3×5: What Experiential Retail Will Look Like After the Pandemic

Experiential retail is a phenomenon that had gained rapid ground in recent years – but all of that changed once the pandemic hit. For many event producers and retailers, the physical experience is now in a state of limbo as many try to figure out how to adapt them for a post-pandemic world.

Here to share their thoughts on the topic are Stacey Shulman, Vice President of the Intel Internet of Things Group and Chief Innovations Officer for the retail, banking, hospitality, and education sectors, along with Vance Garrett, Experiential Producer at Then What and founder of Vance Garrett Productions.

“Experience is never going anywhere,” Garrett said about the current state of the experience economy. “Experience has always been around since humans have had bodies… I don’t think that it’s falling apart. It’s more so giving us a chance to see how it falls back together.”

Schulman seconded the opportunity for transformation hidden in today’s experience industry.

“To me, experiential is really about that sense of community, that connectivity, that emotional reaction you get when you walk through that door,” Shulman said. “Redefining experiential is really about defining what a merchant does and how they do their job, how they bring their products to life in a storytelling way, and how they take their product and make a connection with their customer.”

Subscribe to Then What’s 3×5 podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify for insights and stories from global creatives and industry leaders as they share their stories of positivity and optimism.

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