GlobalShop from a New Perspective

The new smartphone camera lenses have been tested. I’ve found what has to be the most comfortable pair of walking shoes ever invented. And I have strengthened my peripheral vision vertically so that I can see, at the same time, both the face and the conference badge of all the new friends I’m about to meet. I’m ready.

GlobalShop 2015 begins today.

The world’s largest annual event for retail design and shopper marketing, GlobalShop is the retail marketer’s Nirvana. It offers a heady mix of practical solutions and blue-sky possibilities. It’s not about what’s happening; it’s about what will be happening next. GlobalShop is inspiring, educational, entertaining, thought-provoking… and sometimes overwhelming.

The smart retailer goes to GlobalShop with a plan. Before hitting the show floor, he or she hits the books (OK, the internet) to discover who’s exhibiting, who’s presenting and who’s throwing the best party. Goals are set and a schedule is built only after answering the key question: “What do I need to get out of GlobalShop this year?”

But don’t make that schedule too rigid. GlobalShop is about discovery. Have a schedule – and an attitude – that allows for exploration. Shifting perspective and experiencing GlobalShop from alternative points of view will provide fresh insights and ideas.

How to do that?

Walk alone.

(I know, the song said you never would. But do it this time.) It’s great to see GlobalShop with the team; that shared experience is critical. But find time to walk the show alone as well. Unfettered by the schedules of others, and guided by those sights and concepts that resonate and beckon in an emotional way, a marketer can discover the unknown, creating a GlobalShop experience of their own.

Learn one new thing.

Exit the comfort zone and discover something unfamiliar. GlobalShop offers access to retail experts and visionaries. Don’t miss out just because something isn’t “in the job description.” Be curious; see the bigger picture; start to connect the dots. Take the opportunity to learn about a new process, material, technology or demographic. Make friends with that interesting guy at the booth, or sit in on a session that might normally be skipped. That’s how horizons are expanded (and client service is enhanced).

Use your words.

There’s so much to discover at GlobalShop; a person can wear out the picture-taking finger. So don’t photograph everything. Choose a couple of amazing sights and describe them in writing instead. Sure, it takes a little more time. That’s the point. Writing a description requires focus, attention to detail, thoughtfulness and specific language. It forces the examination of the “why” along with the “what.”

Turn it on its head.

Literally. What would that display be if you turned it upside down? What purpose could that shelf unit serve if suspended from the ceiling? How can that “choose the best for you” technology be translated from the make-up counter to the sneaker wall? The sights at GlobalShop are inspiring; the possibilities beyond those sights can inspire even more. Choose a few favorite exhibit elements and imagine them being used in a completely unexpected way.  Go in with the intent to invent.

Here’s to seeing things in a new way, and to seeing you at GlobalShop 2015.