Speaking Engagements
SIMA Super Summit
The New Retail Playbook: How to Win When the Rules Have Changed
The SIMA Super Summit is a dynamic gathering of surf industry leaders and innovators across business, culture and sport. In a time of disruption, digital acceleration, and shifting global landscapes, this summit is designed to spark collaboration, elevate sustainability and drive forward-thinking strategies for long-term growth.
Join Kevin Kelley for his keynote speech on unveiling the new playbook for retailers: one built on human connection, cultural meaning, and social experiences that no screen can replace.
Learn more and join here!
NRF 2026: Retail's Big Show
Revitalizing Customer Experience with Community-Centric Strategies
Retail success stories are written by companies that are simultaneously crushing it in the now and primed for what's next. NRF 2026 calls it The Next Now.
Join Kevin Kelley and Shannon DeVito, senior director of book strategy and customer experience with Barnes & Noble, for a fireside chat exploring the impact of retail on community and creating store environments that tap into discover, delight, escape, and social bliss.
Learn more and join us here!
Past Speaking Engagements
CNU 31 Charlotte
CNU 31 Walking Tours
The Congress for the New Urbanism is bringing its 31st annual Congress to the Queen City May 31 to June 3, and we are excited to convene in our home town! Many efforts of our firm from the past 30+ years will be showcased, from Historic South End, to communities like Birkdale Village, Antiquity and more.
Our firm will be participating in three of the scheduled CNU 31 walking tours — A New Hope (VI) and 5 Points Forward on May 31, and No Cars Allowed - Neighborhood Development on June 2. One of the two featured Hope VI neighborhoods is Brightwalk, the transformation of a former housing project into a mixed-income, mixed-use, intergenerational community that has become a national model of community development. 5 Points Forward is a grassroots urban vision planning effort for the 5 Points Plaza area in the Historic West End of Charlotte — a public planning process that has brought the residents together to frame the vision for their own neighborhood. The No Cars Allowed - Neighborhood Development tour will feature new mixed-use residential projects that are providing alternate methods of transportation without the typical parking requirements found in traditional multifamily developments.
For more information, click here.
2025 Technology & Entrepreneurship Summit
Entrepreneurship Keynote
The Technology & Entrepreneurship Summit brings together entrepreneurs, industry professionals, students, and community members to explore the evolving landscape of technology and business. The summit is hosted by the Northern Innovation and Startup Center, in collaboration with the Aberdeen Development Corporation.
Join Kevin Kelley (Wednesday, September 24 at 9:00AM) for his keynote speech on entrepreneurship and his insights on how to design spaces that encourage innovation, relevance, and long-term success.
Learn more and join here!
PCBC 2025
Main Stage Keynote
A convention hallmark, PCBC's keynote sessions feature legendary thinkers and doers in the fields of business, strategy, performance, entertainment, leadership, and motivation.
Join Kevin Kelley (Wednesday, June 11 at 3:00PM) for his keynote speech on behavioral design with insights on how physical environments affect the minds of consumers. He will join a panel discussion with economy expert Christopher Thornberg (Founder, Beacon Economics) and consumer sentiment expert J. Walker Smith (Chief Knowledge Officer, Kantar Consulting) for an illuminating interrelated discussion.
Learn more and join here!