Shoptalk 2024 Speaker Resources

We’re often asked what makes a session successful at Shoptalk. We’ve compiled a list of best practices based on our most highly-rated speakers and presentations. We ask that you keep these in mind as you develop your slides and script (presenters) or talk track (for panels or fireside chats) to ensure your session is as successful as possible.

• Dive right into the content. Each speaker is introduced by a moderator or emcee. Rather than providing a lengthy introduction to your company and all it offers consumers (which can come off as high-level and salesy), jump right into the topic. If the audience is unfamiliar with your brand, spend no more than 30 seconds explaining your business and how it aligns with the topic.
  
  
• Stick tightly to the topic.The Shoptalk agenda is jam-packed with 65 sessions. To meet attendees’ expectations and avoid repetitive content, ensure your remarks (and slides, when applicable) align squarely with the session title and description.
  
  
• Strike a balance between tactical and strategic insights. Our attendees are senior retail and brand leaders and decision makers. They’re familiar with many of the concepts on our agenda; they’re looking for specifics on how speakers are bringing innovation to market (initiatives, processes, technologies, etc.), and what these initiatives and learnings mean for the future.
  
  
• Provide actionable insights and takeaways for the audience. Strategic insights are fantastic - keep them coming! But it’s important to ask yourself what 2-3 unique insights attendees will take away from your session and what they might implement. Presenters: Please include a slide at the end of your presentation with 3 takeaways, or integrate them clearly throughout your deck.
  
  
• Avoid cliches or obvious insights. Our attendees have years of industry knowledge. Please avoid obvious insights and cliches, as they will detract from your message and credibility (they already know the customer is at the center of everything!). It’s far more impactful to share your unique learnings and experiences, or frameworks that push them to think about topics in new ways.
  
  
• Share specific examples, case studies and KPIs. Building on the above, successful speakers provide concrete examples, case studies, data and KPIs to bring their learnings to life. Bonus: These are often the tidbits the audience likes to share on social.
  
  
• Don’t be afraid to talk about the challenges you’ve overcome. The biggest learnings often come from our mistakes and how we overcame them. No one has it all figured out, and acknowledging the challenges you faced will go a long way in building credibility and rapport with our audience.
  
  
• Don’t read from a script or cue cards. Reading from a script or cue cards can cause the audience to lose interest. The best speakers engage with their slides or interviewer. If you’re presenting, be sure to move around the stage to engage the full audience.
  
  
• Time yourself. We stay strictly on schedule to ensure all speakers have their time on stage. Presenters should time themselves, because once time is up, speakers will have a 30 second grace period before their mic is cut.
  
  
• Have fun! We’re all excited to be at Shoptalk. The audience wants these sessions to be both enlightening and entertaining, so don’t be afraid to share fun or personal anecdotes relevant to your session topic.