Over the last few years I’ve had the privilege to speak at a wide range of events on retail and consumer business topics. As well as large conferences, I’ve spoken at and hosted events for investment groups, banks and been the key external speaker for retail leadership team annual conferences.
Drawing both on my own experiences around the board tables of pan-European businesses through good times and bad, and also what I’ve learned from working with and advising a broad range of brands, I’ve covered topics including:
- The ‘New Normal’ and what it means for retailers – 6 ways in which the world has changed for high street businesses forever, and how to survive and thrive in the new economy
- The innovation challenge – what being an innovative company really means, and how to overcome the barriers you will face as you reposition an established business as one full of innovation and change
- Coping with business trauma – whether it is economic lockdown, online competition or a declining market, what to do when the very existence of your business is challenged
- Reasons to operate stores in the New Normal – yes, there are plenty of good reasons to have stores, but they are different than they used to be
- The vital role of brand and reputation for retail and hospitality businesses, and how to build one successfully in an always-on, social media driven world
- Flying blind is a bad idea – the power of customer data, how to get it, and what to do with it
And I’ve received some kind and generous feedback from both speaking and hosting events:
“Thanks for today, absolutely on the mark and you went down brilliantly. The feedback from the team was outstanding”
CEO of a leading UK retailer after a session with his leadership team
“When launching a brand new event, I wanted an experienced and knowledgeable voice to open. So, I was delighted to welcome Ian Shepherd onto the stage as the opening keynote. Ian was fantastic and his honest and inspirational session really resonated with the audience, setting a brilliant launchpad for the rest of the event. Plus, it was great that he stayed around and engaged with the other attendees through the event too. If you’re looking for a retail or consumer-focused speaker for your event, then you should make sure that you talk to Ian”
Oliver Banks, retail transformation expert after “Retail Transformation Live”
“Ian provided a fascinating Keynote at our latest Ascension Investor Event on the Future of Retail & eCommerce. His insights were precise, timely, and very insightful. The audience really appreciated his remarks and solutions with regards to saving the High Street and challenges faced by eCommerce businesses.”
Jean de Fougerolles, Managing Partner, Ascension Ventures
“We hosted a very wide-ranging, informative and insightful discussion with Ian on his book Reinventing Retail. Feedback from internal and external attendees has been great”
Richard Chamberlain, RBC Capital Markets
“I was very lucky to have Ian as a keynote speaker at my second 24 Stories Conference in Cork, Ireland last month. The wealth of experience and knowledge was very evident when he gave a keynote on 6 things marketeers can learn from retail. His keynote was one of the highlights of the conference and it was one of the most talked about keynotes of the day both online and also during the breaks. It was a pleasure to have Ian speak in Cork and hopefully I will have him back again in the future. If you are organising a conference and want somebody to talk about the changing face of retail then look no further than Ian.”
Stephen Ryan, Founder, 24 Stories
Do get in touch if you’d like to discuss how I could support an event for you.