RetailFest US

Fat Joe and a stylish attendee posing for a photo at a music festival event, with a colorful and patterned background

Client name

Retail Global

Event name

RetailFest US

Event location

Manchester Grand Hyatt, San Diego, USA (and welcome party at House of Blues)

Event type

Live

Event attendance

The venue had space for up to 700 attendees with 30 booths for sponsors and activations

A group of four attendees at a conference proudly displaying their event badges and smiling for the camera in a well-lit lobby area

A conference attendee receiving a badge at the registration desk, with staff assisting and event lanyards visible in the background

The challenge

Retail Global came to us looking for support in bringing their successful RetailFest event to the US market. This would be the first time that they had worked with an events agency, and they needed a partner that they could trust with their vision, who could not only look after the brand, but that had local knowledge and connections for venues and suppliers to bring their event to life.

A panel discussion at a conference, featuring a female speaker smiling and engaged in conversation with a male interviewer on stage

A man and a woman engaged in a conversation at a bar-like setting, with colorful artwork and a screen displaying 'Retail Us' in the background, organised by emc3, a global events agency

A packed audience at a concert, with Fat Joe performing on stage, engaging the enthusiastic crowd, organised by emc3, a global events agency

The solution

RetailFest is the world’s leading conference for eCommerce with a key focus on sustainability, agility and growth—and with our speciality in sustainable events management, we were excited to show Retail Global the difference that working with an event agency could make!

We aligned ourselves seamlessly with their goals, values and passionate team, managing contract addendums, production, food and beverage, branding, registration, session scanning, sponsor lead scanning, sponsor management (including booth upgrades and sponsor activations) and talent management post contracting, to name a few!

An individual descending a staircase with vibrant red walls adorned with promotional posters for a music fest featuring Fat Joe and Dave East

Three stylish men posing for a photo at Retail Fest, with one of them being Fat Joe, standing against a colorful backdrop, organised by emc3, a global events agency

Two men hugging on stage at a lively event, with another man observing and colorful lights creating a festive atmosphere, organised by emc3, a global events agency

The result

The event kicked off with a welcome party at House of Blues where attendees were treated to live music from stars such as Fat Joe, Dave East, and DJ Shoebox Moses. The main event featured over 50 visionary speakers, 30 sponsors and exhibitors (including Maropost, Salesforce, Shopify, and Dotdigital, to name a few) and some 30 hours of networking. There were engaging keynotes and sessions from top voices in retail, marketing, and eCommerce such as Goldie Chan, Neil Patel, Billy Gene, Ezra Firestone, and more—which explored thought-provoking topics such as humanising your brand in the age of AI, balancing hypergrowth brands with work/life balance, and the future of digital commerce!

Through this event, Retail Global enjoyed a successful launch into the world of US events, elevating its brand awareness in the US market and receiving glowing feedback from attendees, such as “I went into this conference thinking one way and came out thinking way bigger. Grateful to be in the room for 2 days with some of the world’s greatest marketers, commerce and AI strategists. Looking forward to #RetailFest2025 SanDiego!” — Adrianne Branche, RetailFest 2024 attendee.

Two people enjoying a conversation at a dimly lit event, sitting at a table with drinks, and an audience in the background, organised by emc3, a global events agency

A performer on stage at the House of Blues, engaging with the audience, with a DJ in the background and dramatic lighting effects, organised by emc3, a global events agency

Four diverse women posing in front of a 'Retail Fest' neon sign, with vibrant decorations and a cheerful atmosphere, organised by emc3, a global events agency

The testimonial

“One of the great parts of working with emc3 is that they take a lot of the nitty gritty off your hands… I’ve enjoyed watching the branding and the vision of what we had, come together onsite. We provided the brief and said we wanted it fun, we wanted it entertaining, we wanted a vibe of people connecting and sharing. Getting onsite and seeing how it has come together and what emc3 took away from that initial brief, and how it landed, was spot on.”
— Luke Rowohlt, COO, Retail Global.