We live in a time of digital replacements, where everything we used to do physically in place—shopping for groceries, getting dinner at a restaurant, and going to the movies— can now be achieved virtually online.

So how can place-based entities survive, much less thrive, in an era of digital dominance? By creating Irreplaceable places that have the power to convene people around a quality that Kevin Ervin Kelley calls, The Bonfire Effect.

Through engaging storytelling, human behavior insights, and real-world case studies, Kevin Ervin Kelley—an attention architect and cofounder of Shook Kelley, a strategic design firm that pioneered the field of “convening”—unfolds why physical places are essential to business, community, and civil society.

Join the conversation by registering here.

Shoptalk Fall is gathering the 150+ industry leaders whose decisions will shape retail in 2027. Speakers will host candid conversations about AI, channel growth, stores, and the future customer.

Kevin Kelley will lead a town hall session on "The Evolving Role of Physical Stores" on Tuesday, September 29 at 3:25PM, alongside Anne Mezzenga, Founder and CEO of Retail Field Report. Learn more and join us here!

This year marks the 26th Harvard Advanced Management Development Program (AMDP) Alumni Reunion. Hosted at the new home of AMDP, the innovative David Rubenstein Treehouse is part of the first phase of Harvard's Enterprise Research Campus.

Kevin Kelley will provide a guest talk on Tuesday, July 14th at 10:00AM. The event is open to alumni and their guests. Learn more here!