How to Use Creative Game Play to Inspire Your Team

Retail design leaders are gearing up for the highly anticipated, annual Iron Merchant Challenge at the International Retail Design Conference, Oct. 9-10 – are you ready to take the challenge?

Now in its 18th year, the Iron Merchant Challenge (Oct. 9) combines improvisation, creativity and visual merchandising to challenge six teams of 10 attendees to create a winning retail display in only 60 minutes, all with cocktails in hand. Emceed by its founder Joe Baer, CEO and Creative Director, ZenGenius Inc., the challenge is always a highlight of the conference, and all attendees are encouraged to attend this one-of-a-kind networking event.

Everyone can then vote for their favorite display and the winning team will adorn the coveted Iron Merchant Challenge sashes during VMSD’s 2024 Awards Luncheon Oct. 10.

You don’t have to wait for IRDC to get your game on! Here are a few ways to leverage gameplay and competition to inspire camaraderie among your team and elevate your in-store retail design and merchandising.

Awards with a Twist
Move away from traditional team competition to award creativity. Awarding achievements like the most unique design pitch or most effective merchandising technique encourages your team members to think outside the box, stay motivated and develop new skills.

Visual Merchandising Games
Where the customer’s eyes go, so go the sales. Take a page from the Iron Merchant Challenge and organize regular visual merchandising challenges for teams to create eye-catching window displays or innovative in-store setups. These games inspire creativity and allow employees to showcase their artistic talents. You may be surprised by the results!

top-notch customer experiences, which will keep your customers coming back.

Innovation and Idea Competitions
Encourage customer-facing employees to share ideas for improving store operations, enhancing the customer experience or introducing new products. Host regular innovation competitions where staff present their ideas and choose one to try each quarter. This fosters a culture of continuous improvement and taps into your team’s collective creativity and intelligence, keeping them engaged and connected to your success.

Need more inspiration? Come to IRDC 2024 to experience the Iron Merchant Challenge in person – and take the lessons home to drive creativity and team-building in your organization.

Please sign up for your chance to participate on a team during the registration process. Note: Only 60 attendees can participate in the challenge, but everyone attending IRDC is strongly encouraged to attend this incredibly unique networking, cocktail party.

Who will be the 2024 Iron Merchant?