Conference News: Retail Retreat!; Rolling the D.I.C.E; Aspen’s AI Ideas
Retail Retreating in September: The founders of ShopTalk and GroceryShop are back at it again with the RetailClub, through which they are building retail’s first AI-native community. From 14 – 17 September, they will gather an exclusive group of 500 retail industry leaders and trailblazers for their inaugural retreat at an entirely outdoor beachside venue in Huntington Beach, CA. Some of the key themes RetailClub’s AI community will discuss include AI’s current and emerging role in retail, how to executive an effective AI strategy, how AI is transforming product search and discovery Agentic Commerce and how AI will redefine teams, roles and workflows – to name a few.
Paley in the Valley: The Paley International Council Summit, which has been held since 1995 and often takes place in NYC, returns to Silicon Valley for 2025. It will run 22-24 October at The Rosewood Sand Hill in Menlo Park. The summit brings together visionary thought leaders from around the world to explore the cutting-edge technologies, platforms, and business models that are reshaping and redefining the media landscape. Often referred to as the “Davos of Media,” attendees include renowned CEOs, world dignitaries, respected thought-leaders, and top media executives including members of the esteemed Paley Media Council. Because it is returning to Silicon Valley, the event will be held under the theme “Global Media Unbound: The Future of Innovation” and explore the issues shaping the rapidly evolving media business.
Submission Opportunity: The D.I.C.E. Summit is the premier video game networking conference. The flagship event happens in Las Vegas in February but they will also be hosting D.I.C.E Edinburgh from 15-17 September of this year. The conference is currently seeking ideas for world class speakers and focused roundtable sessions meant to facilitate networking opportunities that will enrich the attendee experience. This year’s conference theme is Built to Last, exploring how we innovate for longevity and create with a conscience, moving toward a vibrant, resilient and responsible future. If you have an idea to propose, follow their guidelines here. While they don’t have a hard deadline for when they will stop accepting ideas, the agenda generally fills up a couple of months before the event.
Lunchtime Learning: Aspen Digital (part of the Aspen Institute) and the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, recently co-hosted Shared Futures: The AI Forum, a one-day festival exploring what it means to be human in an age of intelligent machines. Sessions from the forum – which featured speakers like journalist Kara Swisher, CEO of Google’s Jigsaw Yasmin Green, and former U.S. special advisor on AI Ben Buchanan – can be viewed now on Aspen’s YouTube page. Learn why AI is more real than you think, how AI has become a game-changer for building public spaces, and consider whether AI should think like us.
Coming Up Next Week: Speaking of Aspen – Aspen Ideas Festival runs 25 June through 1 July, drawing “inspiring leaders, brilliant thinkers and curious seekers” to “stretch our minds, feed our imaginations and revel in the ideas that are shaping our collective future.” Reuters Responsible Business USA offers its community of several hundred senior sustainability executives the chance to navigate today’s complex sustainability landscape when it’s held 23-24 June in New York. VentureBeat Transform kicks off 24 June at San Francisco’s Fort Mason to explore what is actually working in enterprise AI, featuring executives from innovators like OpenAI, IBM, and Anthropic to users of technology like Walmart, Chevron, and GM. On 24 June, Conference Board convenes its CHRO Summit at the New York Marriott Downtown. The Conference Board CHRO Summit agenda will delve into the theme “Navigating through a Tsunami of Change.” And from 26 – 27 June at New York’s Parsons School of Design, the Games for Change Festival will showcase how collaborative design and play can transform entertainment into measurable impact across critical areas like education, health, and sustainability.