In the race of the most volatile and changing business segments, retail and e-commerce will emerge as the eventual winners by any yardsticks of the competition. Their “always-on-the-verge” nature proves this claim. What began as a plain brick and mortar store affair briskly transformed into websites – and no lesser than the time gap between two eye- blinks, omnichannel communication strategies blurred the borders between stores and websites, demanding more alertness from retail executives. That’s the reason why Internet Retailer Conference and Exhibition (IRCE), arguably the biggest and most awaited annual event of the e-commerce industry, will become bigger and better this year by bringing together three retail events namely IRCE, GlobalShop, and RFID Journal Live under one roof. These gem of events will be co-located under the retail banner at Chicago’s McCormick Place South.

Clearly, combining these high-seismic events together, which until now have been held in different cities and at different times of the year, will offer more to attendees. The same sentiments were echoed by Doug Hope, spokesman for RetailX at Emerald Expositions, when he said , “We see bricks-and-mortar retailers growing online and with omnichannel, and pure-play e-retailers opening stores. And underneath that, there’s the secret ingredient of RFID technology, which becomes vital and essential to retailers breaking down their silos.”

However, looking at the massive response that aforementioned two events have received in the past, it can be said with mathematical precision that the scale and scope of IRCE 2019 is way beyond anything in the [event] marketplace.

In last year’s spring, GlobalShop drew over 10,000 attendees and had more than 600 exhibitors. Being in the existence from the last 27 years, it’s the premium retail design, planning and merchandising show. RFID Journal Live is celebrating its 10th year which generally draws about 3,000 attendees. What makes it further interesting is IRCE 2019 will see more than 200 companies from 26 countries showcasing the very latest in RFID technology.  

All in all, it strongly promises to be the greater networking hotspot for anybody in the tech side of the business that touches shoppers. It’s no wonder that RetailX is expected to attract and inspire more than 20,000 attendees and more than 1,200 exhibiting brands.

Here is the full schedule of IRCE 2019:

Expo Hall Hours

Tuesday, June 25 – 4:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
(Welcome Reception/Open Bar 4:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. on the show floor)

Wednesday, June 26 – 9:00 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
(Open Bar 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. on the show floor)

Thursday, June 27– 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Retail TouchPoints LIVE @ RetailX Hours

Tuesday, June 25, 2019 – 9:15 AM – 2:40 PM

Wednesday, June 26, 2019 – 9:30 AM – 3:55 PM

Keynote Speaker Schedule

Tuesday, June 25, 2019
Doug Stephens
3:00 – 4:00 PM

Wednesday, June 26, 2019
Andy Dunn
8:30 AM – 9:00 AM
Chip Conley
9:00 – 9:30 AM

Thursday, June 27, 2019
Susan Tynan
8:15 – 8:45 AM
Dan Alarik
8:45 – 9:15 AM

The List of RetailX Keynote and Guest Speakers

Doug Stephens, President and Founder, Retail Prophet

Andy Dunn, Senior Vice President, Walmart

Susan Tynan, CEO & Founder, Framebridge

Chip Conley, Strategic Advisor, Airbnb

Dan Alarik, CEO & Founder, Grunt Style

Why You Should Attend IRCE 2019?

1) One Stop Solution for Business Needs: 

The exhibit hall of IRCE hosts hundreds of e-commerce vendors offering the up-to-the-minute technologies and retail solutions for your business. IRCE showcases the largest display of solutions and technology in the industry – with vendors from various categories including marketing, fulfillment, retail technologies and more. It enhances the possibility of finding exactly what your business direly needs.  The exhibit hall features:

● More than 600 vendors

● Lounges for focused work, charging, snacking and refreshing

● Easy access to RFID Journal Live Retail’s exhibitors

● GlobalShop’s exhibitors

2) Greater Networking:  

IRCE generally draws 10,000 e-commerce professionals to the shores of Lake Michigan with 16 tracks and nearly 600 vendor exhibitions – making it industry’s most trafficked annual conference. Naturally, it comes with abundant opportunities to network with your fellow attendees and exhibitors.

3) Wealth of Knowledge:

With more than 130 sessions covering everything that touches upon retail and e-commerce, IRCE is an ideal place to receive strategic educational sessions on the topics that are mission-critical for your business. Similarly, IRCE’s agenda is shaped in part with the editorial experts from Internet Retailer magazine, ensuring that the most recent trends are on its radar. At the end of these knowledgeable and actionable presentations, you will leave the conference by ticking many boxes of learning curves.

Plan Ahead:

In the avalanche of events and sessions, it might be difficult to zero in on the most effective ones. To let you get most out of IRCE, we have listed down some of the events.

1. Ecommerce Boot Camp: Muscle Up to Grow :

On June 25th, E-commerce Boot Camp will hold a friendly, informal active participation and learning for people who want to create an e-commerce website. Here are the topics that will be discussed in this day-long boot camp –

● Site design

● Selling on marketplaces

● What you need to know about behavioral metrics

2. Hitching a Rocket to an Engine, Bonobos and Walmart Take Off:

IRCE 2019’s Day One Keynote Speaker, Andy Dunn, formerly CEO of men’s apparel retailer Bonobos and now senior vice president of digital consumer brands at Walmart, will guide on how leveraging the full potential of digital brands may actually require physical stores. It will include the following topics-

● Why digital brands are achieving 300% growth

● Why the future of retail resembles the history of video

3)  The New Retail Imperative: Be A Leader in Ecommerce Technology:

The opening session of the Strategic Guidance for the Retail C-Suite track on June 26th will throw light on the technologies that are entering the e-commerce space. This session will comprise-

● A leading Forester Research analyst’s review of the latest e-commerce technologies

● Analyzing new technologies that are achieving measurable improvements in retail competitiveness

Futurism at IRCE 2018:

Futurism Technologies is been a usual suspect at IRCE.  2018 was no exception. In fact, IRCE 2018 proved memorable for us due to the tremendous response we received for our next level e-commerce offering – The Next Platform.  Here are some of the Glimpses from the Futurism Technologies Booth at the IRCE 2018 –

• 

With great enthusiasm, Futurism’s product matter experts introduced The Next Platform to attendees

Deeply impressed with the seamless design and clarity of the Next Platform, attendees were eager to know how our product will transform their respective businesses

Most of the inquiries that bombarded us were from small- and mid-sized companies who were in a dire need for a one-stop digital transformation platform. On the foundations of these inquiries we built a strong relationships with prospects in the last year.

Surprisingly, we met with the inquiries related to our other digital services as well. We tried our level best to answer each and every query by giving a personal attention to each individual.

Thanks to the knowledgeable and insightful sessions by the industry stalwarts and domain experts, we left the IRCE 2018 with enduring wealth of knowledge and acute awareness of the industry

In A Nutshell: 

IRCE is the event where the e-commerce industry’s Who’s Who participates.  Apart from extremely insightful sessions and greater networking possibilities, the event is known for lavish parties as well. And to further make the deal sweeter, the venue itself is a fantastic place to be in June. Surrounded by lush greenery, you can take a leisurely walk on the sides of Lake Michigan on a quiet evening.  You can also explore these three must-visit parts of the charming city called Chicago:

Must do in Chicago

Must visit in Chicago

Must taste in Chicago