Meetups, talks, booths, networking, free stuff, and swinging lanyards: Shoptalk 2024 and the art of standing still

As Shoptalk Europe fast approaches, our US correspondent, Christine Russo, reports on a busy, noisy, and hugely enjoyable Shoptalk 2024, which took place during March in Las Vegas.

Do not let the title fool you. Shoptalk is a madhouse particularly if you are running late to your meet-up.

Your lanyard swings while you either speed walk or slightly jog with eyes on that countdown clock. Being late is a major no-no and being a no-show, well that's the kiss of death. Oh, and the new feature this year was loud overhead announcements: One Minute Remaiiiiininggggg. The stress!

So you run from table to table and guess what...it's totally amazing. 

The meetups were again the star of a show in a show filled with many stars and starlets. Stars such as incredible booths, activations, keynotes and panels. And a new starlet called ShoptalkTV.

In a way, one could argue that Shoptalk competes against itself. In fact, there were stretches of time when the show floor felt lightly trafficked. Attendees were diverted to the talks and meetups.

But, as Shoptalk does, it found its groove and the show floor started pumping with incredible energy. It reminds one that this is Las Vegas, after all, and early mornings are not really the thing.

One of a major takeaway was the much bigger presence of retail media. While not prevalent in the booths, they were E-V-E-R-Y-W-H-E-R-E – in the meetups, hosting parties with large teams and on stage. Does this mean the show is going more Martech oriented, maybe? Feels like it. 

Another take away, especially for anyone who runs events or has booths, is that free stuff is still popular.

This year, the branded Shoptalk giveaways took place in the Swag Shop, co-branded by DoorDash, and it was incredibly popular with a line of 70 people when I counted.

Narvar managed to, once again, create a line of 40 people for their personalised Lulu lemon water bottles – no trend missed: check, check, check.

I heard one vendor say, I would give my team all the totes and water bottles they could ever want just so they wouldn’t stand on the line to get into the swag shop. I disagreed and made my case that standing still, is actually not as wasteful as it may seem.

If you are standing still, the flow of people that will pass you, could (and usually does because of Shoptalk magic) include that one person you were looking for or hoping to meet. The art (and act) of standing still, at Shoptalk, is very powerful.

ShoptalkTV, while off to a slow start, has a lot of potential. There was a studio set up with live audience chairs and it felt different, more fluid and approachable than the stages. The content is just as good.

Lastly, the other starlet, off prem, is the Shoptalk equivalent of The Four Seasons in the Seagram Building Power Lunch from the 1980s – where everyone went, who you were with mattered, and the networking was unmatched.

The Seabreeze Restaurant with its Bahamian boat house, fake conch shells and pastel palette set in a dessert is the place to be. You can count on seeing executives and colleagues in a casual setting.

So, when you are working the room next year, remember who sent you.