futurestores.wbresearch.com/

I really enjoyed listening to the speakers that discussed use cases (Nordstrom and Starbucks) vs the panel discussions that were more generic in nature. Also the Champagne break out needs more structure for the moderators because it felt more like an interview at times than sharing insights about best practices.

Thank you for hosting the show this year. There was a great retailer and vendor turnout. We met some terrific people both for business and personal enrichment. However, at every turn with this organizer, we felt nickled and dimed without added value. We needed an extra badge for a team member to support at the booth, and were charged $2200 for one more booth badge (on top of over $12,000 for the booth!). That same team member was turned down at the one industry networking event designed for women to learn from one another’s experiences, as it was labeled “retailer-only” (like much of the programming). The scanner prices ($400 per app download, not flat for the whole booth!) were pretty shocking, especially considering they were essentially mandatory because this audience didn’t want to give out cards. This was the first time I’ve seen that kind of per-person pricing on lead retrieval. The food and venue were excellent and the agenda was decent. But ultimately, I didn’t feel appreciated as a sponsor, with 7am start times and 6pm end times, no official closure of the exhibit hall to give us a break or to see the sessions, and the ping-pong event being held during booth breakdown. You guys are charging NRF prices and I’m getting a fraction of the value for the price. I suggest either increasing the value, or reducing your booth prices for next year. Thank you again.

Overall I thought the conference was a good opportunity to learn about current industry strategies and trends. I was a little disappointed that many of the programs on the agenda were not offered. The agenda seemed to change a lot at the last minute which I am sure is do to changes in people's work and travel commitments - which I understand. However, when an attendee is expecting to here information on a specific area that isn't covered it is disappointing. In addition, knowing that presenters are offered discounts or free admission to the conference, I think some of the presenters were not as robust as they could be. I think that some larger brands - like Bed & Bath could have offered the audience a more impactful view on some of the topics covered. I'm not sure the value is there for all attendees. The other issue I had was the attendance at the round tables on the second day. The participation was very poor so I was not able to hear what peers in the workforce were experiencing. I believe there were about 30 attendees at the round tables on day 2 which when spread across 8 or 9 different topics made for some very small discussions.

Overall it was good to be exposed to some new material and get close to issues retailers deal with day to day. Also appreciated the dialogue regarding online + IRL shopping. The events are fun and the prizes a nice touch. Things that might be improved: -Some of the presenters were excellent, well prepared and polished. Others were pretty overt in selling, one even had spelling issues to be corrected. Also I'm pretty visual so talking with no visuals for many hours gets to be a long day. -Food was pretty rough and it's not much fun to be sequestered with vendors way down the hall. -Furniture in the concourse would make it much easier to pop out for a quick call or an impromptu meeting. -Kind of an issue with all conventions but the windowless ballroom is the least inspiring place around. I really appreciated the FS staff at the event- they are well prepared, professional, helpful, and approachable. Thank you!

I found the keynote speakers to be informative. I also found quite a few of them to be repetitive in what they were saying. It would have been nice to have content.validated before they were to present.