The trip to Anchorage Alaska was quick for me from Seattle but a very long haul for many on the SGIA board. The meeting times went quickly in the land of midnight sun. With all great business the work was followed by fun. A boating tour of the glacier coastline and a train ride back through the country side. I now know why so many are attracted to the native beauty of the area.

Day 1 - June 8^th 2011
The setting was idyllic, adjacent to Montery Bay and the Customs House at the pier. Just a beautiful view and great venue. The conference was inspirational. I was only able to pull 2 days out of my schedule to definitely attend next years conference for the full week.

The planneries were top notch. Highlights for me were around Katherine Brask from GE Ecomagination and the Millennial presentation by Erin Schode, which was astounding. A close second was a presentation on Embedded Sustainability.  The content was rich, the socialization and networking phenomenal. Very open group with great attendance and a widely diverse clientele. Very much enjoyed it. Only disappointment was the low attendance of retailers.

Sony stores have really come together. The new window program couped with the recent catalog of new products drove me to the store. It’s all about the what Sony products can do to make your lifestyle better. Check it out

Stayed at the Westin Hotel, a small walk from the South Coast Plaza mall. The activity in the mall was solid. We did recognize a 1 in 20 vacancy for a top 10 national mall option. The barricade work was top quality, most of the new store builds were scheduled for later during the summer to coordinate with holiday openings. Top brands and designer shops were evident. I did see multiple concepts from traditional mall retailers, topped by 6 concepts from Victoria Secrets. How many Talbot stores do you need to tell the story and reflect the Talbots consumer? I was also able to shop my first Microsoft concept as well, similar but different from the Apple concept.

South Coast Plaza May 2011 Day 2

The Camp and the Lab were great departures from the traditional retail mall environments. Each adventure focused on another possibility. Check out our shots. Best new footwear & apparel environment yet.

Fashion Island, May 2011 Day 3

This was my favorite environment yet. The Tommy Bahama Denim new concept store temped me to purchase. The environment reminds you of a European coastal market. The selection of merchants are great, the concepts are fresh. Including adidas Silver and many more. Many unique concepts stores fresh with new locations domestically.

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Carol Spierkerman from New Market Builders, newmarketbuilders.com, has offered another great retail trajectory presentation. The balance of the conference was focused on other activities that could help direct your business development efforts.

This years show was great! Just the right size and unique sign partners on hand, The show floor was active and really gave you’re the feeling the recession has passed. HCS hopes to presenting next year at ISA as part of there educational development seminars. More great shopping tours and industry catch ups.

This is a busy week for HCS with many clients exhibiting at the show. This year I was onsite assisting DuPont in launching thier Approved Printer Network. The DuPont proposition has been great to participate with. The launch went very well and good times were had by all. We were also able to check the new shopping in Las Vegas. It is exceptional!

Euroshop is an overwhelming event that has been hosted in Düsseldorf Germany every 3 years. This years event occupied 10 halls and was filled with insights and regurgitations of products I have seen for years. The mannequin displays were the best I have seen to date followed only by the broad selection of hard surface laminate option displayed.

Euroshop March post 2

Had a chance to take a break from retail and experience the local eateries. Even ran into some domestic friends and clients. Next time at Euroshop I spend an entire week and move slower to completely cover all the halls.

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Influence we witnessed

• Art meets Lifestyle.
Retailers are bringing a higher level of quality to the way they market, but behind the many new looks, ideas are shaped with a philosophy of making art, not just a message and image…the retailers are mingling culture with design.

• Co-branded Relationship at Retail, Recognized Brands sharing a Brand store.
Some retailers are seeing the benefits of mixing their branded products together in a retail brands store. Co-marketing products, signage, and message are innovating the way retailers interact with consumers.

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London shopping tour Day 2
Design was our focus for this outing

• Demonstrative / Found 3-D.
Retailers are moving away from the use of “just graphics” to support their message. More complex dimensional options are being introduced.

• Theme / To Evoke Environment Lifestyle Statement.
Retailers are moving away from standardized window and In-Store campaign and toward creating themed environments that invite the consumer to deepen their relationship with the brand, build loyalty, and tribe mentality through lifestyle choices.

• Visible Offers.
Retailers are inviting consumers into their store environment with offers that prompt buying behavior…increasing sales.

• Pinpointing / Focal Pointing.
Methods for targeting consumers to interact with specific products are being developed that personalize the shoppers experience in smaller spaces, yet creating big impact

London shopping tour Day 3

Trends was our focus for this outing

• Less Graphics / More Propping / Elimination of Visual Clutter. Quality vs quantity of elements, clean sophisticated approach to design, but once you commit to something…Own it.

• Less Wayfinding Signage / More Shoppertainment. Domestically we are focused on having the shopper arrive at the zone they want quickly, whereas London gave you an idea of what was in an area but still allowed you to linger and explore.

• More Demonstrative
Large graphics definitely have more impact. Also working the entire available height of the retail space was noticed consistently.

• Material Specifications Service / Consolidation of Graphic and Material Specification / Propping Resources/ 3D Prototyping.
This is not just about the graphics, it is about themeing & propping in 3D with textures and eye candy that evoke feeling.

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Flagstaff, Arizona. Some of the largest graphic communication firms came together to network and discuss the ever changing climate of the industry. I was able to secure another retail presenter to offer industry insights from the customer prospective. This year’s guest was Suzanna Everisol from REI. She was direct and forthcoming about what she was looking for in potential partners. The primary list was around knowing their brand and offering innovation and maintaining transparency to many issues.

My golf game and attire were confused with the eratic weather from cold to hot and back again.