According to executive director Peter Hoyt, there will be more than 300 solution providers on the show floor, in more than 60 categories — everything from digital signage to security devices, from lighting fixtures to sheet metal.
In addition, there will be six special pavilions devoted to specific disciplines and topics:
- The FutureVision Gallery will spotlight cutting-edge in-store technology and interactive devices.
- The Retail Media Forum will focus on in-store media and the products, services and networks that make it possible.
- The Packaging Pavilion will feature 20 providers of packaging-related solutions.
- The Digital Signage Pavilion will bring together hardware and software providers, and give insight on how to bring it all together.
- At the On-Demand and Digital Printing Pavilion, attendees will learn about the latest in short-run and print-on-demand technology.
- The P-O-P Design Pavilion will feature components, materials and tech used by marketers and designers to create the ultimate point of purchase.
Heavy-hitter seminars, events
As impressive as the show floor promises to be, the roster of seminars and sessions is equally strong.
Wednesday and Thursday will feature a two-day event, "The Power of Entertainment @ Retail." The speaker list includes executives from Borders, Sears and Walgreens, all of whom will address the possibilities of entertainment tie-ins to retail. Topics will include how to use retail as a media vehicle for entertainment properties, how to use music to enhance sales, and the quantifiable impact of entertainment tie-ins.
At Thursday's keynote address, Wal-Mart's senior director of insights and customer strategy, Dr. Candace Adams, will talk about "The Good, the Bad, the Great: Evaluating Leading Methods for Deriving Actionable Insights." Dr. Adams will explore modern shopper insight research programs – the data they produce, and what exactly to do with that data. She will also share case studies from multiple channels to show how best to utilize shopper data.
Friday's keynote, delivered by Kroger's vice president of loyalty marketing, David Ciancio, focuses on "Using Shopper Insights to Turn Combatants into Collaborators." He'll be joined by executives from P&G and Dunnhumby; together, they'll address ways retailers and brands can work together to their mutual benefit, avoiding the "zero-sum game" often played by trading partners.
There are currently 44 sessions planned for the event, across six content tracks: sustainability, channel insights, shopper insights, retail media, packaging, and "collaborate, activate, engage."
Throughout the event, attendees will be able to visit the Design of the Times Gallery, where the best in-store displays and merchandising strategies of the year will be showcased. Then, Thursday evening sees the 2008 Design of the Times Awards Reception, at which the best of the best are given their proper acclaim and recognition.
