Future Stores 2024

June 03 - 05, 2024

JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE

Day One: The Retail Experience is Everywhere

Tuesday, June 4, 2024

7:00 am - 8:00 am Registration & Breakfast In The Innovation Lab

8:00 am - 8:10 am Welcome Remarks & Ice Breaker

8:10 am - 8:25 am Chairperson’s Opening Address

8:25 am - 8:50 am State of the Industry Keynote: Decoding Consumer Behavior: Unveiling the Economic Trends Shaping In-Person Shopping Experiences

As consumers blur the lines between offline and online and the way they interact with brands, what are they looking for from their in-person shopping experiences? This keynote talk will set the stage with: 

  • An outlook on the economy and how it will impact customer spending behavior  
  • Trends to evaluate the perfect blend of multichannel that shoppers are looking for 
  • Insights into how the real estate market can impact how shoppers interact with your brand

While the customer craves greater seamlessness between online and offline shopping, how are you defining the physical retail space in the customer journey? Our panelists from across retail will share how they are:

  • Determining what the customer is looking for from your physical presence  
  • Operationalizing the store for blended, connected commerce shopping 
  • Leveraging location in the way you interact with the community
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John Boline

VP, Store Design
Starbucks

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Courtney Hawkins

SVP, Global Retail
Mejuri

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Paul Loux

VP, Store Design and Experience
Ulta Beauty

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Neil Morgan

Head of Strategy
Filson

9:25 am - 9:45 am Partner Keynote: Retail Store Technology: Aligning Technology with the Customer Journey

Craig Witsoe - CEO, Elo

Join Craig Witsoe, Elo’s CEO, in this must-see keynote as he discusses the rapidly evolving retail landscape and its pivotal shift towards customer-centric technology. As consumer expectations continue to evolve, retailers must adapt their store technology to seamlessly integrate with every step of the customer journey. This keynote explores how forward-thinking retailers are leveraging innovative technologies to create immersive, personalized, and frictionless shopping experiences.

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Craig Witsoe

CEO
Elo

9:45 am - 10:25 am Morning Networking Break & Refreshments in The Innovation Lab

10:25 am - 10:45 am Keynote: The Store of the Future is Here: Driving In-Store Innovation & Transforming Retail in the Digital Age

Anca Iordanescu - VP, Engineering, Stores of the Future, IKEA

Anca Iordanescu is on a mission to transform IKEA into the stores of the future. As customer behavior pushed the company to elevate its e-commerce experience, the team is now focused back on the physical spaces to answer the question “Why go to IKEA?”. Anca will share how IKEA is:

  • Combining more sophisticated ecommerce with showrooms that allow customers to linger but also purchase quickly
  • Improving fulfillment to increase sustainability and customer satisfaction
  • Revamping existing stores to create a more immersive experience and further support the increasing demand for home deliveries
  • Ensuring the journey is as smooth for in-store associates as it is for customers
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Anca Iordanescu

VP, Engineering, Stores of the Future
IKEA

Office Depot is a leading specialty retailer providing innovative products and services to support the productivity and organizations of small businesses, home office, and education clients. They are on the cutting edge of solving the challenge of how to satisfy shifting customer expectations while engaging and retaining employees. Learn how Office Depot is using Zebra Workcloud solutions and Zebra devices to enable stores to become more operationally efficient, improving employee productivity and customer satisfaction.

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Jonas Stillman

Senior Director, Omni-Channel Operations
Office Depot

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Matthew Guiste

Global Retail Technology Strategist
Zebra Technologies

11:05 am - 11:40 am Keynote: Designed for Life at Lovesac: An Evolutionary Retail Design to Fit an Ever-Evolving Customer Landscape

Shawn Nelson - CEO, Lovesac

Shawn Nelson, CEO of Lovesac, delves into the company’s visionary approach to design, innovation, and the evolution of retail in the digital age. Shawn will speak to the brand’s commitment to designing products that are built to last and designed to evolve with the customer’s home.  

  • Creating an immersive and compelling shopping environment for customers 
  • How Lovesac’s design philosophy is interwoven into the fabric of the showroom experience 
  • Adapting retail spaces to meet the evolving expectations of modern consumers
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Shawn Nelson

CEO
Lovesac

11:40 am - 12:15 pm Panel: Connecting Communities: Fostering Customer Engagement In-Store and Beyond through Community Building

Drew Green - CEO, Indochino Janeil Mackay - Senior Director, Global Retail, Sports, BDA Juliet Scott-Croxford - US President, Brompton Matt Werder - VP, Retail Operations, Fleet Feet

As brands work to strengthen their relationships with consumers, retail leaders know that the physical store can help brands create, connect with, and grow communities. Our panelists will discuss how: 

  • Making strategic decisions around store openings in new and emerging markets 
  • Engaging with existing communities relating to the company brand outside the four walls of the store 
  • Staffing the retail location for store operations as well as community engagement
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Drew Green

CEO
Indochino

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Janeil Mackay

Senior Director, Global Retail, Sports
BDA

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Juliet Scott-Croxford

US President
Brompton

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Matt Werder

VP, Retail Operations
Fleet Feet

12:15 pm - 12:45 pm Fire-Side Chat: Navigating a Cut-Throat Real Estate Market and Winning Prime Location

Chad Lundeen - VP, Real Estate, Saatva

Real estate continues to be a “knife fight” in the words of Chad Lundeen who has the charge for finding new store locations for Saatva’s growing business. Chad will lead a candid conversation around: 

  • Understanding where your customer is and the different market opportunities to unlock 
  • Determining mall and lifestyle center leases and what works for your brand 
  • Personalizing approaches for different markets
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Chad Lundeen

VP, Real Estate
Saatva

12:45 pm - 1:45 pm Networking Lunch for All Attendees

12:45 pm - 1:45 pm Invite-Only Lunch

Choose one of the below topics to discuss and benchmark with 10-15 of your peers.

  • Crafting Compelling Microworlds: Designing Inviting and Unique Spaces for the Modern Male Customer - Joshua Bailey, Senior Design Architect, Todd Snyder
  • Revitalizing Stores at Scale: Determining Pace and Process - Mindy Murphy, VP, Customer Segmentation Marketing, Benjamin Moore
  • Building a Diverse Talent Pipeline in Store Design - Dwight Howell, Director, Store Design, Target
  • Operationalizing the Store for Loss Prevention
  • Calculating the ROI of Your In Store Experiences
  • Integrating Online and In-Store Purchasing Options
  • Working with Landlords to Streamline Store Development
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Joshua Bailey

Senior Design Architect
Todd Snyder

Mindy Murphy

VP, Customer Segmentation Marketing
Benjamin Moore

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Dwight Howell

Director, Store Design
Target

2:30 pm - 2:35 pm Transition to Tracks

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Sarah Tava

Global Director, Retail
Fjallraven

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Andrew Lande-Shannon

VP, Visual Merchandising, Design, & Store Innovation
Madison Reed

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Kambiz Hemati

Executive Creative Director
Workshop Blue

Track A: The Next Generation of Store Design

3:05 pm - 3:25 pm Partner Case Study: Transforming Visual Merchandising with AI
Tom Erskine - CEO, One Door

AI has the potential to radically transform Visual Merchandising processes, from store design to in-store execution. In this session, One Door will share a vision for how AI can be deployed to improve Visual Merchandising performance and drive sales, and describe how it is already being used today to deliver value on the salesfloor.

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Tom Erskine

CEO
One Door

Track A: The Next Generation of Store Design

3:25 pm - 3:35 pm Design Showcase

Go on a virtual tour of a cutting-edge store, innovating physical retail design.

Track A: The Next Generation of Store Design

3:35 pm - 4:05 pm Afternoon Refreshment Break

Track A: The Next Generation of Store Design

4:05 pm - 4:25 pm Case Study Presentation: Back to Basics: Delivering Great Product and a Great Customer Journey in Untraditional Retail
Donna Genesky - VP, Retail, Parks & Resorts, Delaware North Wes Trump - Director, Brand Environments & Merchandising, Delaware North
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Donna Genesky

VP, Retail, Parks & Resorts
Delaware North

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Wes Trump

Director, Brand Environments & Merchandising
Delaware North

Track A: The Next Generation of Store Design

4:25 pm - 4:35 pm Design Showcase

Go on a virtual tour of a cutting-edge store, innovating physical retail design.

Track A: The Next Generation of Store Design

4:35 pm - 5:05 pm Future Stores Tonight: Mastering Store Planning and Design for Maximum Impact
Phil Johnston - Director, Store Experience, Construction, & Facilities, Best Buy Canada Paul Diamond - Store Design Lead, Microsoft Angela Kendall - Director, Retail, Velvet by Graham & Spencer
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Phil Johnston

Director, Store Experience, Construction, & Facilities
Best Buy Canada

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Paul Diamond

Store Design Lead
Microsoft

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Angela Kendall

Director, Retail
Velvet by Graham & Spencer

Track A: The Next Generation of Store Design

5:05 pm - 5:30 pm Case Study Interactive
Santosh Subramanyam - Director, Experience Design – Stores & Supply chain, Macy’s Inc


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Santosh Subramanyam

Director, Experience Design – Stores & Supply chain
Macy’s Inc

Track B: The Future Associate Experience

2:35 pm - 3:05 pm Panel: Empowering the Frontline with the Tools for Exceptional Customer Service
Robyn Martin - Senior Director, Store Operations, Mattress Firm Sid Arigapudi - Director, Omnichannel & Retail Technology, Vans, VFC
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Robyn Martin

Senior Director, Store Operations
Mattress Firm

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Sid Arigapudi

Director, Omnichannel & Retail Technology
Vans, VFC

Track B: The Future Associate Experience

3:05 pm - 3:25 pm Partner Case Study with a Retailer

Speaker TBA, Legion

Track B: The Future Associate Experience

3:25 pm - 3:35 pm Associate Tech Showcase

Take an inside look into technology transforming the associate journey for frontline team members.

Track B: The Future Associate Experience

3:35 pm - 4:05 pm Afternoon Refreshment Break

Track B: The Future Associate Experience

4:05 pm - 4:25 pm Case Study: Leveraging Your Associates for Brand Success
Lisa Chudnofsy - VP, Brand, Content, & Creative, The Vitamin Shoppe
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Lisa Chudnofsy

VP, Brand, Content, & Creative
The Vitamin Shoppe

Track B: The Future Associate Experience

4:25 pm - 4:35 pm Associate Tech Showcase

Take an inside look into technology transforming the associate journey for frontline team members.

Track B: The Future Associate Experience

4:35 pm - 5:05 pm Case Study: Cultivating Success: Crafting an Associate Roadmap for Retail Excellence
Alex Powers - Senior Managers, Communications, Culture, & Engagement, Office Depot
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Alex Powers

Senior Managers, Communications, Culture, & Engagement
Office Depot

Track B: The Future Associate Experience

5:05 pm - 5:30 pm Case Study Interactive: Rethinking the Store Manager’s Role

Track C: Retailer Career Development Conversations

2:35 pm - 5:05 pm Small group meet ups to explore what’s next in your career.
  • Charting Your Career in Retail 
  • Nurturing Diversity in Retail Design  
  • Keeping Up with Retail Trends and What’s Next 

5:30 pm - 6:30 pm La La Land Cocktail Reception

6:30 pm - 6:30 pm End of Day One