Events
New Year, New Possibilities
It’s proving to be another exciting year for the Shop! Association.
IT’S ANOTHER NEW YEAR, and there are so many new possibilities at hand for the retail industry at large. This couldn’t be truer for the Shop! Association as we announce the exciting location for the 2026 Shop! Ideation Conference & Retail Challenge: Las Vegas!
This coming Oct. 5-6 will play host to this can’t-miss event for retail industry professionals, featuring educational sessions, networking events and the ever-popular Retail Challenge. This all-day creative sprint focuses on a brand or retailer and charges attendees with creating a brand activation, pop-up or store design, which is then judged by a panel of experts. The winning team will then have a chance to build their creation during Shop! MarketPlace 2027. Stay tuned to shop-ideation.com for more on this exciting event.
Speaking of Shop! MarketPlace, our annual trade show and conference is on the horizon, taking place this May 6-7 in New Orleans. There will be a wide range of exhibitors representing product categories like lighting, mannequins, flooring, fixtures, signage/graphics, materials – alongside engaging educational sessions featuring speakers from storied brands like Levi’s, New Balance, Snipes, and more. The coveted Outstanding Merchandising Achievement Awards (OMA) will also be judged and celebrated on-site during our OMA Awards ceremony the evening of May 6. Winners from the Design Awards and Global Awards will also be celebrated on-site. For additional information, or to register for this year’s show, visit shop-marketplace.com.
And as we move further into 2026, we are planning more inspirational Shop! MasterClass webinars, as well as more event coverage, more news coverage, and more in-depth, members-only reports for shopassociation.org.
If your company is not already a member of Shop!, I highly encourage you to visit our website and learn more about the importance of joining this vibrant community of in-store experience creators.
From all of us here at the Shop! Association, we are wishing you a great 2026. See you in New Orleans and again in Vegas this fall.
Interested in becoming a member? Reach out Dina Meindl at [email protected] to learn more. Stay up to date on all Shop! Association happenings by visiting shopassociation.org.
MasterClass: ‘Re-Sparkling’ Retail: Using Store Design to Build Trust, Faith and Brand Loyalty
HOW CAN WE EMPOWER and inspire senior leaders to see design as an investment for future retail growth? This session, led by retail design expert Ian Johnston from Quinine Design, explores how physical stores remain unmatched in the ability to build trust, faith, and loyalty with your customers, ultimately driving shareholder value.
Presented by:
Ian Johnston
Founder and Creative Director, Quinine Design
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