Diva’s heading back to San Francisco this month—woo hoo! Why, you ask? Well because DDI Magazine’s fifth CitySCENE networking event will take place in San Francisco on May 23, 6 p.m.-8 p.m. at The Westin St. Francis, at 355 Powell St. In case you haven’t been to a CitySCENE event yet, Diva has the deets: CitySCENE is a series of local networking events across the country designed to bring like-minded peers from the retail design industry together for casual conversation and cocktails—and it’s free to attend!

The event, which first debuted last May in San Francisco, returns for a second stop in the lovely Bay Area, and not to mention at a lovely location (Diva loooves The Westin St. Continue reading →

Talk about bling.

Here’s a sneak peek at Swarovski’s stunning new stand at Baselworld 2103, on view April 24-May 2. Baselworld is an international tradeshow of the watch and jewelry industry that takes place annually in Basel, Switzerland.

The Austrian-based company, known for its crystal-studded jewelry, watches and chandeliers, tapped award-winning Japanese designer Tokujin Yoshioka. The renowned Yoshioka, whose work can be found in the United States at MoMA and the Cooper Hewitt, created a circular stand, with a 21-ft.-tall curved wall, weighing in at more than 21,000 sq. ft.

The eye-popping display trips the light fantastic with LED and mirrors to symbolize facets characteristic of Swarovski, which traces its history to 1895. Continue reading →

Do you need help training shoppers how to buy? During the GlobalShop keynote session on Monday, April 16^th, Herb Sorensen, Ph.D. said that training shoppers is not the problem.  “The reality is there are problems with the way people try to sell.”

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The Retail Design Diva is officially in Chicago for GlobalShop 2013, taking place this week April 16-18! Woo hoo! The Diva and her friends at DDI Magazine will be roaming the show floor—from conference sessions to exhibitor booths to parties and everywhere else in between. We’ll be blogging LIVE from the show all three days about the latest retail design musings, hottest products and attendee opinions. No detail shall go uncovered as we scour the show for interesting and exciting speakers, products and conference sessions.

If you’ll be at GlobalShop too, check back here for live updates and get the inside scoop of must-sees! Continue reading →

Diva loves retail design. Diva loves Chicago. Combine those two, and Diva is jumping up and down with excitement! GlobalShop 2013 takes over Chicago this year, from April 16-18, and Diva will be there with her BFF DDI Magazine to see it all. Speaking of DDI Magazine, Diva’s friends over there are throwing a fun pre-show gathering on April 15 dubbed RAP (Reader Appreciation Party). Consider it your pre-game to GlobalShop!

Taking place Monday night, April 15, from 7 p.m.-9 p.m. at EPIC in Chicago, the DDI RAP is a private, sponsored event (translation: vendors/manufacturers are only permitted as sponsors) that brings together the retail design industry for a couple hours of cocktails, conversation and fun. Continue reading →