The bag
What are you packing?
The right shoes.
You will walk more than you think. The show floor is big and the days are action packed.
My Lucchese boots.
Comfortable shoes! Leave the cute shoes at home.
MacBook.
And the rest of the room...
A long HDMI cable. You never know when you'll need to hook your laptop to a TV and nothing else is as reliable.
Layers, but make sure you leave space in your luggage!
I always pack comfortable shoes. Non-negotiable!
Clothes!
I always pack my iPhone tripod for events! Why? Because content is still king. Whether I'm attending or speaking, I want to capture photos and videos from every angle and make sure I'm part of the content too.
Portable charger.
Comfortable shoes, aka VIBAe.
Paire socks.
Morning brew
What's your Shoptalk Fall coffee order?
It's ok to leave the building.
We asked for the Starbucks order, but it's not always about ordering at Starbucks.
Nonfat Vanilla Latte.
Matcha.
I will be finding or sourcing a local coffee shop with handmade cold brew, black, strong with a smooth sweet finish on the back end!
And the rest of the room...
Decaf Pike Place roast with two pumps of sugar-free vanilla and extra room.
Iced Grande Americano with vanilla sweet cream cold foam.
Grande Iced Blonde Coconut Latte with sweet cream cold foam.
Grande Vanilla Latte with oat milk.
Skip Starbucks and hit up a local shop! The Horn has the best chai, Haraz kills it with dark roast coffee and amazing tea, and Sam and Zoe's has the BEST syrups! Little Gourmand pastries and bread get me through the day.
Americano with ristretto shots, pumpkin spice and cream.
The event
Advice for making the most of Shoptalk Fall?
Conversations, not sessions.
There's so much to do, so much to learn, so many people to meet.
Shoptalk Fall is a people-oriented environment, so you need to be a people person ... If you watch out for others, they will do the same for you.
Be ready for long hours and hundreds of meet and greets. Make the most of the show floor, and don't forget to visit the smaller booths. Shoptalk is a marathon, but that's why it's the best.
Don't optimize for sessions, optimize for conversations. Some of the best ideas come from a coffee line or a dinner you almost skipped.
And the rest of the room...
Pace yourself, schedule all meetings ahead, don't take any meetings at the last minute.
Get the goodie bag at registration to carry a small water bottle, and a notebook to take notes during your sessions and meetings.
Don't try to do everything. Prioritize the sessions and meetings most relevant to you, protect time to explore the expo floor, and leave room for unplanned conversations. A follow-up after the show can be better than another rushed meeting.
Day one is usually calm and quiet, but keep your energy for day two.
The room
Where should I sit at the Shoptalk Fall keynotes?
The middle. That is where most people park.
The agenda
Everyone's coming to Shoptalk Fall to learn about...
AI that does something.
Not whether it works. How to run it, and what it costs.
How AI is actually changing ecommerce beyond the hype, especially how smaller brands can use it to compete with much bigger teams.
Practical AI implementation, focusing on how companies deploy new capabilities to streamline everyday workflows and lighten the workload.
How retail media is evolving from ad placements into a true growth platform for brands, especially through better measurement, self-service and commerce data.
The year we are in
The word for 2026 is...
AI.
Pivot! (Don't keep doing the same thing expecting different results.)
And the rest of the room...
Taste at scale.
The year ahead
In 2027, retailers and brands will be focusing on...
Artificial intelligence.
Gen Z is 18 to 30 years old in 2027.
Profitable personalization. The shift from chasing growth and experimenting with AI to using customer data, loyalty and technology to create measurable, margin-accretive growth.
And the rest of the room...
AI with ROI.
We've spent years adding more: channels, tech, data and, now, AI. Winners won't be those with the most data, technology or AI, but those who connect them to better understand customers, make smarter decisions and drive profitable, measurable growth.
The morning
How do you get your day started at Shoptalk Fall?
A run, then coffee.
Coffee is the constant. What moves is whether it lands before or after the run.
Run, shower, coffee and breakfast while chatting with the family before they head off to school.
Coffee run.
And the rest of the room...
My morning pre-event ritual starts with an outdoor run through the streets of Nashville and along the river, followed by a gym workout and a healthy breakfast to fuel the day.
On the list
Which Shoptalk Fall session is on your hit list?
The Next Evolution of Ecommerce.