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I suppose the most important 
thing is that people feel there 

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was something there for them and
that it was relevant. 

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You know, there's nothing worse 
than saying, well, there's 

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nothing new there. 
We spoke about that last year. 

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I came with I'll be able to know
what, No one could resolve it. 

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So I suppose that that would be 
my key, if people could leave 

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feeling that they had learnt 
something, benefited from it 

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and, like I say, and had fun. 
Hello and welcome to the Retail 

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Podcast. 
Hopefully you'll be watching 

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this on the weekend before the 
Retail Technology Show and we're

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joined by Matt Bradley, founder 
and director of the Retail 

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Technology Show. 
So this has been your baby for 

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how many years? 
I. 

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Launched a retail show in this 
space in 2011 that was under the

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guise of the name RBTE, which is
the Retail Business Technology 

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Expo got how he ran that 
initially in Ells court. 

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So that customer how long ago 
this was before Ells court was 

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was sadly knocked down and 
replaced with houses. 

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So we launched this out. 
I then sold that business to 

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another exhibition company where
we rebranded the show and called

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it the retail Expo. 
And we added some design 

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elements and some digital 
signage elements into that 

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before COVID happened. 
And I know we had to make some 

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sort of pre pretty difficult 
decisions around what events as 

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that most multi large business 
would run. 

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And sadly retail wasn't one of 
ones on their agenda. 

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So they they they just put a red
line through US really, and we 

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had to make a decision of what 
we're going to do next. 

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And you know, I then to the 
phone call from Peter Jones, who

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was not the dragon, someone 
completely different, but he ran

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a company called 19 and said, 
look, we think this is a really 

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good idea and we'd love you to 
come and try and bring this back

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and launch this with us. 
So we obviously had to come up 

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with a new name as as as RX 
still owned the IP on that 

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retail Expo. 
Yeah. 

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And the retail technology show 
was born. 

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I think 2022 was the first one 
could be 23. 

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So yes. 
And it was, and, you know, and 

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it's just come from shrink to 
shrink really. 

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It was a, it was the big 
reunion. 

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And you know, to be perfectly 
honest, it would have been 

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really difficult to not be 
successful in that first year 

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because we'd all been locked out
for God knows how long. 

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Obviously retail was going 
through fundamental changes at 

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that time as well. 
And people just want to be back 

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in front of each other. 
So yeah, we've always had a good

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feeling about year one, but the 
the challenge always comes in 

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in, in being better than you 
were the previous year. 

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So we are now I think into our 
fourth year and that that graph 

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is still going upwards. 
So I'm still very pleased. 

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Well, I mean, most incredible 
element is the location of this 

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show. 
You've gone for Excel, right? 

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Yeah. 
So we've, yeah. 

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And that's, that's obviously 
been a very difficult decision. 

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We've been, as I say, initially 
we were in else court. 

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We moved to Olympia in 20, 14 I 
think, and we've been an Olympia

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ever since. 
So so leaving Olympia was never 

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gonna be a an easy decision. 
It's something that I've 

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wrestled with for quite a few 
years now as the show has grown 

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and grown and grown. 
And it really has just got to 

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the point where we just, we, we 
can't fit in there anymore. 

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Yeah. 
And we needed some, you know, we

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needed Excel to do a lot of work
in order for us to feel 

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comfortable about putting a show
in there. 

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And they need to improve a lot 
of the transport links that led 

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people to there. 
And now since the Elizabeth 

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line's gone in and it's sort of 
10 minutes from Tottenham Court 

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Road, I felt a lot more 
confident that that it was the 

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right place. 
They just sort of the the the 

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the planets aligned and there we
are. 

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How does? 
How does that look from from 

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numbers? 
Because is it like in in my 

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mind, like when I visualise it, 
it's almost doubled, right or 

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not is Yeah, it turns to the 
Excel space that you have 

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compared to what you have 
because I I think I was just 

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saying you off camera. 
I went to that first show and 

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what really blew my mind was I 
was sat in one of the talks 

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Gang, this is a free show, 
right? 

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And and I'm getting some 
fantastic content that's not, 

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you know, just exhibitor LED 
content. 

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It was like, I think it was 
Sainsbury's and somebody else 

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chatting at that time and the 
room was packed, but it was 

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free. 
I'm just curious, like what what

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how are the numbers? 
What are the numbers? 

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So I mean it's quite daunting 
actually. 

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I made, I made a big mistake of 
doing a venue visit a few weeks 

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ago and looked at the entire 
country. 

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We've actually, since the show, 
since we finished the show last,

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we've actually taken additional 
space throughout the year at 

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Excel. 
We've had to keep negotiating 

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and say, look, we need some 
more, we need some more. 

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So. 
And I haven't really seen what 

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that venue looks like empty 
until a couple of weeks ago 

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because there's always sort of 
shows and happenings and going 

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on in Excel. 
And they said, no, we've got a 

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break. 
Actually, you can come down and 

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see exactly the space you've 
got. 

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And yeah, it's, it's, and the 
difference between Olympia and 

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Exile is Olympia we had two 
different halls, so you could 

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never really see from one end 
all the way down to the other. 

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Yeah. 
Like if you go to to NRF at the 

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Jabbis and you go to upstairs, 
you can stand at one end and 

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almost look entirely down. 
And you can do that now at 

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Exile. 
And it was, it's a long way 

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down. 
It's and, and yeah, and you're 

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right, it is, it is a different 
model to, to what what you'll 

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find in, in Europe where we, we 
actually don't allow vendors on 

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stage unless they're accompanied
by a retailer. 

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And normally it'd be the vendor 
interviewing the retailer rather

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than a vendor because, you know,
you don't want to put any sort 

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of false presenters around it. 
You know, we are encouraging 

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retailers to attend this show 
because they're going to learn 

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from peers and learn from, you 
know, people within their sector

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and in their industry. 
And you don't want to hoodwink 

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them into the show and then be 
sort of into a into a theatre. 

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And then this PowerPoint starts 
and a sales pitch begins because

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you, you lose your audience very
quickly. 

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And, you know, I have found that
this sector has been very loyal 

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to me in the I've come back in 
various guises and we've 

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launched shows again after after
pandemic and, and you want to 

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return that loyalty by ensuring 
that, you know, the the promises

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that we've made, we stick to. 
So, yeah, it's a slightly 

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different business model in the 
that we you know, we have AII 

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think personally and of course 
I'm biassed. 

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I think he's up there with any 
paid for conference programme. 

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I think we can put ourselves 
next to any paid for conference 

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programme out there and and sit 
quite comfortably at that table.

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Yeah, I can't say that I've been
every year, but for the the 

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first year that I went and the 
content was really for for a 

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free and I have to keep 
stressing a free event. 

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Good news is from talking to 
retailers who have been on the 

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show that the industry wants a 
good show to go to. 

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And one of the interesting 
things for me is your rebound 

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about making this an event. 
So there's two things that will 

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in in terms of going forward. 
I'm curious about your 

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philosophy about more 
entertainment. 

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So I can see like the carnival 
theme has come in this year for 

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the first time, which is 
welcomed a grab jury, British 

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Day and a lot worse thing I 
could think of going into a 

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miserable grey conference. 
But you've really gone for this 

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vibrant, colourful, I think. 
Tell tell me what the thinking 

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behind that was. 
Well, and you know, it's great 

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that that's been picked up and 
noticed because that definitely 

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is the intention. 
I think I totally agree with 

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you. 
And I've spent, you know, yes, 

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you know, about 15 years running
retail shows, but I've also 

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spent around 25 years in the 
exhibition industry and it, it 

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can be draining. 
I've done several shows that 

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I've attended in all sorts of 
areas of the world that can be 

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absolutely mind numbingly 
boring. 

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And you know, the thought of 
rows and rows of cheap yellow 

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red carpet or blue carpet and 
multiple, multiple amounts of, 

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of shell schemes and just sore 
feet at the end of the day in 

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this soulless whole of a venue, 
you know, nothing come. 

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I can't think of anything worse.
And we, you know, I'm really 

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lucky that we work in an 
industry that engages with fun, 

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that engages with excitement, 
engages with experiences. 

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So it was always my ambition to 
make sure that this show became 

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more the destination and that it
isn't a, you know, you're not 

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dragging your team there. 
People want to go there and 

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that, that that's what you want.
It's it's, it's a really, really

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vibrant, fun sector. 
And I think as a show, and if we

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sit as part of that community, 
we need to represent that. 

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So the ideas of always, you 
know, we try to come up 

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something different every year. 
I think that, you know, year one

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was very easy. 
It was the big reunion. 

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Year 2 we went sort of this 
golden ticket, Willy Wonka style

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theme. 
It was all around magic and the 

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magic of the retail tech show. 
And there was magicians and 

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there was cards and there was 
all sorts going around. 

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And obviously this year new 
venue, you know, and I'm not, 

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I'm not daft. 
I hear people saying, oh, Excel 

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is a bit soulless and you know 
what, most exhibition venues are

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just these, these sort of 
massive buildings. 

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So, you know, I, I want people 
to leave saying I got value and 

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that was a fun day and that 
that's that for me is, is, is, 

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is job done. 
So we have. 

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We can't obviously talk about 
the show without talking about 

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what did you do to get these 
people to come to the show. 

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I mean, that's a pretty hot A 
list. 

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And this. 
Handball and we just announced 

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00:09:03,080 --> 00:09:06,040
and we've just announced Joe 
Wicks as well, who obviously the

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body coach, social media 
entrepreneur, so he's going to 

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be there as well. 
So what? 

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What's he doing? 
Sorry, because obviously you've 

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got these are speakers. 
I saw the joke. 

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What's Joe going to be like? 
I don't. 

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Think he's going to do any 
exercise He's not getting there.

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People have to do we need to 
bring their trainers or anything

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like that. 
Well, we just remind you. 

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COVID, but I mean, obviously 
I'm, I'm not in the UK, sorry. 

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00:09:26,400 --> 00:09:29,840
I, I don't want to be 
disrespectful to if he's moved 

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00:09:29,840 --> 00:09:32,680
on, but that was for me. 
Like where I learn about the 

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guy? 
There is, I mean, yeah, I mean, 

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a lot of people get PTSD when 
they when they think about what 

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I think all he's done is he he 
sort of found his niche in a 

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00:09:42,120 --> 00:09:45,000
very difficult time and 
obviously when got huge amounts 

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00:09:45,000 --> 00:09:47,640
of success from him. 
So he, I think he's got a lot to

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00:09:47,640 --> 00:09:50,920
say around social media, 
building out content and the 

200
00:09:50,920 --> 00:09:52,840
importance around that. 
So that's I think he's doing a 

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00:09:52,840 --> 00:09:54,120
keynote. 
For you, yeah. 

202
00:09:54,240 --> 00:09:55,840
Yeah. 
So I mean, that's that's the 

203
00:09:55,840 --> 00:09:57,320
thing. 
We've we've got so many, there 

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00:09:57,320 --> 00:09:59,080
are many good speakers. 
It's really hard to say what's 

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00:09:59,080 --> 00:10:00,600
the key. 
Look, I'll scroll through them. 

206
00:10:00,600 --> 00:10:03,080
Yeah, they, I know. 
I think that on on this. 

207
00:10:03,160 --> 00:10:05,000
No, they've only put sorry, it's
not the agenda. 

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00:10:05,000 --> 00:10:06,840
I know. 
I was looking at the agenda. 

209
00:10:06,880 --> 00:10:08,720
Well, I'd say. 
I can pick up my favourites that

210
00:10:08,720 --> 00:10:10,520
I'm looking forward to. 
Yeah, I think. 

211
00:10:10,520 --> 00:10:14,640
I mean, Archie, I'm a massive 
M&S fan, I'm a huge M&S fan. 

212
00:10:14,640 --> 00:10:17,040
I think the resurgence in the 
world, in the industry has been 

213
00:10:17,040 --> 00:10:19,000
really, really exciting to 
watch. 

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00:10:19,000 --> 00:10:22,400
So I'm really keen to hear what 
Archie's thoughts about that 

215
00:10:22,400 --> 00:10:24,040
are. 
I think you know, Archie Norman,

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00:10:24,040 --> 00:10:26,680
chairman of M and SI think will 
have a lot to say around that. 

217
00:10:27,520 --> 00:10:30,680
The gym shark story is quite 
incredible. 

218
00:10:30,880 --> 00:10:34,880
Steve Hewitt there, who was 
former CEO from the beginning. 

219
00:10:34,880 --> 00:10:39,480
So, so he really saw it at the 
at the start of that and saw it 

220
00:10:39,480 --> 00:10:41,640
rise from something like 4 
million to 4 billion or 

221
00:10:41,640 --> 00:10:42,880
something like that in six 
years. 

222
00:10:42,880 --> 00:10:45,400
So just the insight he's going 
to be able to share with us is 

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00:10:45,400 --> 00:10:47,160
really, really good and there. 
Are. 

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Stuart Trevor, who was the 
founder of All Saints, you know,

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he's really on this big ability 
thing. 

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He's got some, he's got some 
incredible stories and someone 

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really, really worth listening 
to Google, Sophie Neary is going

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to be there. 
You know, we've spoken off 

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camera about there's two sides 
of, of, of the retail industry 

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right now, which is, yeah, 
challenges. 

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And there are a lot of 
challenges out there. 

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The economy me is really, really
difficult with the rise in 

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National Insurance and things 
like that. 

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So a lot of retailers that sort 
of feeling the pinch there and 

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not showing what the next steps 
are. 

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Richard Lim, CEO of Retail 
Economics, he's going to be 

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there on stage. 
He's going to be able to talk 

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through what the economy means 
and the impacts going to have to

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retail. 
So there's some really important

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Nuggets from him. 
Obviously, then we talk about 

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some of the really incredible 
opportunities that are out there

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as well. 
And we know that AI is obviously

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everywhere. 
So lots and lots of people are 

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going to be talking about that 
with real time. 

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This is what we've installed and
this, this is a difference we've

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seen. 
So it's not going to be, though 

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they'll obviously be some blue 
sky because that's what we love 

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about Rita, isn't it? 
We always think about what could

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be. 
There's also going to be a lot 

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of practical. 
This is what we're doing, and 

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this is a difference we've seen.
You mentioned like your 

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favourites in in terms of the 
speakers. 

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I know this is your it's like, 
you know, multiple children, you

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can't choose which one is your 
favourite child. 

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But what for you out of the you 
know, the things that really 

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over the sort of a couple of 
days of the of the show, what 

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are the standout moments for you
that you know, I don't know 

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something that along over the 
last 12 months you came across 

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the E4 This this is. 
Well, do you know what? 

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And I think there's something 
very special about the obviously

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one, but there's something very 
special about the big party at 

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the end of day one because there
is this real feel, this feeling 

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of of united, of being part of 
this community. 

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And yeah, there is. 
There is interrupt you, is 

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everyone invited to that or is 
that for retailers during the? 

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Everyone is invited to that. 
And that's. 

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What at? 
The in the venue itself. 

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Yeah. 
So as part of our retail 

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carnival Wonderland, from 4:30 
till 6:00 on the first day is 

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complete, there'll be 
entertainment, there'll be 

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prizes, there'll be free drinks.
And it's just a really great 

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couple of hours where everyone 
just lets their hair down and 

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you just see these conversations
going on between competitive 

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retailers, which I find really, 
really fascinating. 

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So it's it's a yeah, that that's
obviously a very special moment.

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And just seeing the engagement 
from people, you know, that's 

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why we do this. 
That's why we're putting this 

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together as trying to get people
to engage with each other. 

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And so when you can see that 
happening, you know that you're 

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doing something right. 
I got you. 

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That's fantastic. 
If you put yourself in the mind 

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of a retailer who's obviously 
got the sore feet, has been 

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walking around the show they're 
on on the train, going back to 

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wherever they. 
What do you want them to take 

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away from the show? 
What's the one thing you would? 

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Yeah. 
What? 

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What's that one thing you'd like
them? 

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To take about, I mean. 
And it's, I suppose just just 

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learnings because obviously a 
lot of these researchers are on 

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very different journeys and 
different stages of those 

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journeys. 
So whereas some might be, you 

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know, and they all come with 
their own issues as well. 

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So some might have issues around
payments, some might have their 

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issues around supply chain, some
might have their issues around, 

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you know, can they use AI or 
economy or some of the stuff 

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we've spoken about, I suppose. 
But the most important thing is 

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that people feel there was 
something there for them and 

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that it was relevant. 
You know, there's nothing worse 

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00:14:01,400 --> 00:14:03,320
than saying, well, there's 
nothing new there. 

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We spoke about that last year. 
I came with a problem not could 

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resolve it. 
So I suppose that that would be 

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my key. 
If people could leave feeling 

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that they had learnt something, 
benefited from it, you know, 

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00:14:15,000 --> 00:14:17,880
made a new connection that might
help build their business going 

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00:14:17,880 --> 00:14:19,800
forward. 
All those little things would be

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and like I say, and had fun. 
Oh, fantastic. 

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00:14:22,760 --> 00:14:25,160
Well, listen, I want to be super
respectful to your time, Matt. 

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Thank you. 
I know this was this was all 

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00:14:26,680 --> 00:14:29,240
incredibly last minute. 
The show's in two weeks time, 

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00:14:29,240 --> 00:14:31,280
but we're hoping to get it out 
next week. 

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So with that, Matt, thank you so
much for being on the show. 

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It's a pleasure, Alex. 
Thank you very much.