Field Report: Things We’ve Never Seen at Trade Shows Until Shoptalk 2025

Disco balls, a dj, fog and lasers… This wasn’t going to be a regular trade show. Shoptalk 2025, a global event for retail and e-commerce, owned by Hyve Group, took over the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, March 25-27, bringing together more than 10,000 attendees and more than 225 senior-level speakers from top retailers and brands, including Gap, Levi’s and SharkNinja. This year, the event added about 1,000 attendees and 27 percent retailers and consumer brands and will hold local iterations in Barcelona, Chicago and Abu Dhabi.

Breaking away from the usual conferences with a meetings and expo components, Shoptalk is part of the growing group of business events, think Money 20/20 and HLTH, that are rewriting the book on engagement, business facilitation, and the show floor experience. Here’s our list of expo firsts.

The Glitter Lobby

Leaning into the Retail’s New Golden Age theme, the lobby of the convention center was completely transformed into what felt like an entrance to a nightclub or a special event. With the lights down low, spinning disco balls and DJ vibes, attendees were primed for what was going to be a high-energy, buzzing event that lets its personality shine. What’s surprising is that this space, used for just about every trade show here, usually doesn’t see anything beyond posters and banners and maybe a few small-scale activations. And it’s huge! Turning on the wow and wonder factor was a natural win. 

An Actual IV Lounge

Talk about a captive audience. Disco Network, a collaborative retail media network that connects consumer brands with high-intent shoppers, invited attendees to get recharged after their nights in Vegas with intravenous drip hydration in an IV Lounge on the show floor. Attendees could schedule an appointment or just drop by and get hooked up to an actual IV by a registered nurse. As the company put it, who needs branded swag when what you really need is electrolytes and feel like “you just unlocked 10xROAS”?  We’ve gotten flu shots at shows before, but an IV? Definitely a first.

Wellness On and Off the Floor

The electrolyte drip wasn’t a one-off thing. Wellness was a key part of exhibitor activations. Hand massages? Beet juice? A Double Textpresso by Postscript was still an absolute necessity to get through the day. The show also boosted attendees’ well-being with several types of smoothies available next to water stations and plant-based options for lunch. Off the floor, all the talk was about mushroom lattes and wellness-minded goodies that brands served up in private spaces.

The (Free) Store

This is not your typical swag store, which can also be pretty cool. With the show being all about shopping, it’s not a stretch to imagine why a shop would be widely popular—and it was, with a line around the corner. But this shop felt like a scavenger hunt of what’s next and new, and most surprisingly, it was free. Attendees could grab a Doordash-branded logo and pick up to three items, from full-sized face creams and serums to beard oil (aptly named First Date), to protein bars, hangover cures, and lots of actual show swag. “My wife will think I went shopping for her,” said one attendee, clearly excited about his choices.

Related:

• Embracing a Trade Show Theme: Creative Ideas from the Exhibitors at VMX 2025
• Provocative Sets, Mirrors and Community Building at MAGIC / Project Shows

Next-Level Meetups

If you wonder what 75,000 meetings look like, it’s probably about a quarter of the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, a sea of people having one-on-ones, and a large crowd ready to enter when the clock runs out, starting a mad dash to find the next table. Shoptalk’s Meetup is dubbed the retail industry’s largest and most productive way to connect with senior executives from leading retailers and brands. The meetings component continues to grow for many shows, and we’re tracking the trend of exhibitors adding more meeting space in their booths, but this was arguably the largest and the most well-organized meetings program facilitated by the event.

Bonus: Brands Bring Their A-Game

Right from the entrance, it was impossible to miss a coral-colored horse named Poppy and to not try McConnell’s Fine Ice Creams at the Klaviyo booth (BlueHive Exhibits handled). A bright-yellow double-decker by Bloomreach was a showstopper with its fluorescent color and a game where attendees could throw a ball “to break limits.” Yotpo gathered a crowd with baseball hat and sneaker customizations. Instacart wowed with architectural curves, lush greenery and interactive cart features (MoonLab Productions handled). Mimicking their store displays, Quad built their booth structure out of cardboard to a surprisingly elegant—and sustainable—result. ESW delivered Destination Relaxation with hand massages in healthy juices. Voicebox fittingly made their customers’ voices heard in a pod under a glowing light. Engagement with the industry moving at lightning speed? Priceless.

Photo credit: Anna Huddleston

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