VMSD - July 2013 - (Page 4)

FE FROM THE EDITOR Ready to Rumble 11262 Cornell Park Drive Cincinnati, OH 45242 P: 513.421.2050 / F: 513.421.5144 vmsd@stmediagroup.com / VMSD.com Retail creatives will meet and compete come September. I hail from a family of fierce competitors. Growing up one of six kids, it was survival of the fittest – or wittiest, as it were. To this day, whenever the gang gathers, at holidays or a summer barbecue, out come the board games and, not far behind, the political volleys. (We’re just about evenly divided between conservatives and liberals and punches are seldom thrown – but we always kiss and make up afterward.) So imagine my delight when I came on board VMSD in April and got the low-down on our Iron Merchant Challenge, the hands-on visual merchandising competition and popular highlight of our signature annual event, the International Retail Design Conference, to be held this September in Vancouver. The master of ceremonies for the much-anticipated bout, Joe Baer, owner, ZenGenius (Columbus, Ohio), is no shrinking violet, but I imagine he’ll have his hands full wrangling pumped-up designers armed with glue guns, feather boas and a passel of mute mannequins. As fun as the Iron Merchant and other networking events promise to be for IRDC attendees, there’s some seriously productive and, dare I say it, educational opportunities on tap this year as well. And who can’t use a little of each? I’m looking forward to soaking up as much industry insight as I can. In addition to its focus on international retail trends (China, Canada and Europe will be highlighted during speaker panels and case studies), IRDC will present exclusive survey results from a national study of new in-store elements that most excite – and disinterest – consumers, courtesy of WD Partners (Columbus, Ohio). We all know that regardless of these findings, tomorrow’s stores will be vastly different than the ones that characterized retail’s big-box era. With that in mind, we’ll hear keynote speaker Doug Stephens’s take on the store of the future, from staffing and design to technology and marketing – and how each will change dramatically. Stephens is also our featured subject this month in “Checking Out” on page 64. Finally, I’m excited to visit Vancouver, a city that has come into its own on the international stage and with its varied, sophisticated retail offerings. Turn to page 38 for a snapshot of this vibrant, booming metropolis, and sure-to-be genial conference host city. I hope to see you in Vancouver. For more information on IRDC, go to irdconline.com. 4 JULY 2013 | vmsd.com EDITORIAL Editor-in-Chief Patricia Sheehan patricia.sheehan@stmediagroup.com Managing Editor Robin Donovan robin.donovan@stmediagroup.com Senior Art Director Kimberly Pegram kim.pegram@stmediagroup.com Assistant Editor Carly Hagedon carly.hagedon@stmediagroup.com Editor-at-Large Steve Kaufman steve.kaufman@stmediagroup.com New York Editor Eric Feigenbaum European Editor John Ryan, London SALES Senior VP/Group Publisher U.S. / Canada Murray Kasmenn murray.kasmenn@stmediagroup.com P: 770.578.2577 Business Development Manager International Patricia Iannelli patricia.iannelli@stmediagroup.com Via G. Rossini 16, 21100 Varese, Italy P: +39.0332.240285 Publishing Assistant Christine Lewis christine.lewis@stmediagroup.com P: 770.874.7834 C O R P O R AT E President Tedd Swormstedt Senior VP Content Steve Duccilli Audience Development Director Christine Baloga Production Coordinator Mark Kissling Book Division Director Mark Kissling Reprint Information 800-925-1110, ext. 399 SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES P.O. Box 1060, Skokie, IL 60076 P: (847) 763-4938 / F: (847) 763-9030 VMSD@halldata.com http://www.VMSD.com http://www.stmediagroup.com/marketing/images/VMSDStatement1211.pdf http://www.irdconline.com http://www.vmsd.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of VMSD - July 2013

VMSD - July 2013
Contents
From the Editor
Vmsd Editorial Advisory Board
The Goods
Design Detail
Brand Ambassadors
Visual Edge
Chambers of Fashion
Fertile Ground
Showroom
Showroom
Ad Index
Checking Out

VMSD - July 2013