The session focused on data that showed how shoppers felt about certain senses in the in-store environment.

By Ray LaVoie

Some of those senses, such as smell and sound, are often ignored by retailers. A number of interesting finds were shared.

By Ray LaVoie

AGAR’s Robyn Novak spoke next in her session, “General Session: Space + Place: The New Intersection of Consumer Micro and Macro Experiences.”

By Ray LaVoie

Novak’s session focused on how to find that space + place intersection, while noting the importance of trial.

By Ray LaVoie

The last Sunday session was “Visualization: How to Make Money, Save Time, and Build Consensus by Selling Digital Magic” by Bryan Dyches, Founder/CEO of Ensemble and VMSD Contributing Writer (pictured), and Brian Weltman, Ensemble COO.

By Ray LaVoie

Dyches and Weltman (pictured) discussed the importance of improved space visualization for clients, and why low-quality renderings aren’t enough.

By Ray LaVoie

Sarah Quinlan, Manager and Founder of SAQ Economic Advisory LLC, gave the Opening Keynote on Monday — “Myth or Reality: The State of Retail and the U.S. Economy.” This enlightening, wide-ranging session covered the current state of the economy, and how it specifically relates to the retail world.

By Ray LaVoie

Monday’s next session from Amber Bazdar, Director of Global Retail Design at Timberland, and Scott Carter, SVP of Sales and Marketing at In-Store Experience, was titled “Retail Redesign: A New Approach to Improving the Consumer Experience.”

By Ray LaVoie

The session focused on the thought process behind building a rearrangeable product wall in an NYC Timberland store.

By Ray LaVoie

The new wall reduced the amount of product available, but showed the success of a “less is more” approach when done right.

By Ray LaVoie

Hannah Grady Williams, The Gen Z CEO Advisor and Founder of Analog Academy, gave attendees a thought-provoking session titled “The Native Digital Revolution: Inside the Mind of Your Gen-Z Employee. Williams brought elements of interactivity to the session, quizzing the crowd on their knowledge of Gen Z, while pointing out key things this generation looks for in their lives.

By Ray LaVoie

An interactive panel session, “Sustainability at Retail: How Retailers Create Social, Environmental and Cultural Innovations,” was next on the docket. Martin Kingdon, Chair and Sustainability Director of POPAI UK & Ireland, hosted the talk.

By Ray LaVoie

The panelists included Sustainability at Retail author and JGA Chairman Ken Nisch, Outpace LLC Founder Jessy Stamates, and Harry Cunningham, Founder and Managing Partner at goodMRKT. Panelists talked about how retailers must take responsibility for their actions when it comes to sustainability.

By Ray LaVoie

The Closing Keynote, “Test & Learn: The Importance of Iteration for Excellence,” was a panel discussion on the testing process. Jody Wasbro, SVP of Strategy and Experience Design at WD Partners, Sarah Miyawaga, Director of Strategy & Insights at WD Partners, Brendin King, Director of Analytics and Operations at Express, and Amanda Hromco, Digital & Product Management Leader, made up the panel.

By Ray LaVoie

Tuesday was all about the Retail Challenge, run by Bevan Bloemendaal, Chief Brand and Creative Officer for NELSON Worldwide — Bleomendaal is seen here introducing the challenge.

By Ray LaVoie

The winner of the challenge would earn the opportunity for their pop-up concept to appear in a Columbus space next year, as announced by Columbus Fashion Council Founder and Executive Director Thomas McClure.

By Ray LaVoie

During the Retail Challenge, teams were given a creative brief for a consumer experience opportunity with just seven hours to collaborate, ideate and create a design solution and pitch deck.

By Ray LaVoie

Teams gathered throughout the Hilton Columbus Downtown and Greater Columbus Convention Center to prepare their concepts.

By Ray LaVoie

People from across the retail world brought a variety of skills to the table to create the concepts.

By Ray LaVoie

After seven hours of work, the eighth hour of the Retail Challenge was dedicated toward pitching all the teams’ concepts to the judges.

By Ray LaVoie

The evening brought the Retail Challenge Winner Reception and Dinner. Robyn Novak of AGAR led the winning team. The night then shifted into an Ideation Closing Reception/IRDC Welcome Reception. See you at Shop! Marketplace in the spring!

By Ray LaVoie