Retail Summer Festival 2024
Xpedition brought the summer vibes to The Brewery, London for the Retail Summer Festival on the 20th of June. Bringing together retail, distribution & supply chain leaders and experts to explore the future of retail innovation with Xpedition & Microsoft technology.
Throughout the day, we showcased our cutting-edge technology and expertise, and were joined by our customers, partners, and prospects for a day filled with networking and learning. The festival featured three breakout rooms: the Main Stage, the Bradshaw Taylor Stage, and the Cole & Son Stage for fun, interactive sessions.
Keynote Speech by Levi Roots
We kicked off the festival with an inspiring keynote by entrepreneur, Levi Roots, who captivated the audience with a speech about his entrepreneurial journey. Reminiscing about his childhood back in Jamaica with his grandmother who taught him how to cook from a young age. His recipe was inspired by his grandmother’s cooking, which ignited his passion for food. He first decided to produce the recipe at the Notting Hill Carnival; sold at his own stall which became a must-visit for carnival-goers.
Levi talked us through the moment he was discovered at a pop-up stall and invited to pitch on BBC’s Dragons’ Den and eventually scaling up his enterprise. He spoke on the challenges he faced during this journey, one being having to outsource to meet increasing demand, a crucial step in his growth. Since appearing on Dragon’s Den, Levi’s business has expanded rapidly, and his Reggae Reggae sauce is now sold in 600 Sainsbury’s stores and other major retailers.
Concluding his speech by playing the “Reggae Reggae” song on his guitar, he left the audience motivated with his message of becoming the best version of oneself.
Industry Insights and Innovations
Up next, we had Martin Shave, EMEA Business Applications Channel Sales Director at Microsoft discussing the challenges manufacturers faced during COVID-19 and the transformative role of AI in business. He highlighted the evolution of AI agents and their impact on business process automation, from workflow to robotic process automation, which we’re seeing with autonomous ERP systems such as Business Central.
Martin demonstrated how AI tools like Microsoft Copilot can streamline product launch campaigns, generating imagery and text based on customer insights, thereby saving significant time and resources for teams.
Generational Shifts in Technology
Phil Bacon and Dan Gyllenspetz then took the stage to discuss the technological evolution across five generations: Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z, and Gen Alpha. They emphasised the importance of understanding legacy systems and the need to integrate new technology without alienating older generations. Their talk underscored the importance of guiding all generations through technological changes to ensure a seamless transition and widespread acceptance.
They explained how they are currently helping Xpedition customers with their digital transformation journeys. Detailing our customer-centric approach and how it supports business changes, ensuring that both legacy systems and new technologies are seamlessly integrated.
Customer Panel Discussion
The festival proceeded with a customer panel hosted by Glynn Davis, founder of Retail Insider. The panel featured retailers who shared their positive experiences working with Xpedition. They discussed their projects and the growth they achieved, particularly in moving systems to the cloud and selecting scalable ERP solutions like Dynamics Business Central.
Marie Karlsson, Managing Director of Cole and Son highlighted how Xpedition stood out by providing scalable solutions and met their specific requirements. Patrick Devlin Head of Business Technology of Bradshaw Taylor spoke about integrating K3 into Business Central to enhance customer experience in fashion retail. Angela Black, Consultant Project Manager for ScS emphasised Xpedition’s commitment to easing the transition for everyone in the business, addressing the challenges of data management and customisation.
The customer panel highlighted Xpedition’s commitment to providing great customer experiences for our customers. Hearing first-hand how our solutions have positively impacted their businesses validates our mission to providing exceptional customer service.
Networking and Festivities
After a day filled with insightful discussions, we headed down to the courtyard where the festival atmosphere was lively and engaging.
We enjoyed a variety of delicious treats from the food stalls, unlimited ice cream and a candy floss machine. Festival games such as ring toss added to the festive spirit, making it not just an informative event but also an enjoyable experience for everyone.
The feedback we’ve received from our customers, partners, and Microsoft has been amazing. Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to the success of the Retail Summer Festival.
Stay tuned for more from Xpedition!