s IRDC event with speakers, Editorial Advisory Board members and friends, both old and new. Plus, this year we’ll honor our 2017 Designer Dozen Award winners at this opening soirée, co-hosted by OPTO International

Join fellow attendees for coffee, juice and serve-yourself breakfast items prior to Wednesday’s program line-up.

The son of North Korean refugees who immigrated to Los Angeles in the early 1960s, Peter Kim turned a lifelong attitude of irreverence into the force behind a premium denim brand fetching $97 million in 2013. Next up for the boundary-pushing CEO: crafting the brand’s first physical store, set to open in 2018. Hear the story of the Hudson Jeans brand – and the role it plays in the local LA community – in IRDC’s opening keynote session.

Speakers

• Peter Kim, Founder & Vice Chairman Hudson Jeans

With 550-plus stores, Canadian consumer electronics retail chain The Source has had to reinvent itself on virtually all fronts in order to stay alive. Now it continues to find innovative ways to grow and remain relevant in the age of digital and omnichannel retailing. From attracting new in-store brands to building an e-commerce website, this session will focus on the impact that a major investment can have on new store designs, as seen through the lens of The Source’s recent redesign journey. Uncover what this means for your brand or organization and how being “relevant” is the ultimate key to remaining successful.

Key takeaways:

• Discover what three main decisions will greatly improve your business case.
• Examine the importance of customer segments and their reaction to key design decisions.
• Discuss store design and its impact on omnichannel strategy.

Speakers

• Charles Brown, President The Source

The cultural communal experience has been described by some as being almost “cultish” – it keeps you coming back for more. SoulCycle, known for its immersive fitness model, is striving to become even more experiential than ever before, driving engagement and consumer loyalty. In this session, learn how SoulCycle undertook the challenge of enhancing the “human experience” through its store designs, as well as what trends in the experiential sector are pushing their way to the finish line.

Key takeaways:

• Gain a better understanding of branding and design, which keeps customer-centric companies like SoulCycle thriving.
• Best practices to create an experimental fitness experience for customers through store design, branding and communications.
• Future trends in experiential design based on current trends, and how these trends will affect other areas of the industry, apart from fitness and health.

Speakers

• Alan Cooke, Vice President Design Soul Cycle
• Jonathan Lopez, Project Design Director Retail Design Collaborative

More and more, retailers are challenged to reinvent themselves in order to connect with customers in new, relevant ways. We are starting seeing fewer transactional retail spaces and more transformative and experiential spaces that foster community. A prime example of this shift is Cadillac House in New York’s SoHo neighborhood: Shifting gears under new leadership, the brand made the bold move to relocate to The Big Apple from its Detroit hometown and create an interactive, experiential brand house, which sits at ground level, below Cadillac’s new headquarters. In this session, examine the importance of creating an identity for your brand, separate from the usual store experience and discover why experience is bringing customers and retailers together like never before.

Key takeaways:

• What is an experience worth when it comes to physical “retail”?
• Retailers are not only buying an impression, they are investing in consumer loyalty.
• How do you measure success? Sales data, foot traffic, media impressions, visitor engagement?

Speakers

• Nathan Tan, Associate Director Brand of Partnerships and Experiences Cadillac
• John Box Bricker, Principal + Creative Director Gensler

Despite what trends are new and hot this year, or even next, the question of customer engagement at the store level is always being explored. How do customers really navigate a store, and what impression is the store making on them? Is the emotional shopping experience gratifying to shoppers? Through extensive research, furniture and home decor retailer CB2 was able to develop a deeper understanding of its customer journey, including in-store shopping behaviors and engagement with staff, among other important details. In this session, uncover the issues surrounding customer behavior and shopping trends – from merchandising techniques to selection awareness.

Key takeaways:

• Discover how to measure a customer’s impressions of their shopping experience
• Learn about how a store should be visually organizedto entice customer engagement
• Apply your discoveries to increase your own store performance

Speakers

• Brett Barndt, Senior Director, Client Services Envirosell
• Sara Harter, Director of Visual Merchandising CB2

Historically, retail has been a mirror of our culture and society; always quick to embrace change and progress. Today, we’re living in a fast-paced world, and the rate of change is exponential. It’s clear that the relentless march of technology is shaping our culture, and our retail strategies. While retailers rush to latch on to the latest trends in the tech sector, the main focus must be the establishment and projection of a brand and the beauty of the physical store. The best of brick and mortar is driven by the understanding that design is a profit center, and great design drives desire.

Speakers

• Eric Feigenbaum, Editoral Advisor/New York Editor VMSD

The retail landscape is continually shifting, and no longer is there an adversarial relationship between a brand’s e-commerce/mobile platforms and its in-store retail. Shoppers now see the store as the physical embodiment of the brand. This session will outline how retailers can successfully leverage their image, overall mission and marketing platforms to extend the digital essence of themselves to their physical environment.

Key takeaways:

• Always “double down” on the attributes that make a brand successful in other channels.
• Understand the latest trends, technology and how changes in shopping behavior can add to a brand’s success ¬– allow for flexibility and adaptability in the business model.
• Shopping can bring us together, speak to our sense of style as individuals, and most importantly, the store itself can help create “shareable moments.”

Speakers

• Jared Ellis, Sr Director, Retail Concepts Ariat International Inc
• Jason Watts, Design Director RGLA
• Robert Arend, CEO and Principal RGLA

IRDC’s lively lunchtime discussions are as much about learning from peers as they are about networking with them. Hosted by VMSD Advisory Board members, editorial staff and conference sponsors, the Roundtables are the perfect forum for exchanging problems and solutions, best and worst practices, and challenges unique to your retail sector or design specialization. Choose your topics when you register. Tables are filled on a first-come, first-served basis, so register early to secure your choice of topics.

In today’s retail climate, with budgets being slashed and doors closing, well-executed visual merchandising is a cost-effective tool that attracts, engages and motivates customers to make purchases, while also showing the unique story of the product or brand. Where are the important merchandising areas in a store? Should every touchpoint be equally as engaging? Through this interactive panel discussion, discover how retailers can utilize creative visual merchandising techniques to breathe new life into their store environments.

Key takeaways:

• Uncover why customers make the decision to visit your store versus purchasing online and what that means for you.
• Learn why the checkout experience should be just as engaging as a store’s windows.
• The reasons a customer journey map may help foster the kind of in-store navigation and engagement you’re after.

Speakers

• Harry Cunningham, Head of Store Development Vera Bradley
• Shona L. Callahan, Retail Channel Design Manager SunTrust Bank
• Tracey Peters, Director, Visual Merchandising Canada Goose Inc

In this session, Helen Herrick and Cris Gunter will use current examples of how companies are getting creative on ways to attract customers to their brand.  As the retail environment gets more competitive, businesses need to stretch beyond their comfort zone to create remarkable and relevant spaces. The physical space can help create lasting connections with a brand. Ms. Herrick, previously with Capital One, played an integral role in building Capital One Cafés, designed to feel more like a gathering space than a bank, often including public seating, private nooks, coffee bars and more. Mr. Gunter will discuss how CallisonRTKL has worked with clients to design environments that reflect trends in the retail design of more comfortable, customer-focused spaces.

Key Takeaways

• Connecting with people is more important than showcasing technology
• Learn to see your store from your customers’ perspective
• Getting people across the threshold is only the beginning

Speakers

• Cris Gunter, Senior Associate Vice President CallisonRTKL
• Helen Herrick, Former Global Head of Store Design Capital One

Considered a top destination among tourists from the U.S. and abroad, New Orleans is all about festivals, food and fun – and a rich history and bayou background that inspires creativity and cultural exploration. Affectionately known as The Big Easy, this city’s unique mix of African, Native American, Spanish and French cultures is consistently reflected through its people, music, art and food, and makes for a destination filled with energy and inspiration. The IRDC 2017 program provides several hours on Wednesday, Sept. 6, to explore this fascinating city. Venture out on your own or with a group of friends, guide book in hand, and explore one of four districts that are conveniently located near The Ritz-Carlton:

• The French Quarter: Just steps from the hotel, The French Quarter, or the Vieux Carre in French, is much more than Bourbon Street’s infamous bars and Mardi Gras’ headquarters. This walkable district is filled with antique shops, quirky boutiques, lush gardens, culinary delights and jazz, blues and zydeco music venues, not to mention a fascinating Creole history.
• The Warehouse/Arts District: This area has seen a metamorphosis that has transformed dilapidated buildings into trendy homes for some of the city’s most notable art galleries, museums, nightclubs and eating establishments.  Especially noteworthy is Julia Street, filled with art galleries that represent both emerging and established artists.  Also be sure to visit its serene parks and glorious, awe-inspiring churches.
• Magazine Street: The only question regarding NOLA’s Magazine Street—a six-mile stretch of indie retailers, restaurants, pubs and art galleries spanning multiple neighborhoods—is where to begin. From the Central Business District to the Garden District and Uptown, you’ll find concentrations of inspiring spaces as well as classic New Orleans architecture. We’ve honed in on some of the coolest places to explore.
• The Garden District: This exquisite neighborhood is an architecture-lover’s dream, filled with spectacular Greek Revival and Italianate mansions, oak tree-lined streets and magnificent gardens. If some of the buildings look familiar, it may that you saw them in movies such as Ann Rice’s “Interview with the Vampire” or the Brad Pitt-Cate Blanchett film, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” From unique boutiques and quaint gift stores to the renowned Garden District Book Shop, known for its selection of autographed books, a stroll through NOLA’s Garden District will transport you back in time.

The annual Iron Merchant visual merchandising challenge (now in its 12th year) is a mashup of improvisation, performance art and design science – plus one secret ingredient to shake things up! Team spirit and audience participation add to the excitement. There will be plenty of flexing of design muscles and clinking of cocktail glasses. It’s a happy hour networking event too fun to be called a networking event, wherein six teams of 10, including attendees, speakers and sponsors, are given a theme, a hodgepodge of materials, the aforementioned secret ingredient and 60 minutes to conceive and create a winning display – with a few hundred fellow attendees looking on. As always, this year’s theme is a secret guarded closely by the event’s founder and emcee Joe Baer (CEO and Creative Director, ZenGenius Inc.). With New Orleans as the backdrop, it’s bound to be equal parts fun and funky. Team slots are filling now, so if you’re ready to show off your design skills, check the “participate” box when you register now for IRDC. (You’ll have the option to “spectate” as well.) The first 60 registrants who check the “participate” box will be placed on a team and contacted by IRDC staff prior to the event. Questions about the Iron Merchant Challenge? Email jodie.kitchell@stmediagroup.com.

PRESENTING SPONSOR: AVIXA™

September 7 | 9:30 AM - 10:00 AM

Audiovisual Experiences Are the Future of Retail:
A Conversation with Leading AV Design Firms on What’s Possible Now

The competitive nature of today’s retail landscape demands a new focus on the in-store experience leveraging many of the same audiovisual technologies that consumers experience in their daily lives. Exceptional AV experiences draw people to stores and help increase engagement, dwell time, and sales. AV experiences have become a tool for reinforcing a brand’s image, whether it’s young and hip, cutting-edge and innovative, or sporty and active.

Creative thinkers from leading experiential design studios Britelite Immersive, ESI Design and Float4 will discuss their award-winning audiovisual retail projects at Westfield Mall’s Bespoke Experience Center in San Francisco, Comcast’s Studio XFINITY Flagship Store in Chicago, and City Walk Experience Center in Dubai with AVIXA Executive Director and CEO David Labuskes.

AVIXA™ is the global trade association representing the commercial audiovisual industry and the Presenting Sponsor of IRDC 2017.

INNOVATION SPONSOR: Reflect

September 7 | 9:10 AM - 9:30 AM
Polaris Combines Digital with Physical for Merchandising Breakthrough

Polaris invested in their dealers to create a unique merchandising solution: The Retail Experience. This retail implementation produces a best-in-class shopper experience by combining a physical product showcase with a revolutionary digital interactive application created by Reflect. Come gain insights about the strategy, pilot implementation and results to date.

DIAMOND SPONSOR: Quarter20

September 7 | 8:10 AM - 8:30 AM
8:10 AM – 8:30 AM QUARTER20
The Task of Reinvention: How We Create and Innovate for Converse’s Monthly Window and Floorset Updates

Every month, Converse tasks Quarter20 with creating a stunning visual campaign to highlight featured products in the windows and throughout the store. The stores are dynamically different in scale and design. This session will discuss the implementations of retail theatre within tight constraints; visual, budget, space and time.

Key takeaways

• How do you create exciting and dynamic presentations in large windows highlighting a small product?
• Approach to localization and scaleability for each store and their unique requirements.
• Creation of simple items and executions that can be refreshed and repurposed.
• Use materials and fabrication methods that are eco-friendly and budget conscious.

Evert Lee, Design Director, Global Brand Design, Converse
Nicole Lockridge, VP Business Development, Quarter20
Thomas Chisari, IDSA, VP Creative, Quarter20

DIAMOND SPONSOR: ALPOLIC

September 7 | 8:30 AM - 8:50 AM
Creating a Movement: How Mamava, Konrad Fab and ALPOLIC Partnered to Change the Culture of Breastfeeding

Mamava, a growing U.S. company dedicated to getting nursing mothers out of bathroom stalls and into clean, comfortable lactation suites, found the solution to its design, fabrication and manufacturing problem in partnership with Konrad Prefab and ALPOLIC metal composite materials. What began from personal experience has grown into a movement.

DIAMOND SPONSOR: D|FAB

September 7 | 8:50 AM - 9:10 AM
Mountains & Molehills:

How Kroger Addressed a Small, Unique Design Challenge While Keeping the Giant Machine Moving As Kroger manages its immense plan of new and renovated store openings, they often face individual design challenges requiring laser focus, multiple-party approvals, and innovative integration into the system. Such was the case with its new Corryville, Cincinnati, store, which opened earlier this year.

Tony Camilletti, EVP, D|Fab
Amanda Sarver, Interior Designer, The Kroger Company Co.

For the past five years, technology and consumers’ shopping styles have changed the way we interact with brands, as we have seen retail’s need to transform from a transactional space to an experiential one. The REI Co-Op has been on a multi-year journey to redefine how it connects with its members – online, in-store and en masse. Hear how REI has blended the best of place, people, products and programs to create a flagship experience in Washington, D.C., that is more than just a place to shop – it’s a launchpad for outdoor activity.

Speakers

• Alex Shapleigh, Senior Vice President CallisonRTKL
• Jared Pearce, Senior Project Manager REI

Retailers face a number of obstacles when incorporating social missions into brand positioning. Take the example of Savers, a global, for-profit thrift retailer with 330 stores in the U.S., Canada and Australia. The brand, in business for 60 years, has not been recognized as a purpose-driven reuse company. Learn how developing impactful designs through mission-centric brand positioning is building consumer loyalty among existing customers, as well as new audiences, increasing revenue and establishing Savers as a thought leader in the “do good” space. Examine the reasons why design can aid in leveraging a company’s goals and values, while gaining new customers and inspiring current ones.

Key takeaways:

• Gain insights into creating an authentic voice rooted in your company’s core values and mission.
• Adapt new strategies for building brand loyalty when designing for the greater good.
• Audience will be inspired to pursue mission-driven branding and design, even when faced with seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

Speakers

• Karin Koonings, Former Chief Marketing Officer Savers
• Tre Musco, CEO and Chief Creative Officer Tesser

Grocery stores have always been a staple, not only because people need to buy food and consumer packaged goods, but because they’ve continued to evolve to make the customer experience enjoyable. In this session, Kroger will share examples of how innovative ideas are presented and sold through corporate leadership to create unique, meaningful and relevant experiences for their guests. How does Kroger come up with new experience ideas, and how are new guest experiences explored? What’s the best way to work with senior leadership? Hear the answers to these and many more critical questions about the best way to get buy-in, advance new ideas and foster innovation within your own retail organization.

Key takeaways:

• Hear compelling ideas on how to create innovation, especially in an organization with a rich heritage of success.
• Things to understand from both the retailer’s perspective and the designer’s perspective.
• Learnings you can apply to your own approach internally with colleagues and with key stakeholders.

Speakers

• Heidi DeMers, Manager of Interior Design The Kroger Co.
• Brandon Avery, Creative Managing Director FRCH Design Worldwide

IRDC’s lively lunchtime discussions are as much about learning from peers as they are about networking with them. Hosted by VMSD Advisory Board members, editorial staff and conference sponsors, the Roundtables are the perfect forum for exchanging problems and solutions, best and worst practices, and challenges unique to your retail sector or design specialization. Choose your topics when you register. Tables are filled on a first-come, first-served basis, so register early to secure your choice of topics.

Designers are losing their ability to demonstrate one of the most basic creative skills: hand sketching. As the world of architecture, retail and environmental design shifts into the next generation of digital tools and increasingly automated programs, there is an emerging void where the simple goal of capturing an idea, or stumbling upon a new one, has become increasingly challenging. The ability of designers to capture their initial inspirations quickly is as vital as ever. As designers, we must ask ourselves, how do we avoid losing this skill altogether, and what will happen if we do? In this interactive workshop, attendees will witness a live demonstration of advanced hand-drawing techniques based on suggestions from the audience. Through a series of interactive questions around the experience and various parameters, attendees will participate to help create a series of strong retail concepts.

Key takeaways:

• Why the trends of design are destroying the basics of communicating ideas
• How and why designers and clients should embrace the importance of rapid visualization to better the creative and ideation process
• Learn (or refresh yourself on) the most basic idea-capturing skills and the fundamental role they play in a project

Speakers

• Mat Gurda, Associate Creative Director WD Partners

How many of us start our day with the mantra, “I can’t wait to fail”? Standing on the precipice of failure is, for many, an uncomfortable situation. Perhaps more of us should look forward to failing by facing our fears and putting ourselves into new learning territories. Through this interactive workshop, explore ways to build a creative culture that embraces risk and celebrates failure as a key to success. Through audience participation, examine real examples of high-profile successes and spectacular failures that reflect on the “power of failure” to unlock true revelatory innovation.

Key takeaways:

• Learn from failure, preparing you to innovate rather than evolve incrementally.
• Seek opportunity and step outside your comfort zone to embrace risk every day by becoming comfortable with being uncomfortable.
• Building a successful strategic process includes developing tools to evaluate failure and regularly evolve.

Speakers

• Mare Weiss, Senior Associate Bergmeyer Associates Inc
• Rachel Zsembery, Vice President Bergmeyer Associates Inc.

In the fast-paced, deadline-driven world we usually find ourselves in, sometimes it’s necessary to refresh and take the time for some “blue sky” thinking. In this interactive, hands-on workshop, attendees will be paired into several groups and tasked with the challenge of creating a final, sharable project that reflects their idea of nostalgia-inspired design, derived from props and direction provided by the session moderators. Take this time to not only get creative, but to network and work side-by-side with fellow conference attendees and peers while striving for a common goal.

Key Takeaways:

• Learn from fellow IRDC attendees and peers while overcoming a design challenge.
• Discover why nostalgic design is a recognizable, familiar trend.
• Step outside of your comfort zone to network and engage creatively.

Speakers

• Diane Spiridoulias, Professor, Visual Merchandising Arts Sheridan College
• Karen Kritzer, Professor & Admin Support, Visual Merchandising Arts Sheridan College

What are the ultimate goals when it comes to beverage-focused brands and their store designs? The quickly expanding category of food and beverage retail design is on the forefront. During this panel discussion, delve into the trends and how-tos when it comes to beverage- and food-driven designs, featuring insights from representatives from brands and retailers alike. Discover answers to questions, such as: How important is it for customers to have the opportunity to interact with others in these spaces? What’s the focus in terms of design that sets some brands apart from their competitors? The discussion will be centered on the goal of gaining a better understanding of what’s to come in this burgeoning industry sector.

Key takeaways:

• Gain a better understanding of trends and drivers in the quickly growing food and beverage category.
• Consider challenges related to operating within an airport and other environments; dealing with diverse customer profiles, furniture, equipment, managing budgets, etc.
• How are the most successful retailers/brands staying on the cutting edge (or not).

Speakers

• Gabrielle Rosi, Senior Design Coordinator Whole Foods Market
• Kim Winter, Chief Marketing Officer Vino Volo
• Marian Thomas, Director of Store Development Urban Remedy

Online and physical storefronts clearly have their unique benefits: Online stores allow customers to readily learn more and dive into the details of a product (fabric, ingredients, product comparisons, etc.), while tangible store environments possess the benefit of touch and feel that online can’t quite grasp. But with the integration of technology, customers can now have both of these assets at their fingertips. Immersive technology integration can bring a product to life right before the customers’ eyes making it easier for them to visualize and understand intricate product features, giving them more confidence to purchase. Hear from Leesa Sleep and The Lionesque Group about how they integrated technology into the brand’s first flagship store to bring this previously online-only retailer to the brick-and-mortar masses.

Key takeaways:

• Learn how to use technology as an informational tool within a store environment
• Understand how to get started (with the customer as the central focus)
• See how technology can help improve design, with regard to store flow and merchandising

Speakers

• David Wolfe, Co-founder and CEO Leesa Sleep
• Melissa Gonzalez, CEO The Lionesque Group

E-Tailer to Retailer: Is it Worth It? Take a deep breath, stores are not dead. Join us for a presentation and interactive discussion with the talk of the retail town, Drew Green, CEO of the world’s largest dedicated made-to-measure menswear company, Indochino, who will explain why he’s aggressively pursuing opening new stores. Despite the warnings and constant threats of e-commerce’s impact on bricks-and-mortar, stores will continue to thrive and survive, as long as they’re bold enough to innovate and reinvent. Retailers need to stop thinking of online and offline as separate realms. In this session, learn how an online presence can be used as an incubator for brands where storefronts are more than just another point of sale. And above all, is it worth it?

Key Takeaways

• E-commerce isn’t the beginning of the end for brick-and-mortar stores
• Learn how physical stores help a brand’s e-commerce business
• Relationships are forged through experiences, not transactions

 

Speakers

• Drew Green, CEO Indochino
• Debbie Kalisky, Associate, Retail Development GH+A
• Paola Marques, Partner GH+A

How do even the smallest environmental cues affect our behavior? How does the world around us affect our moods and social interactions? Adam Alter offers a groundbreaking look into the complex relationship between environmental features and our thoughts, feelings and actions. Alter will explain how humans respond emotionally, physically and mentally to the shifting world around them. The names we assign, the language we use and the symbols and images we deploy all affect how we behave. Alter examines it all, delivering a fascinating overview of why we do what we do. He breaks down our cognitive responses to external influences, showing the effects that are driven by small cues.

Speakers

• Adam Alter, Best Selling Author and Professor of Marketing New York University

LATROBE'S ON ROYAL 403 Royal Street | New Orleans, LA 70130   This year’s closing soirée takes place at one of New Orleans’ most treasured landmark buildings, conveniently located within walking distance of The Ritz-Carlton, in the heart of the enchanting French Quarter. It’s the perfect venue for meeting and mingling with friends, both old and new, while exploring the fascinating story behind Latrobe’s architectural provenance.

Join fellow attendees for coffee, juice and serve-yourself breakfast items prior to the final day's program line-up.

Women make up more than 50 percent of the design workforce, and being a woman in the design world can be a powerful thing, but it doesn’t always come easy. Often great success comes after hearing a lot of “no.”  Be inspired by the journeys of women who turned “no” into “yes,” and examine how perseverance, self-care and taking risks were essential to their success.

Key takeaways:

• Accepting that success and failure can go together
• A positive attitude and optimistic outlook can keep you inspired
• Understanding the importance of a strong support system

Speakers

• Gabrielle Rosi, Senior Design Coordinator Whole Foods Market
• Deborah English, President and Founder D L English Design

For decades, the “Gap-ification” of retail has helped produce chains where all stores look and function alike. While this was once a productive and successful model for retail, customer expectations have now changed. When the design feels too expected, too corporate and too cookie cutter, the customer often saves herself from the hassle of a trip and opts for the convenience of online shopping instead. Hallmark Gold Crown has spent the past two years experimenting with making each of its stores feel more experiential, more unique and differentiated, not only from other retailers, but even from each other. By embracing the essence of the brand, using unique visual merchandising and store design techniques to reflect the local community, and by mobilizing store teams to help the change happen quickly, Gold Crown is experiencing success never before seen by visual merchandising tactics alone. Learn how Gold Crown was able to achieve these goals and how your brand can do it, too.

Key takeaways: 

• Be proactive in reassessing your model.  Don't be afraid to break the cookie cutter mold - it's the easiest way to get to an experiential environment.
• Tips and tactics for fixtures, props, and storytelling that enhance the unique, local feel of your store.
• Out of the box ideas on how to implement experiential changes quickly.

 

Speakers

• Scott Niederhausen, Director of Visual Merchandising and Store Enviornment Hallmark Cards, Inc.

Europe may seem small when set against the vastness of continental North America, but when it comes to retail and store design, retailers in the “Old World” are taking risks and innovating like no one else, setting a new precedent for pushing the boundaries of customer expectations. In this session, you will get a look at new stores throughout Europe and what retail trends have been happening during the past year, as well as a few conclusions about where they are taking us.

Key takeaways:

• Get up to speed with the year’s most exciting international retail design trends
• Become inspired by innovative store environments abroad
• Leave with an idea of which retail trends might surface soon here in the U.S.

 

Speakers

• John Ryan, European Editor VMSD magazine

Over the past several years, boutique retailers have been popping up all over The Big Easy. While you’ll probably get to browse some sights while visiting NOLA, wouldn’t it be nice to take a condensed tour of some of the more notable independent retailers in the area? In this session, explore a range of local New Orleans boutiques and hear from their owners about how they’ve drawn from the city’s unique culture to support their in-store experiences: from food, music and art to its storied French-Creole heritage. Hear directly from those living and experiencing the NOLA retail lifestyle on a daily basis.

Key takeaways:

• Find out what trends are pushing fashion and retail in The Big Easy
• Uncover the inspiration these retailers use to create immersive experiences at the local level
• Hear how these retailers embrace authentic localization and storytelling to drive store visits in a tourism market

Speakers

• Caroline Robert, Owner Perch
• Jac Currie, Owner DNO
• Margaret Sche, Owner St. Claude Social Club
• Susannah Lipsey, Owner Freda
• Tippy Tippens, Owner Goods that Matter

Generations Y and Z are transforming the landscape of retail design and the industry as we know it. What would the future of retail be if these consumers redefined the customer journey based on their ideologies? During the spring semester at The Ohio State University, students in a multidisciplinary design studio in the university’s Department of Design were charged with this task: Redefine a retail experience to create a visceral connection between the customer, the physical environment and a generous brand’s story in order to create a more sustainable future. Attendees will see all of the students’ innovative designs and hear from the winning design team on their approach to what the future of retail looks like to them.

Key takeaways:

• How can retail storytelling create a visceral connection between the customer, the physical environment and a generous brand’s soul in order to create a more sustainable future?
• How can a store design educate consumers and influence their behaviors towards environmental and social good?
• How can the service model of a retail experience be redefined to promote responsible consumption and prolong product lifecycles?

Speakers

• Madeline Cipro, Interior Design Student The Ohio State University
• Rachel Herman, Visual Communication Student The Ohio State University
• Rebekah Matheny, Assistant Professor of Interior Design The Ohio State University

Stores today are all about experience. In this session, Samsung’s Michael Koch will set the stage with the evolution of retail since the ’60s, explaining how technology has transformed how we shop and interact with products, and how it will influence consumer behaviors in the future. Grow your knowledge on each customer generation through today’s millennial and Gen Z shoppers, and glean insights on the latest emerging trends. With the award-winning New York Samsung 837 brand experience center as the backdrop, Koch will examine the experience store’s customer journey, design footprint, schematic planning and layout, and share what’s possible when technology and customer experience are integrated into an “un-store” environment.

Speakers

• Michael Koch, Sr Director of Store Development, Retail Team Samsung