PHOENIX – The High Road Design Studio is hitting the road, headed to the International Retail Design Conference (IRDC) in Seattle for a pre-conference event focused on elevating cannabis retail. Megan Stone, owner of The High Road Design Studio, is co-chairing this inaugural event and will deliver a keynote address titled, “Prophets of a Paradigm Shift: How dispensary design will influence society for decades to come”. The session runs from 12:30 to 4:00 p.m. on October 2nd at The Motif Hotel in downtown Seattle. Registration is open to retailers and non-retailers who are interested in learning about the latest trends and ideas in cannabis retail design. Registration includes the pre-conference event, IRDC’s opening keynote and the opening reception. For more information or register, click here.
Sponsored annually by VMSD, IRDC is recognized as the premier educational and networking event for the store design and visual merchandising community, and draws hundreds of attendees from the U.S. and abroad.
The pre-conference program is both timely and relevant given IRDC 2018’s host city, Seattle, was one of the first cities in the world to sell recreational cannabis from licensed storefronts. Currently there are more than 450 retail dispensaries in the state of Washington, and this year, retail sales are expected to reach nearly $2 billion.
With this trend now occurring all over the country, there is a need for industry thought leaders who can offer relevant retail design content to the cannabis industry. Through this partnership between VMSD, a respected retail publication, and the award-winning cannabis dispensary design experts at The High Road Design Studio, the audience will learn about the power of a branded environment and how design can elevate the retail experience in a truly meaningful way.
“Legal cannabis arguably is the biggest disrupter to hit cultures and economies the world over and dispensaries are ground zero for this social revolution,” said Megan Stone. “Owners and retailers have a unique opportunity to not only strengthen their business model and ensure a profitable retail business but also to make a huge shift in culture and society and consciousness and wellness through powerful design and branding,” she added.
IRDC’s mission with this first-time pre-conference event is to provide cannabis retailers the information they need to wrap their arms around the most mission-critical concepts and philosophies that are top of mind for any retailer in the 21st century.
“Year after year, VMSD hosts industry influencers from the world’s top brands for three days of unforgettable collaboration and education to forge meaningful relationships that will help make the most of ‘What’s Next’,” said VMSD editor-in-chief, Jennifer Acevedo who noted, “We are very excited about this year’s pre-conference program where an expert array of respected authorities in the cannabis industry will provide actionable takeaways for those engaged in this burgeoning and dynamic industry.”
For more information on Elevating Cannabis Retail, click here. For information on IRDC and VMSD, click here.
