US events - wbresearch.com

very 3rd party vendor heavy, would have liked to see vendors separate from the actual conference learning sessions and round tables. At times I felt like I was part of a research and development panel to help them improve their system they are trying to sell.

Day 1 was way too salesy. Even the sessions that had interesting retailers were partnered with vendors and shared content that landed as a sales pitch. I almost didn't return for day 2. Day 2 had much better content. I enjoyed the presentations and focus on challenges we are facing in the industry. The round table discussions were a highlight however I'd have preferred if the no vendors was followed.

Here are the reasons I gave this "ok": It was the same week as Unleash, need better planning on timing Venue, quite small and felt cramped Better networking opportunities outside of vendor hall

The collection of speakers and topics were great. The attendee group was diverse and interesting. The logistics for the conference were challenging - not enough time between speakers and the rooms were too small for all attendees. There needs to be more space and time for mingling. 5-10 minute breaks between speakers in GS were needed as well. It would allow for more engagement.

For a "retail" specific conference there was a lot of talk around work from home and "back to office" discussion. Very high level, overarching HR content, and not a lot of specific take aways or action items. Accommodations, food, logistics were great, but the content was not.