Recognized as the premier industry event, this annual two-day conference features engaging education and networking experiences for visual merchandising and store design professionals. Following the success of our 25th anniversary celebration, IRDC 2026 will continue to push boundaries with fresh insights, hands-on inspiration, and unmatched industry connections.
Become an insider so you’re the first to know when we announce IRDC 2026 dates and location!
Professionals from every sector of the retail design industry are invited to join IRDC!
You should attend if you are a retailer or brand owner involved in:
… or a non-retailer, whose primary business is:
IRDC offers the perfect setting for you to chat with some of the industry’s leading vendors and solution providers. Come discover the latest products and services that are creating engaging experiences at retail and develop new strategic partnerships along the way.
IRDC’s dynamic conference program allows you to explore new trends while also sparking your creativity. Through interactive workshops and everyone’s favorite Iron Merchant Challenge, you’ll flex your creative muscles and leave with new insights and perspectives for your upcoming projects.
Enjoy ample time for laid back networking with your retail design peers during daily group meals, evening receptions and the new Offsite Disruptive Mystery Experience. Unwind while you share your successes, challenges and new ideas for elevating the in-store consumer experience.
IRDC brings the industry back together again. Outside of conference hours, there’s ample time for attendees to mix and mingle during the Tuesday evening Welcome Reception, Wednesday evening Iron Merchant Challenge Reception and Thursday evening Closing Party.
Attend IRDC this fall to explore new ideas and approaches to creating engaging consumer experiences at retail. Bring your passion and expertise for retail design to IRDC 2026 and connect with your peers through interactive sessions and networking opportunities. Together, we have the power to drive the industry forward and elevate the in-store experience!
VMSD invites in-store experience, retail and design experts from every sector of the industry to submit speaker proposals for consideration. Take the stage at IRDC and share your insights with your peers!
Build your brand and make new business connections face-to-face as an IRDC sponsor! Join us in Providence for two days where influential leaders will come together to learn and network in an intimate setting.
Interested in sponsoring IRDC? Contact Market Strategist, Emily Kasmenn to learn more.
If you’re a manufacturer, supplier, or solution provider to the retail design industry, sponsoring IRDC is an excellent opportunity to establish high-level business relationships with executive decision makers from the world’s leading retailers and brands. Each year, the attendee profile includes a heavy presence of upper-level decision makers including presidents, VPs, owners, principals, directors and managers – and no other event immerses sponsors with attendees like IRDC!
Interested in sponsoring IRDC? Contact Market Strategist, Emily Kasmenn to learn more.
CEO, Creative Director, ZenGenius
From humble beginnings as a visual merchandiser for Lazarus Department Store in Ohio, to his role as a visual manager for Macy’s/The Broadway stores in the 1990s, Joe’s passion for visual merchandising has followed him throughout his retail career. After returning to Ohio in 1996 to work with the renowned Columbus-based design firm Chute Gerdeman, Joe later co-founded ZenGenius, Inc. with partner Paul Cook in 1999. Their fierce entrepreneurial spirit and strong desire to give back to the community, established ZenGenius as industry-leading visual merchandising experts in Columbus, later expanding nationwide. Often you’ll find Joe emceeing community and industry events, supporting the local arts community, or mentoring students from The Ohio State University and beyond. In recent years, his passion for education and fostering a new generation of talent has brought him closer to the mission of PAVE and its fundraising efforts.
VMSD magazine; President, Embrace Design
Eric Feigenbaum is a recognized leader in the visual merchandising and store design industries with both domestic and international design experience. Author of Profiles of the Mannequin, he is also an inspirational keynote speaker and lecturer. He served as corporate director of visual merchandising for Stern’s Department Store, a division of Federated Department Stores for fourteen years. After Stern’s, he assumed the position of director of visual merchandising for WalkerGroup/CNI, an architectural design firm in New York City. Feigenbaum was also an adjunct professor of Store Design at the Fashion Institute of Technology and formerly served as the chair of the Visual Merchandising Department at LIM College (New York) from 2000 to 2015. In addition to being the New York Editor of VMSD magazine, Eric is a recipient of the Markopoulos Award in 2012, and a founding member of PAVE (A Partnership for Planning and Visual Education). He is currently president of Embrace Design, providing thoughtful leadership, and the advancement of design as a vital tool of retail success.
Founder, CEO, Redding Futures
By skillfully connecting the possible with the practical, Neil Redding is a Near Futurist and Innovation Architect with 30+ years of experience in unlocking the transformative power of emerging technologies. A sought-after keynote speaker for venues like SXSW, Dubai Future Forum, and Building the Future, and at corporate events for Meta, Microsoft, Edelman, and more, Neil inspires audiences with the reality-shifting capabilities of AI and spatial computing for our physical, digital and natural ecosystems, and for realizing pragmatic interpersonal and business value. Through his boutique consultancy Redding Futures and previous roles, Neil has worked with world-class brands including Visa, Nike, Apple, and Verizon to distill these continually emerging possibilities, applying ecosystem-centered design to unlock sustainable growth, resilience, and transformative business opportunity.
VMSD & ZENGENIUS INC. PRESENT:
The annual Iron Merchant Challenge is a mashup of improvisation, creativity and design science — plus one secret ingredient guaranteed to shake things up!
2026 marks the 20th anniversary of this legendary IRDC tradition, celebrating two decades of bold ideas, friendly competition, and unforgettable displays.
Together, six teams will dive in blindly to conceive and create a winning display focused around a theme, a hodgepodge of materials and one secret ingredient. Are you ready for the challenge? Sign up to participate when registration opens.
EXCELLENCE, INNOVATION, RECOGNITION
Join us for Thursday’s celebratory Awards Luncheon where we’ll recognize the winners of VMSD’s 2026 competitions & industry awards including:
Join the IRDC Insider List to receive program updates and we’ll send you a discount code to save $100 when you register!
