Southwest + Pacific Chapter May 2026 Newsletter!
- Southwest + Pacific
- 5 hours ago
- 4 min read
Spring is here, and so is Spring Fashion. As we all get into the warmer weather and the wardrobe refresh, here are some recaps of the past couple of months since our last newsletter.
April 30th we had our most recent event at the furniture showroom destination, SOCO and the OC Mix in Costa Mesa. Joybird hosted the Retail Design Institute and RCA and showed us how a furniture showroom can truly provide the perfect environment for hospitality. SOCO and the OC Mix is a unique shopping destination with a well-curated mix of furniture design and restaurants, and is a great place to shop for your home.
Did you know the Southwest + Pacific Chapter includes Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Hawaii? It's true! If you know any innovative store experiences, retail companies or consultants in any of these areas please let us know! We'd love to spotlight them in this series...  southwestpacific@retaildesigninstitute.org.
Euroshop 2026 + Euro-a-go-go
From our sponsorship chair, Kelly Ramsey, a recap of this year's Euroshop and Euro-a-go-go tour.
EuroShop 2026 once again proved why it remains the retail industry’s most influential global gathering for store design, merchandising, retail technology, and shopper experience. Celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, EuroShop welcomed more than 90,000 attendees from over 140 countries to Messe Düsseldorf and featured approximately 1,900 exhibitors representing more than 60 nations across 14 exhibition halls, reinforcing its role as retail’s definitive global innovation platform.
One of the strongest takeaways from the show was the remarkable evolution of 3D printing—from rapid prototyping to credible end-use production. Across all product categories, manufacturers demonstrated dramatic improvements in durability, structural integrity, surface quality, and finish sophistication. Equally compelling were advancements in filament technology itself, now available in an expansive palette of colors and textures while increasingly infused with renewable materials such as sugar cane, wheat straw, and even coffee grounds.
The result is a manufacturing process that feels more design-forward, customizable, and materially responsible, giving retailers greater flexibility to produce bespoke elements with less waste and shorter lead times.
A second dominant theme was the widespread embrace of organic integration—retail environments softened and elevated through rough-hewn stone, tactile woods, and natural finishes embedded into fixtures, wallcoverings, visuals, and architectural moments. At the opposite end of the spectrum, maximalism arrived with unapologetic confidence. Color drenching transformed entire environments into immersive branded worlds, oversized candy-colored props added theatricality, and bright textured wigs brought personality and humor to abstract mannequins.
The overall mood at EuroShop 2026 felt fearless and experiential: big, bold, and unmistakably branded, signaling a retail landscape increasingly designed to create emotional connection, visual spectacle, and memorable in-person experiences.Â
Shop! Marketplace 2026, New Orleans
This year's retail trade fair and conference, Shop! Marketplace, is wrapped and was a great venue for learning about the latest retail innovation and trade expertise on the fast changing mercantile industry we all take part in. New Orleans is a unique, lively city providing the perfect backdrop to the festivities portion of the show.
The trade booths showcased fascinating exhibits on the latest in marketing, in-store visuals and merchandising displays. The place was packed with eye-catching information! Sessions on retail trends and how brands can adapt and respond to today's retail landscape were enlightening and the fire-side chat with German streetwear brand, Snipes, was fun and showed how they work to shape culture through retail.
PAVE Social capped off the conference with style in the fabulous Fulton Alley as participants rolled up their sleeves and tested their bowling skills with friends and colleagues.Â
Retail Design Institute 55th International Retail Design Competition - Call for Entries
The Institute is now accepting submissions for the 55th International Retail Design Competition. Eligible projects must have been completed between January 1 and December 31, 2025, and may represent a wide range of retail formats, including department stores, specialty retail environments, restaurants, kiosks, and pop-up concepts.
Entries are open to professionals across the retail ecosystem, including contract design firms, in-house retail design teams, general contractors, allied trades, fixture manufacturers, and material suppliers from around the world.
The submission deadline is July 10, 2026, please see more information HERE.
New Board Member Spotlight
The Retail Design Institute Southwest + Pacific Chapter welcomes its newest board member, Chuck Godfrey! Chuck is our Design Chair and is helping us streamline our communication graphics and standards throughout all our platforms.
Chuck Godfrey is a retail design leader and multidisciplinary creative that drives brand impact across retail environments, fixtures, displays and packaging systems. Having lived in both the USA & UK, he brings a global perspective and a systems-level approach to shaping immersive, consumer-centric experiences within physical space.
Chuck has led high-performing design teams and cross-functional initiatives for global brands including Apple, Adidas, Tesla, Patagonia, Dakine & Dermalogica as well as retail leaders such as Target, Amazon and Walmart. Known for blending conceptual vision with 3D design fluency and production expertise, he translates brand strategy into scalable, manufacturable solutions that accelerate speed to market and elevate in-store performance.
With a foundation in industrial design, from ArtCenter College of Design, Chuck is expanding his education into architecture and deeper into interior design, reinforcing his commitment to integrated spatial leadership. He is passionate about mentoring creative teams, strengthening industry standards and advancing design as a strategic business driver within the retail ecosystem.
Glad to have him on the board, thanks!
Come join us! |
Retail Design Institute Southwest + Pacific Chapter is a fun place to connect, network, learn and have a good time. Be part of a global non-profit networking organization dedicated to the advancement of retail and retail design. The Retail Design Institute is a collaborative community where ideas, knowledge and a passion for design are shared at local levels. RDI members enjoy a variety of benefits such as priority access to events, networking and educational seminars, access to member-only areas of the website, job postings, emerging retail trend information, and access to other Chapter events. |
