As preparations get underway for Glee 2017, the show’s organisers – Ascential Events – has teased details of its latest show feature – the Retail Lab @ Glee.
Set to the be the key focal point of the 2017 show, the Retail Lab @ Glee will be the show’s interactive hub full of inspiration and the latest trend information. Unlike any previous features at Glee, the Retail Lab will be future facing, providing visiting retailers with a long-term vision for their retail environments, the show organisers say.
The Retail Lab @ Glee will be made a reality under the watchful eye of creative director Romeo Sommers, of ByRomeo, and will be created in association with the HTA, international trend predictors WGSN, Pleydell Smithyman, and Paula Parker.
Focusing on four key themes – Health & Wellbeing, Family, Community Engagement, and ‘Re-wilding’ – the Retail Lab @ Glee will deliver advice that will enable retailers (and suppliers) to future-proof their businesses. The content – showcased as the ‘store of the future’, which will address the different ways to engage and inspire with core consumer groups – will also be supported by Glee’s seminar content.
Glee event director Matthew Mein commented: “The Retail Lab @ Glee has been created as we wanted to offer something that looks to the future of garden retailing. We’ll be focusing on trends that are within touching distance; trends that will directly affect consumer spending habits in the near future. The Retail Lab @ Glee will enable retailers to retail effectively, ensuring longevity of their existing customer base, whilst also engaging with new consumers for a profitable future.”
HTA director of operations Martin Simmons added: “This is an incredibly exciting project to be involved in. The HTA is well-known for its work, via the Foresight Factory, in providing the industry with information about macro-trends that are likely to have an impact in the future, and so to be able to demonstrate what that might look like in the physical environment is both challenging and rewarding. It’s also been a thoroughly enjoyable experience and a privilege to work with people who are really passionate about our industry’s future.”
