If you follow VMSD magazine on social media, you’ve probably noticed that our editors spend a lot of time in the field gathering intel and researching stories. Whether it’s traveling to Europe, South America or the Far East to bring you the best examples of retail from those burgeoning regions (see our recap of London retail on page 43), or hosting our International Retail Design Conference (IRDC) in an engaging host city, we delight in bringing our readers the most innovative ideas and inspiration from around the world.
This fall, we’ll host the 17th annual IRDC for the first time in New Orleans, or NOLA, as it’s colloquially known. Unlike many other cities in this country, the Big Easy’s unique mix of African, Native American, Spanish and French cultures is consistently reflected through its people, music, art and food. This is a town that’s been brought to its knees by Mother Nature more than once, but somehow, always picks itself up and carries on. And then throws a party to celebrate.
We are excited to introduce some new elements to the conference this year; most notably, we’ll be honoring our 2017 Designer Dozen winners (featured in the April 2017 issue) at an opening reception Sept. 5. What better place than IRDC to introduce these up-and-coming designers to the industry, and vice-versa? Past winners will also be in attendance to welcome the new class.
We’ve also infused more interactivity into the program, which means more panel discussions, more engagement with our presenters, and in short, added opportunity for you to be heard and to hear the voices of your peers.
We are thrilled to welcome our opening keynote speaker, Peter Kim, founder and vice chairman of Los Angeles-based Hudson Jeans, who will share his vision of what the future of retail looks like through the scope of his brand. Along with Kim, we’ve assembled an outstanding program of retailers and designers eager to share their insights and lessons learned with the audience.
IRDC, “Creating Storied Spaces: Experiences Worth Sharing,” will be held Sept. 5-8 at The Ritz-Carlton New Orleans. For more information, please visit irdconline.com, and be sure to follow @vmsdmag and explore (and share) the #irdc2017 hashtag on social media. I hope to see you this fall!