Shoptalk Unveils Final 2019 Agenda, New On-Site Initiatives

With the final agenda solidified for its upcoming 2019 confab, the Shoptalk team is on track to deliver the fourth installment of what’s fast become a premier event for the retail industry. The event will be held March 3-6 at the Venetian in Las Vegas.

“Massive changes are taking place that will upend everything about how we discover, shop and buy,” said Zia Daniell Wigder, Shoptalk’s chief global content officer. “While shopping and stores are clearly here to stay, the industry is going through tectonic shifts that cannot be underestimated,” including changes ranging from consumer preferences and behavior to advances in technology, which Widger said “are transforming both retail economics and experiences. Since 2015, we’ve led the industry dialogue by bringing together every part of the retail ecosystem, and we look forward to doing the same with Shoptalk 2019.”

More than 8,000 attendees are expected to attend Shoptalk 2019. The final agenda includes more than 250 speakers, comprising of:

Shoptalk’s list of confirmed speakers are:

A long list of technology leaders highlight Shoptalk’s speaker lineup, including the founders and CEOs of more than 50 startup tech companies; nearly 30 founders and CEOs of direct-to-consumer startups; and more than 20 venture capital and private equity investors.

New On-Site Initiatives

To extend its track record of introducing new and groundbreaking programs and experiences at each event, Shoptalk 2019 will also offer new on-site initiatives for its upcoming gathering, which organizers said, “are collectively designed to help retailers, brands and other attendees collaborate and network as well as secure new insights and ideas,” such as:

Tabletalks: Interactive, peer-to-peer 45-minute roundtables that enable deep dive discussions and learnings for groups of five to eight individuals from retailers and brands to share insights, address issues and generate actionable takeaways that help drive their businesses forward. Participants can join up to four Tabletalks and can also select their time slots from the following:

Tabletalks participation requires preshow enrollment; invitations will be sent to qualifying registered retailer and brand attendees in mid-February.

Drinks With Speakers: All attendees will have the opportunity to meet and interact with dozens of Shoptalk speakers who will be available for conversation in designated areas on Sunday, March 3, from 6:15-7 p.m. during the Welcome Reception in the Exhibit Hall. No preregistration is required.

Shophop: Best described as a high-end “pub crawl,” Shophop will take place Tuesday, March 5 from 6:30-8 p.m. at several of the best on-site venues at the Venetian. Preregistration is not required for Shophop; retailers and brands simply pick up a wristband at the Shophop desk outside the Exhibit Hall.

Annual Retail Education Certificate: To be awarded to everyone who completes at least 10 credits of continuing education at Shoptalk. Preregistration is not required; details, including how to earn credits, are available here.

Core Curriculum: Beginning this year, Shoptalk has created a standardized set of Core Curriculum sessions that include many of the fundamentals of a changing retail landscape. Preregistration is not required for any Shoptalk agenda sessions, including those in the Core Curriculum.

“While other events generally stay stagnant from year to year, we at Shoptalk consistently add new experiences and opportunities for our attendees that facilitate education and collaboration,” said Anil Aggarwal, Shoptalk’s founder and CEO. “In 2018, we added programs such as Techtalks and our incredibly successful Hosted Retailers & Brands Program, which is now the industry’s largest meetings program worldwide, and we’re thrilled to add five new initiatives for 2019.”

Aggarwal continued: “Much of what we do is only possible because of the precision achievable with our proprietary technology and matching algorithms. We’re excited to help move the industry forward at a large scale, and to shift it away from the unhealthy cliques that have plagued it for so long—including those based on outdated definitions of e-commerce and digital.”

General information about Shoptalk can be found here, while tickets for the 2019 event can be found here.