Shoptalk And Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) Partner On Shoptalk Europe 2017 And Shoptalk 2018

Partnership to Facilitate a Global Retail & Ecommerce Community and Conversation

Shoptalk, organizer of the world’s largest conference for retail and ecommerce innovation, and RILA, the trade association of the world’s largest and most innovative retail companies, recently announced a partnership focused on creating a global community and conversation for retail and ecommerce innovation. The partnership will include Shoptalk Europe, which will be held in just over 30 days on October 9-11, 2017 at the Bella Center in Copenhagen, as well as Shoptalk 2018, which will take place on March 18-21, 2018 at the Venetian in Las Vegas.

As part of the partnership, RILA will host the inaugural European meeting for its (R)Tech Center for Innovation immediately preceding Shoptalk Europe at the Bella Center in Copenhagen on Sunday October 8, 2017, from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. The objective of the RILA meeting is to:

1. Build a community of European retail innovators to share challenges, best practices, and case studies;
2. Introduce the (R)Tech Center’s program and specific activities; and
3. Gauge interest in connecting European and U.S. retailers to facilitate sharing around retail innovation.

More information about the (R)Tech Center is available at http://rtech.org.

Additionally, retailers and brands wishing to attend Shoptalk Europe, can do so with complimentary tickets and up to €650 in travel/hotel reimbursement ($1,000 if traveling from the U.S.) as part of Shoptalk Europe’s Hosted Retailers & Brands Program. Retailers and brands can apply for this program at https://shoptalkeurope.com/register. The deadline for enrollment in this program is Friday, September 8, 2017.

“We’re thrilled to extend our partnership with RILA to include 2017’s Shoptalk Europe and 2018’s Shoptalk,” said Anil D. Aggarwal, founder and chief executive officer of Shoptalk. “Shoptalk Europe is an important stepping stone to expanding the geographic scope of the conversation and community of innovators, which we have championed for more than two years. We look forward to working with RILA on Shoptalk Europe, and as we continue to grow the global footprint of our March 2018 event in Las Vegas.”

“We listened to the industry’s needs and challenges in America, and recognize that the same disruptive forces are pressuring change in Europe,” said Siegel. “We’re delighted to be working with Shoptalk Europe on bringing the (R)Tech Center for Innovation initiative to Europe this Fall and continuing our partnership with the global Shoptalk event planned for Spring 2018.”

Shoptalk Europe is tracking to exceed its target of 2,000 attendees. More than 250 CEOs have already registered and over 220 world-class speakers are confirmed to address the ongoing global digitization of retail and ecommerce. Attending companies include established retailers and brands, disruptive direct-to-consumer startups, established and emerging tech and Internet companies, investors, media and analysts. The final speaker lineup is available at https://shoptalkeurope.com/speakers.

About Shoptalk
Shoptalk is the world’s largest conference for retail and ecommerce innovation. Held annually in Las Vegas, Shoptalk is an unprecedented global gathering of individuals and companies reshaping how consumers discover, shop and buy. The event provides a platform for large retailers and brands, startups, tech companies, investors, media and analysts to learn, collaborate and evolve. Shoptalk will be held on March 18-21, 2018 at the Venetian in Las Vegas. For 2017, Shoptalk will also be held in Europe on October 9-11, 2017 at the Bella Center in Copenhagen. For more information, visit www.shoptalk.com and www.shoptalkeurope.com.

About RILA
RILA is the trade association of the world's largest and most innovative retail companies. RILA members include more than 200 retailers, product manufacturers, and service suppliers, which together account for more than $1.5T in annual sales, millions of American jobs and more than 100,000 stores, manufacturing facilities and distribution centers domestically and abroad.

RILA launched the (R)Tech Center for Innovation in partnership with Accenture in March 2017. The new (R)Tech Center performs four key functions: researching best practices and trends, connecting retail executives to the innovation ecosystem, helping retailers develop their own cultures of innovation, and burnishing retail's reputation as an innovative and forward-thinking industry.