More then a Retail/Ecommerce event!
January 24-26 2024,
Manchester Grand Hyatt, San Diego
Join us at Retail Fest where we’re ditching the filler and getting straight to the killer strategies you need! Hear directly from Founders, CEOs, and VPs who are rolling up their sleeves every day just like you. No fluff, just real-world tactics that you can plug into your business for instant growth. Don’t miss the event that delivers action over jargon—see you there!
The ultimate celebration of retail innovation. Join us to shake things up, connect, and create something extraordinary. Be part of the future of retail, where industry trailblazers come together to make waves.
Groove with world-leading retail leaders and soak up their wisdom.
Transform your biz amidst dynamic tech & consumer habits!
Connect and grow community by meeting new legends at the fest
Get together, vibe with kindred spirits, and soak up shared wisdom.
It's time!
Retail Fest is here and these opening keynotes are going to blow you out of the water and get you pumped to share and connect with your community.
Join us as we kick this event off in a huge way... A secret artist will take to the stage as we get the show started with a bang!
Pick up your badge, grab a coffee and settle in for a big day.
Join your MC as they map out the event and get you ready for the super star Keynotes.
The Opening Keynotes will set the tone for the entire conference, don't miss these incredible sessions.
Grab a caffeine top up and explore the service providers that can help you smash your next project.
Two huge stages at Retail Fest are going to drop incredible and insightful knowledge on you.
Intimate sessions discussing all things Retail; The good, the bad and the ugly. This is your chance to hear from Retailers, Vendors and Peers as we discuss specific challenges and solutions to all facets of Retail.
Some of the overarching themes will include Marketing, Logistics, Future Tech, Security and the Customer Journey where we will drill down into specific areas of each topic.
Join us for lunch in the exhibition hall.
Two huge stages at Retail Fest are going to drop incredible and insightful knowledge on you.
Intimate sessions discussing all things Retail; The good, the bad and the ugly. This is your chance to hear from Retailers, Vendors and Peers as we discuss specific challenges and solutions to all facets of Retail.
Some of the overarching themes will include Marketing, Logistics, Future Tech, Security and the Customer Journey where we will drill down into specific areas of each topic.
Wrap a huge day of learning, meeting and growing with a drink in the expo hall.
Join your MC as they map out the event and get you ready for the super star Keynotes.
The Opening Keynotes will set the tone for the entire conference, don't miss these incredible sessions.
Grab a caffeine top up and explore the service providers that can help you smash your next project.
Two huge stages at Retail Fest are going to drop incredible and insightful knowledge on you.
Intimate sessions discussing all things Retail; The good, the bad and the ugly. This is your chance to hear from Retailers, Vendors and Peers as we discuss specific challenges and solutions to all facets of Retail.
Some of the overarching themes will include Marketing, Logistics, Future Tech, Security and the Customer Journey where we will drill down into specific areas of each topic.
Join us for lunch in the exhibition hall.
Join us for one final incredible Keynote presentation on the main stage.
Neil Patel, Marketing Guru
He is a New York Times Bestselling author. The Wall Street Journal calls him a top influencer on the web, Forbes says he is one of the top 10 marketers, and Entrepreneur Magazine says he created one of the 100 most brilliant companies. He was recognized as a top 100 entrepreneur under the age of 30 by President Obama and a top 100 entrepreneur under the age of 35 by the United Nations.
Jen Gottlieb, Profit Builder
Introducing Jen Gottlieb, powerhouse entrepreneur, international speaker, host of the I Dare You Podcast, author of BE SEEN and co-founder of Super Connector Media - an award-winning training, events, and online education company. With a successful five-year stint as a VH1 host and a career as a Broadway actress, Jen has been making waves in the entrepreneurial world by teaching business owners how to build profitable brands and become "The Recognized Expert" in their field. As a sought-after speaker, Jen has shared the stage with top thought-leaders and celebrities, including Gary Vaynerchuk, Marie Forleo, Eric Thomas, Emmit Smith, Snoop Dogg, and Martha Stewart. Her work has been featured in Forbes, Business Insider, Maxim, Goop, Women's Health, and other major publications. Jen's company, Super Connector Media, was recently listed on the INC 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in America, and Jen herself was named one of the "Top 50 Speakers in The World" by Real Leaders Magazine. Despite her many accolades, Jen remains a true New Yorker at heart and shares her Manhattan home with her husband Chris and their three adorable dogs, Tammie, Teddy, and King Arthur.
Ezra Firestone, Ecom Phenom
CEO of BOOM! by Cindy Joseph, oVertone Color, Zipify Apps, and Founder of Smart Marketer
Ezra Firestone has been recognized by Shopify and Entrepreneur Magazine as a leading ecommerce expert and a refreshing voice in the entrepreneurial community. He has founded multiple 7- and 8-figure brands (generating over $175 million in the past 5 years), and shares his personal and professional insights through Smart Marketer and Zipify Apps. An outspoken proponent of "people over profit," he leads a team of 180 employees while traveling the world educating business owners on how to build brands with integrity and purpose. Most recently Ezra partnered with Shopify to create their premier course on Facebook advertising.
Martin Newman, Consumer Champion
As the Consumer Champion and founder of http://www.customerserviceaction.com, Martin is a force for positive change for both consumers and brands.
He appears regularly on BBC TV and Radio, on Sky, ITV, Channel 5 and a host of other media channels such as LBC, The Times and FT to discuss various consumer issues relating to the retail, travel, casual dining, automotive and financial services sectors.
Martin has leveraged his 39 years of experience working in consumer sectors heading up the multichannel operations of some of the world’s leading brands including Burberry, Intersport, Pentland Brands (Speedo, Berghaus), Harrods and Ted Baker to author the bestselling book 100 Practical Ways to Improve Customer Experience, which was shortlisted for the Business Book of the Year Awards. His new book, The Power of Customer Experience was published in May 2021.
A successful entrepreneur, following his career in the consumer sector, Martin founded and scaled a global ecommerce and digital consultancy Practicology to 100 people with offices across the UK, EU, Middle East and Asia, and subsequently sold in 2018 to the US company, Pattern.
Martin delivers keynote presentations and chairs many leading industry events around the World. This has included sharing the stage with Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web, to discuss the future of the Internet and its implications for retailers.
Amongst Martin’s many accolades, he has featured in various industry leader lists including Retail Week’s top 50 eTail Power List for five years in a row. He has also been named in the Retail Insiders top 100 Retail Movers & Shakers list for a number of years consecutively as well as the British Vogue Online Fashion 100.
Martin judges numerous industry awards such as the World Retail Awards, the Customer Experience awards, the Retail Insider awards, the RTIH awards and for a number of years the Online Retail Awards of Australia and the Great British Entrepreneur awards.
He is a Non-Executive Chairman of the Scout Store, Chairman of the advisory board for Mayborn Group, is a board advisor to Afterpay, and is a Trustee of In Kind Direct and a member of the prestigious KPMG IPSOS Retail Think Tank.
He also now runs a mini MBA in customer centricity with the Oxford College of Leadership and Management and Oxford College of Marketing.
Emmanuel Eribo, Ethical Ecom
Emmanuel Eribo
Emmanuel Eribo, co-founder & CEO of LØCI went from Bath University to the city trading floor before becoming an entrepreneur. He co-founded Butterfly Twists in 2012, the vegan ladies footwear brand, from a kitchen table and has gone on to successfully selling over 3.5 million pairs, in 67 countries and opening 32 of mono-brand stores around the world. It wasn’t long before the realities of overproduction, ethics and the economic impacts to a search for a better way, building a new, more progressive brand that would champion change in the industry operate with cruelty-free, ethics & sustainability at its core and from this experience, LØCI was born. The name LØCI derives from the Latin ‘Locus’ meaning ‘Home, centre or place’ and realising that the reasons he left banking were prevalent in retail he ensured that LØCI was all about a new, less travelled path. Eribo and his co-founders were inspired by the need to disrupt and build a brand that believes it can galvanise a community of customers to make an impact – looking good whilst feeling good. As such he’s worked to build the brand on the ethos that ‘the world doesn’t need more shoes’. Not only does he continue to be at the helm of LØCI, Eribo is also a key investor himself, supporting other forward-thinking revolutionary brands championing sustainability and development.
Brett Thornton, Nimble Innovator
As the Vice President of Retail & Digital Sales at Avocado Green Brands, Brett is dedicated to transforming the retail industry and shaping a brighter, more sustainable future. With a strong focus on training, development, and culture, he is deeply involved in nurturing his talented team and optimizing their processes. At Avocado Green Brands, they are not just a mattress company; but a force that champions our planet and social responsibility. Brett leads their rapidly growing Retail team and spearheads the innovative VX program, which utilizes "Mock" showrooms design specifically for live video sales calls. Through this groundbreaking technology, they can connect with guests from all corners of the globe. Additionally, he oversees Training & Development for all of sales and wholesale partners, as well as the Digital Sales Team, which is responsible for product chats, calls and emails. Together, he believes they are revolutionizing the way retail is experienced. Brett is one of the few executives in the country to have worked on all sides of retail, from sales, to training, to manufacturing and product design. However where he really can add value to you as a connection is in the growing number of DTC brands who have gone from solely operating online to opening brick and mortar locations along with wholesale partners. Having navigated these waters and learned the tough lessons, he will share advice on how you can thrive in all sales channels! Beyond Brett's professional endeavors, he is a devoted father of two incredible children, residing in sunny Southern California. Embracing the vibrant coastal lifestyle, you'll often find him surfing, skateboarding, shooting hoops, or enjoying a round of golf. His love for creativity drives him to invest free time in projects that bring fulfillment and joy! He has a passion for travelling and storytelling, which you can see highlighted in the documentary, "The Road" which chronicles Brett and 3 friends who risk their lives running through the jungles of Burma (Myanmar) to tell the story of the incredible Karen people, who were being ethnically wiped out by the Burmese government. https://vimeo.com/18137501 One notable accomplishment is the authorship of the best-rated book, "Be a Better Presenter in One Hour!" This unique self-help book disrupts traditional norms by combining 60 minutes of reading with video challenges, elevating readers' confidence in the art of presenting. It's a testament to his commitment to continuous personal and professional growth.
Goldie Chan, Content Artist
Goldie Chan is a global speaker, strategist, author and advisor. She's known as the "Oprah of LinkedIn" by Huffington Post and a LinkedIn Top Voice for Social Media. Goldie founded Warm Robots, an award-winning social media strategy agency based in Los Angeles with global clients. She contributes to Forbes on an internationally-recognized column “Personal Branding and Storytelling in the Digital Age” and is working on her first book, “Personal Branding for Introverts” through McGraw-Hill. She is a proud member of the Producer’s Guild of America and has been featured as a fresh voice in The New York Times, CNN, The Information, Inc. Magazine, Fast Company and more.
Tina Shim, Brand Builder
Tina Shim is the SVP of Brand Marketing at IPSY, the largest beauty membership in the world. IPSY harnesses proprietary AI technology with curated top beauty brands to deliver personalized monthly beauty bags and boxes to millions of delighted members. She leads the development and growth of the digitally native IPSY and BoxyCharm brands, successfully navigating the changing digital landscape to drive full funnel brand results as the #2 beauty brand on Tik Tok, nearly $200M in EMV in 2022, and YOY growth in both paid and organic traffic.
As a beauty veteran with 18 years of experience ranging from classic CPG brands like Neutrogena (Suncare, Acne & Cleansing) and Murad to growth stage startups like Bliss, Tina is passionate about connecting the dots between consumer insights and meaningful brand experiences to convert loyal, lifelong customers.
Tina currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband and 3 daughters where they enjoy good food and the California outdoors. Having spent 4 years as expatriates in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Tina’s family also enjoys the simple luxuries of paved roads and 24/7 running water/electricity.
Vicki Cantrell, Partnerships Driver
Vicki Cantrell is a retail strategist, community builder, former COO and CIO in the retail industry, and is recognized for relationship building and accelerated growth.
She most recently served as Retail Transformation Officer for Aptos, Inc., developing customer experience and relationship based go-to-market strategies.
Before Aptos, Cantrell was NRF’s SVP, Communities and Executive Director, Shop.org, providing strategic direction and management of Shop.org, CIO Council, Digital Council, CMO Council, ARTS and Loss Prevention Council.
Prior to NRF, Cantrell served as the Chief Operating Officer of Tory Burch, and has also worked as CIO of Giorgio Armani Corporation and held senior level positions with Gucci Group, Party City and JCPenney.
Cantrell is an active member of the Retail Orphan Initiative, is on the Advisory Board of sparks & honey, and a board member of Tandy Leather Company.
Jake Karls, Hype Boss
Jake Karls is the co-founder and Chief Rainmaker at Mid-Day Squares. Currently building the next chocolate snacking empire. As the Rainmaker, Jake focuses on achieving growth through the art of building genuine relationships – with investors, buyers, retailers journalists, and building out the internal team. In Jake’s better-known role as Mid-Day Squares’s resident Social-Personality, he passionately inspires others to “get comfortable with the uncomfortable” and be unapologetically themselves. Though he was recognized as an EY Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist and named in the Forbes 30 Under 30 class of 2023, his self-proclaimed “greatest accomplishment” was learning how to be confident in himself.
Philippe Homsey, Game Changer
Philippe Homsy has always carried a passion to push boundaries and challenge the norm. After University he immersed himself into Soho’s media playground at global powerhouse Yahoo! growing to become Global product manager. In 2008, Philippe & his co-founders founded their first joint professional venture, Butterfly Twists – the first ever women’s ballerina brand that exclusively made vegan footwear. Over the next eight years, the brand ascended to global success, selling 3.5million pairs in 66 countries around the world, achieving tens of millions in sales. Through his work he saw an important intersection of fashion and sustainability, shifting his focus with his co-founders to develop a new, more progressive shoe brand that would champion change in the industry and focus on creating a brand that was 100% focused on cruelty-free, ethical, sustainable footwear, LØCI. Described by Fast Company as the sneaker company “breaking all moulds” & backed by actor and environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio, the 18-month-old start up is disrupting the industry for good. Philippe mentors a number of brands in the space and spends his free time executive producing environmental documentaries.
Scott Cunningham, Merchant Master
Scott Cunningham is an award-winning e-commerce sales expert, entrepreneur, instructor, and speaker who has helped thousands of Shopify stores master their sales positioning.
Scott's agency, Social Lite, was honoured with the Agency of the Year Award from DigitalMarketer.com in 2022, and the agency was acknowledged as one of only a few Klaviyo Platinum Partners worldwide.
Scott’s eCommerce mentorship program, Merchant Mastery, was also recognized as the best-selling ecommerce course on Thinkific in 2022.
Over the past couple years, Scott’s team has hosted over 20 Shopify Sales Bootcamps across North America, and Scott has presented at prestigious global events such Traffic and Conversion Summit, AdWorld, Ecom World, Retails Success Summit, Affiliate Summit, and more.
Michelle Pacynski, Digital Innovation Leader
A high performing leader, Michelle Pacynski shapes – and reshapes – the beauty and retail industry with leading innovations and new ways to discover. Leading the retailers’ team of global digital innovators, she oversees work that connects digital and physical shopping journeys with leading technology to create differentiated, relevant guest experiences. She also serves as Fund Advisor for Prisma Ventures, Ulta Beauty’s digital innovation fund set to shape the future of retail and light the way for tomorrow’s visionaries.
In 11 years with the leading beauty retailer, Michelle has played an integral role in evolving the brand’s digital presence. She founded the Digital Innovation team in 2018 to spearhead disruptive investments and acquisitions, growing the team from 4 to 35 software engineers, opening four satellite offices and welcoming the company’s first full-time associates outside the United States. The team actively experiments with state-of-the-art technologies to bring cutting edge solutions to millions of beauty enthusiasts.
Alex Vailas, Sustainable Brand Builder
Alex Vailas is the SVP of Brand Marketing for DYPER™, where she is responsible for building a generation-defining CPG brand that makes diapers and baby products that are kind to babies and our planet. She is responsible for brand storytelling and leading cross-functional execution of all marketing strategies to increase sales and brand awareness in the baby space. She is also a multi-faceted creative who, over her career, has driven vision, storytelling, and positive business results for Fortune 500 companies like Kroger and Thor Industries. Her diversified marketing industry experience spans from creator to agency to brand, understanding the unique challenges and expectations of each. She is an influencer marketing veteran with over 15 years of experience, over one million followers, and hundreds of brand partnerships with top-tier brands like Target, Anthropologie, and Home Depot. She is most proud of being a single mother raising two kids and finishing her first book!
John Lawson, Ecommerce Innovator
John Lawson, an award-winning entrepreneur and best-selling author, has conquered the business world with his unwavering entrepreneurial spirit. After consulting with Fortune 100 companies at Accenture, he turned his attention to small business, becoming a sought-after mentor in social commerce, online marketing tactics, and e-commerce strategies.
As a small business power player, John has been honored as one of the Top 50 SMB Influencers by All Business. His expertise in e-commerce has garnered him two Small Business Influencer awards from SmallBusinessTrends.com. Notably, his book "Kick Ass Social Commerce for E-prenuers" secured the esteemed "Business Book of The Year" recognition. With his guidance and insightful contributions, John Lawson continues to inspire and empower entrepreneurs to achieve extraordinary success.
You can find John @ColderICE on IG, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Get ready for the conference of the year for Retailers!
Retail Fest brings together industry leaders and entrepreneurs for an event like no other. Soak up the wisdom of leading retailers over three days in San Diego, with nights filled with excitement and the curation of meaningful connections.
At Retail Fest, we have a one in all in mentality. That means when you buy your respective ticket you will have the same access to incredible sessions, Club Retail Expo along with multiple networking events and one epic opening concert at The House of Blues.
Ticket Inclusions
Epic Keynotes I Actionable Breakouts I Intimate Retail Rave Sessions I Club Retail
2 X Networking Receptions I Break & Lunch Catering
One Incredible Opening Concert at the House of Blues
“We loved the spirit and exceptional organisation and most of all it provided a significant uplift to our business. Well done Retail Fest Team!” Nestor B
“Love the event. Definitely one of the highlights of the year.” Cody J
“Motivating, Inspiring, Encouraging” Shaniqua L
“Retail Fest is where the retail community gets together to share knowledge, network and celebrate our industry. An event not to be missed!” Carina A
“We see RF as a turning point in our business from the first time we went to an event” Doron K
1 Market Pl, San Diego, CA 92101, United States
Event enquiries – Emma@retailglobal.com
Sponsorship – Ethan@retailglobal.com
