I suppose the most important thing is that people feel there
was something there for them and that it was relevant.
You know, there's nothing worse than saying, well, there's
nothing new there. We spoke about that last year.
I came with I'll be able to know what, No one could resolve it.
So I suppose that that would be my key, if people could leave
feeling that they had learnt something, benefited from it
and, like I say, and had fun. Hello and welcome to the Retail
Podcast. Hopefully you'll be watching
this on the weekend before the Retail Technology Show and we're
joined by Matt Bradley, founder and director of the Retail
Technology Show. So this has been your baby for
how many years? I.
Launched a retail show in this space in 2011 that was under the
guise of the name RBTE, which is the Retail Business Technology
Expo got how he ran that initially in Ells court.
So that customer how long ago this was before Ells court was
was sadly knocked down and replaced with houses.
So we launched this out. I then sold that business to
another exhibition company where we rebranded the show and called
it the retail Expo. And we added some design
elements and some digital signage elements into that
before COVID happened. And I know we had to make some
sort of pre pretty difficult decisions around what events as
that most multi large business would run.
And sadly retail wasn't one of ones on their agenda.
So they they they just put a red line through US really, and we
had to make a decision of what we're going to do next.
And you know, I then to the phone call from Peter Jones, who
was not the dragon, someone completely different, but he ran
a company called 19 and said, look, we think this is a really
good idea and we'd love you to come and try and bring this back
and launch this with us. So we obviously had to come up
with a new name as as as RX still owned the IP on that
retail Expo. Yeah.
And the retail technology show was born.
I think 2022 was the first one could be 23.
So yes. And it was, and, you know, and
it's just come from shrink to shrink really.
It was a, it was the big reunion.
And you know, to be perfectly honest, it would have been
really difficult to not be successful in that first year
because we'd all been locked out for God knows how long.
Obviously retail was going through fundamental changes at
that time as well. And people just want to be back
in front of each other. So yeah, we've always had a good
feeling about year one, but the the challenge always comes in
in, in being better than you were the previous year.
So we are now I think into our fourth year and that that graph
is still going upwards. So I'm still very pleased.
Well, I mean, most incredible element is the location of this
show. You've gone for Excel, right?
Yeah. So we've, yeah.
And that's, that's obviously been a very difficult decision.
We've been, as I say, initially we were in else court.
We moved to Olympia in 20, 14 I think, and we've been an Olympia
ever since. So so leaving Olympia was never
gonna be a an easy decision. It's something that I've
wrestled with for quite a few years now as the show has grown
and grown and grown. And it really has just got to
the point where we just, we, we can't fit in there anymore.
Yeah. And we needed some, you know, we
needed Excel to do a lot of work in order for us to feel
comfortable about putting a show in there.
And they need to improve a lot of the transport links that led
people to there. And now since the Elizabeth
line's gone in and it's sort of 10 minutes from Tottenham Court
Road, I felt a lot more confident that that it was the
right place. They just sort of the the the
the planets aligned and there we are.
How does? How does that look from from
numbers? Because is it like in in my
mind, like when I visualise it, it's almost doubled, right or
not is Yeah, it turns to the Excel space that you have
compared to what you have because I I think I was just
saying you off camera. I went to that first show and
what really blew my mind was I was sat in one of the talks
Gang, this is a free show, right?
And and I'm getting some fantastic content that's not,
you know, just exhibitor LED content.
It was like, I think it was Sainsbury's and somebody else
chatting at that time and the room was packed, but it was
free. I'm just curious, like what what
how are the numbers? What are the numbers?
So I mean it's quite daunting actually.
I made, I made a big mistake of doing a venue visit a few weeks
ago and looked at the entire country.
We've actually, since the show, since we finished the show last,
we've actually taken additional space throughout the year at
Excel. We've had to keep negotiating
and say, look, we need some more, we need some more.
So. And I haven't really seen what
that venue looks like empty until a couple of weeks ago
because there's always sort of shows and happenings and going
on in Excel. And they said, no, we've got a
break. Actually, you can come down and
see exactly the space you've got.
And yeah, it's, it's, and the difference between Olympia and
Exile is Olympia we had two different halls, so you could
never really see from one end all the way down to the other.
Yeah. Like if you go to to NRF at the
Jabbis and you go to upstairs, you can stand at one end and
almost look entirely down. And you can do that now at
Exile. And it was, it's a long way
down. It's and, and yeah, and you're
right, it is, it is a different model to, to what what you'll
find in, in Europe where we, we actually don't allow vendors on
stage unless they're accompanied by a retailer.
And normally it'd be the vendor interviewing the retailer rather
than a vendor because, you know, you don't want to put any sort
of false presenters around it. You know, we are encouraging
retailers to attend this show because they're going to learn
from peers and learn from, you know, people within their sector
and in their industry. And you don't want to hoodwink
them into the show and then be sort of into a into a theatre.
And then this PowerPoint starts and a sales pitch begins because
you, you lose your audience very quickly.
And, you know, I have found that this sector has been very loyal
to me in the I've come back in various guises and we've
launched shows again after after pandemic and, and you want to
return that loyalty by ensuring that, you know, the the promises
that we've made, we stick to. So, yeah, it's a slightly
different business model in the that we you know, we have AII
think personally and of course I'm biassed.
I think he's up there with any paid for conference programme.
I think we can put ourselves next to any paid for conference
programme out there and and sit quite comfortably at that table.
Yeah, I can't say that I've been every year, but for the the
first year that I went and the content was really for for a
free and I have to keep stressing a free event.
Good news is from talking to retailers who have been on the
show that the industry wants a good show to go to.
And one of the interesting things for me is your rebound
about making this an event. So there's two things that will
in in terms of going forward. I'm curious about your
philosophy about more entertainment.
So I can see like the carnival theme has come in this year for
the first time, which is welcomed a grab jury, British
Day and a lot worse thing I could think of going into a
miserable grey conference. But you've really gone for this
vibrant, colourful, I think. Tell tell me what the thinking
behind that was. Well, and you know, it's great
that that's been picked up and noticed because that definitely
is the intention. I think I totally agree with
you. And I've spent, you know, yes,
you know, about 15 years running retail shows, but I've also
spent around 25 years in the exhibition industry and it, it
can be draining. I've done several shows that
I've attended in all sorts of areas of the world that can be
absolutely mind numbingly boring.
And you know, the thought of rows and rows of cheap yellow
red carpet or blue carpet and multiple, multiple amounts of,
of shell schemes and just sore feet at the end of the day in
this soulless whole of a venue, you know, nothing come.
I can't think of anything worse. And we, you know, I'm really
lucky that we work in an industry that engages with fun,
that engages with excitement, engages with experiences.
So it was always my ambition to make sure that this show became
more the destination and that it isn't a, you know, you're not
dragging your team there. People want to go there and
that, that that's what you want. It's it's, it's a really, really
vibrant, fun sector. And I think as a show, and if we
sit as part of that community, we need to represent that.
So the ideas of always, you know, we try to come up
something different every year. I think that, you know, year one
was very easy. It was the big reunion.
Year 2 we went sort of this golden ticket, Willy Wonka style
theme. It was all around magic and the
magic of the retail tech show. And there was magicians and
there was cards and there was all sorts going around.
And obviously this year new venue, you know, and I'm not,
I'm not daft. I hear people saying, oh, Excel
is a bit soulless and you know what, most exhibition venues are
just these, these sort of massive buildings.
So, you know, I, I want people to leave saying I got value and
that was a fun day and that that's that for me is, is, is,
is job done. So we have.
We can't obviously talk about the show without talking about
what did you do to get these people to come to the show.
I mean, that's a pretty hot A list.
And this. Handball and we just announced
and we've just announced Joe Wicks as well, who obviously the
body coach, social media entrepreneur, so he's going to
be there as well. So what?
What's he doing? Sorry, because obviously you've
got these are speakers. I saw the joke.
What's Joe going to be like? I don't.
Think he's going to do any exercise He's not getting there.
People have to do we need to bring their trainers or anything
like that. Well, we just remind you.
COVID, but I mean, obviously I'm, I'm not in the UK, sorry.
I, I don't want to be disrespectful to if he's moved
on, but that was for me. Like where I learn about the
guy? There is, I mean, yeah, I mean,
a lot of people get PTSD when they when they think about what
I think all he's done is he he sort of found his niche in a
very difficult time and obviously when got huge amounts
of success from him. So he, I think he's got a lot to
say around social media, building out content and the
importance around that. So that's I think he's doing a
keynote. For you, yeah.
Yeah. So I mean, that's that's the
thing. We've we've got so many, there
are many good speakers. It's really hard to say what's
the key. Look, I'll scroll through them.
Yeah, they, I know. I think that on on this.
No, they've only put sorry, it's not the agenda.
I know. I was looking at the agenda.
Well, I'd say. I can pick up my favourites that
I'm looking forward to. Yeah, I think.
I mean, Archie, I'm a massive M&S fan, I'm a huge M&S fan.
I think the resurgence in the world, in the industry has been
really, really exciting to watch.
So I'm really keen to hear what Archie's thoughts about that
are. I think you know, Archie Norman,
chairman of M and SI think will have a lot to say around that.
The gym shark story is quite incredible.
Steve Hewitt there, who was former CEO from the beginning.
So, so he really saw it at the at the start of that and saw it
rise from something like 4 million to 4 billion or
something like that in six years.
So just the insight he's going to be able to share with us is
really, really good and there. Are.
Stuart Trevor, who was the founder of All Saints, you know,
he's really on this big ability thing.
He's got some, he's got some incredible stories and someone
really, really worth listening to Google, Sophie Neary is going
to be there. You know, we've spoken off
camera about there's two sides of, of, of the retail industry
right now, which is, yeah, challenges.
And there are a lot of challenges out there.
The economy me is really, really difficult with the rise in
National Insurance and things like that.
So a lot of retailers that sort of feeling the pinch there and
not showing what the next steps are.
Richard Lim, CEO of Retail Economics, he's going to be
there on stage. He's going to be able to talk
through what the economy means and the impacts going to have to
retail. So there's some really important
Nuggets from him. Obviously, then we talk about
some of the really incredible opportunities that are out there
as well. And we know that AI is obviously
everywhere. So lots and lots of people are
going to be talking about that with real time.
This is what we've installed and this, this is a difference we've
seen. So it's not going to be, though
they'll obviously be some blue sky because that's what we love
about Rita, isn't it? We always think about what could
be. There's also going to be a lot
of practical. This is what we're doing, and
this is a difference we've seen. You mentioned like your
favourites in in terms of the speakers.
I know this is your it's like, you know, multiple children, you
can't choose which one is your favourite child.
But what for you out of the you know, the things that really
over the sort of a couple of days of the of the show, what
are the standout moments for you that you know, I don't know
something that along over the last 12 months you came across
the E4 This this is. Well, do you know what?
And I think there's something very special about the obviously
one, but there's something very special about the big party at
the end of day one because there is this real feel, this feeling
of of united, of being part of this community.
And yeah, there is. There is interrupt you, is
everyone invited to that or is that for retailers during the?
Everyone is invited to that. And that's.
What at? The in the venue itself.
Yeah. So as part of our retail
carnival Wonderland, from 4:30 till 6:00 on the first day is
complete, there'll be entertainment, there'll be
prizes, there'll be free drinks. And it's just a really great
couple of hours where everyone just lets their hair down and
you just see these conversations going on between competitive
retailers, which I find really, really fascinating.
So it's it's a yeah, that that's obviously a very special moment.
And just seeing the engagement from people, you know, that's
why we do this. That's why we're putting this
together as trying to get people to engage with each other.
And so when you can see that happening, you know that you're
doing something right. I got you.
That's fantastic. If you put yourself in the mind
of a retailer who's obviously got the sore feet, has been
walking around the show they're on on the train, going back to
wherever they. What do you want them to take
away from the show? What's the one thing you would?
Yeah. What?
What's that one thing you'd like them?
To take about, I mean. And it's, I suppose just just
learnings because obviously a lot of these researchers are on
very different journeys and different stages of those
journeys. So whereas some might be, you
know, and they all come with their own issues as well.
So some might have issues around payments, some might have their
issues around supply chain, some might have their issues around,
you know, can they use AI or economy or some of the stuff
we've spoken about, I suppose. But the most important thing is
that people feel there was something there for them and
that it was relevant. You know, there's nothing worse
than saying, well, there's nothing new there.
We spoke about that last year. I came with a problem not could
resolve it. So I suppose that that would be
my key. If people could leave feeling
that they had learnt something, benefited from it, you know,
made a new connection that might help build their business going
forward. All those little things would be
and like I say, and had fun. Oh, fantastic.
Well, listen, I want to be super respectful to your time, Matt.
Thank you. I know this was this was all
incredibly last minute. The show's in two weeks time,
but we're hoping to get it out next week.
So with that, Matt, thank you so much for being on the show.
It's a pleasure, Alex. Thank you very much.