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 fellow retail and consumer professionals by registering here!

Since 1927, the Independent College Bookstore Association (ICBA) has supported the independent operation of college stores. ICBA programs and services are designed to help stores remain independent and be financially and operationally successful.

This year marks the 100th annual ICBA conference. Join Kevin Kelley (Wednesday, February 4 at 1:20PM) as he shares his proven playbook for winning on meaning rather than margins, and on convening rather commoditizing. Attendees will learn how to design sensory-rich, emotionally engaging, community-building retail experiences that elevate relevance, loyalty, and long-term value.

Learn more and join here!

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!