BETWEEN ASSISTING IN the inaugural Shop! MarketPlace this past April to the exciting 2023 International Retail Design Conference (IRDC) in Minneapolis to many whirlwind adventures around the country and globe – EuroShop, Lightfair, NeoCon, LEDucation, InfoComm – it has been a productive year for the VMSD team.
We historically end our year with the “New York” issue, and this November/December edition of VMSD features two prominent New York projects: the Museum of Broadway (pg. 26) and Aston Martin (pg. 52). Though the Museum of Broadway isn’t your typical retail experience – or arguably retail at all – what it offers the design and retail community is a case study in visual storytelling, Instagrammable moments, VM inspo and the importance of curated, immersive visitor journeys. Similarly, Aston Martin is another unusual experience in that it is by appointment only and features an opulent environment directly geared at the luxury car enthusiast. A “Two-Minute Tour” of the New York borough Chelsea is featured in The Goods section (pg. 13), and to top off our NYC content, our New York Editor Eric Feigenbaum’s annual Sidewalks of New York column (pg. 38) focuses on the latest and greatest retail destinations in the Big Apple – from Glossier to Khaite to Gucci to Emporio Armani.
In addition to our thought-provoking New York-related coverage, our Top Stories of the Year on pg. 32, beautifully illustrated by our Art Director Danielle Sy, features a rundown of some of 2023’s most impactful (and dreadful) retail-related headlines, written annually by our contributing writer and former editor, Steve Kaufman.
Speaking of top stories, VMSD wrapped up its 23rd annual IRDC this past Oct. 25-26 in Minneapolis. The passion for retail design and visual merchandising was palpable throughout the two-day event that featured a range of presenters, hands-on workshops, panel presentations and the 17th annual Iron Merchant Challenge. Read more about the event on pg. 44. (This year, Shop! Ideation Conference & Retail Challenge co-located with IRDC, Oct. 22-24; you can visit shopassociation.org for a full gallery of the event.)
The upcoming New Year is full of new possibilities: Our annual January/February “Look Book” issue featuring the latest retail projects, an in-depth 2024 forecast and holiday windows recap; the NRF “Retail’s Big Show” taking place this January; Shop! MarketPlace coming to Cincinnati, April 9-11, at the Duke Energy Convention Center – and very excitingly – IRDC 2024 in Kansas City, Mo., next fall. The host hotel and specific dates will be announced in the coming weeks, and the call for 2024 presenters is now open! Be sure to visit vmsd.com/irdc-2024-present, and stay tuned to vmsd.com and irdconline.com for more information.
Meantime, Happy Holidays and Happy (early) New Year from the VMSD team!
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