GlobalShop 1999: The World's Largest Annual Retail Design Event Announced for March 27-29 in Chicago

Furniture World Magazine

In-store Interactive Ideas (i3) Debuts as a New Trade Show Within GlobalShop GlobalShop 1999, the world's largest annual retail design exposition, has been set for March 27-29 at Chicago's McCormick Place. GlobalShop is the annual event for retail design and in-store marketing professionals to see firsthand the best and brightest new retail design products that officially debut at the show. Nothing else offers retailers and brand marketers more resources and new concepts to increase sales through store environment. This year GlobalShop will add high-tech to its high-impact offerings with a new venue – In-store Interactive Ideas (i3). Interactive displays are already playing an integral part in the future of retail merchandising; they bring exciting Internet technology directly to the retail floor to enhance the retail experience while still providing the familiarities of a traditional shopping experience. "i3, the first show of its kind, offers retailers a glimpse of the future while providing useful solutions now," said Doug Hope, GlobalShop creator and producer. For many stores, the interactive future is now. Stores such as Circuit City, Sears, REI and Florsheim already have in-store interactive capabilities with touch-screen kiosks. Sponsored by the National Association of Store Fixture Manufacturers (NASFM) and the Point-of-Purchase Advertising Institute (POPAI), i3 will showcase interactive marketing resources, including touch-screens, speakers, kiosks, interactive software, multimedia and electronic commerce solutions. GlobalShop, one of the top-100 U.S. trade shows, included more than 800 exhibiting companies, and 14,000 retail design decision-makers in 1998. "GlobalShop represents the best and latest of what the $40 billion retail design industry has to offer. In retail, a customer's perception is literally the bottom-line reality for a store. Store design, image and branding are crucial for retailers to differentiate themselves in an increasingly competitive industry," said Hope. "Retailers are more savvy about marketing themselves, and each year we see companies like Disney increasing the number of staff they send to the Show. Disney is a perfect example, having mastered the formula for exploding sales through store environment," said Hope. Vendor Shop Store Centerpiece Returns for Fourth Year The Vendor Shop Store, the centerpiece exhibit in GlobalShop's Store Fixturing Show, remains a popular draw of the Show. Vendor Shop Store – a "store within a store" concept – will once again have some of the nation's top consumer product manufactures and retail designers showcasing cutting-edge design techniques in prototype stores. This year's high-profile, high-impact brand participants will include Chaps/Ralph Lauren. Educational Conference Highlights In addition to the exhibits, this year's show will include a variety of retail seminars. Scheduled speakers include: Floyd Hall, president and CEO of Kmart Corporation, as GlobalShop 1999's keynote speaker. Hall will share the retail design strategies behind Kmart's highly-praised turnaround efforts. David Glover, executive director of retail design for Universal Studios, will give an insider look at how one of the hottest retailers around implements experiential retail design through architecture, information and merchandise. Paco Underhill, founder and managing director of Envirosell, will share how to determine key facets of consumer shopping behavior as it relates to store design. Debbie Allen, author of Trade Secrets of Retail Stars, will discuss the do's and don'ts of visual marketing. GlobalShop is sponsored by the NASFM and is produced by Shore-Varrone Inc., publisher of Display & Design Ideas and Point Of Purchase Magazine. GlobalShop also includes The Store Fixturing Show, sponsored by NASFM; The Visual Merchandising Show, sponsored by the National Association of Display Industries (NADI); and Retail Operations & Construction Expo. In addition, for the second year, POPAI Marketplace is independently co-locating with GlobalShop. For additional information on GlobalShop and i3, call 800-646-0091 or visit www.globalshop.org