RetailClub today announced a new partnership with Retail AI Council to launch a jointly produced event experience at RetailClub AI Festival this September in Huntington Beach, California.
The partnership will create a multi-day activation designed for the retail leaders and AI builders shaping the next decade of the industry. The experience will include content distribution, community-building, executive networking, and elevated hospitality across two featured activations: the Retail AI Council Beach House and the Retail Insiders Party.
RetailClub AI Festival is built on a simple belief: AI is not another topic on the retail agenda. It is the force reshaping the economy, the consumer, the workforce, and the future of the industry itself.
As legacy events add AI to existing formats, RetailClub is building an AI-native retail community from the ground up. The Festival is designed for leaders who know checkbox AI strategies are not enough, and who want direct access to the people testing, deploying, and debating what comes next.
“Retail doesn’t need another event with AI bolted onto the agenda—it needs a complete rethink of how the industry comes together,” said Caroline Farley, Co-Founder & Co-CEO of RetailClub. “AI is fundamentally reshaping how retail operates, from how companies are built to how demand is created. What’s needed now is a community designed for the scale and speed of this transformation. Through our partnership with Retail AI Council, we’re creating a space for leaders to have candid, practical conversations and prepare for a future that will look fundamentally different from the past.”
At the center of the partnership is the Retail AI Council Beach House, a high-touch, invite-only experience within RetailClub AI Festival. The Beach House will feature “Council Collab IRL sessions” – in-person collaborative roundtables where retail leaders can share real-world AI wins, pressure-test ideas, and explore practical ways to adopt and scale AI across their organizations.
The Retail AI Council Beach House is designed to move beyond surface-level AI discussion. Instead, participants will engage directly with retail executives, operators, and innovators in conversations built around practical adoption, organizational change, and the bigger questions AI is forcing every leader to answer.
“Retail leaders are past the point of asking whether AI matters,” said Doug Weich, Founder & Connecter, Retail AI Council. “The harder question is what to do now, what to build next, and how to keep pace when the solutions and roadmap change almost every day. The Retail AI Council Beach House gives leaders the room to have those conversations with the people actually doing the work.”
The partnership will also feature the Retail Insiders Party, an invite-only evening designed exclusively for senior retail executives. Hosted at The Bungalow, the event will bring leaders together at a beachside retreat for craft cocktails, curated bites, and relaxed networking in one of Huntington Beach’s most iconic settings.
Together, the Retail AI Council Beach House and Retail Insiders Party will extend the Festival’s core mission: creating the conversation retail needs, and the community to lead it.
RetailClub AI Festival is the new event from the founders of Shoptalk. Built for the AI era, the Festival combines an all-outdoor beachside format with purpose-built networking technology, curated meetings, collaborative roundtables, and candid conversations designed for the leaders building retail’s future.
RetailClub AI Festival will take place this September 22-24, in Huntington Beach. The Retail AI Council Beach House and Retail Insiders Party are invite-only experiences. Space is limited, and attendance is subject to approval.
To learn more about the Retail AI Council Beach House, visit our website.
To request access to the Retail Insiders Party, click here.
About RetailClub:
RetailClub AI Festival is the only retail event built on the belief that the world is about to change beyond recognition. We believe AI isn’t just transforming retail—it’s entirely reshaping the economy, society, and culture that underpin the industry as we know it.
We bring together leaders already driving this shift and those who deep down know they need to do more. We’re the only event 100% designed for the collaboration required to build the next decade of retail in an AI-first world.
We believe it’s time to move past checkbox AI strategies, incremental thinking, and leaving conferences feeling comfortable.
Retail needs an event that forces the full conversation, not a bolted-on or sanitized one. Built for the AI era, not a previous generation. An all-outdoor beachside format designed for honest peer-to-peer exchange, not convention center foot traffic. Powered by the best networking technology, not the cheapest.
Welcome to RetailClub–the new event from the founders of Shoptalk.
About Retail AI Council:
Retail AI Council is a retailer-built, retailer-led organization, dedicated to helping retailers embrace the transformative potential of AI. Our mission is to guide and empower retailers in navigating the disruptive landscape of AI technology, enabling them to stay ahead of the curve and unlock new opportunities for growth.
Retail AI Council provides retailers with practical education through peer collaboration and access to the industry’s top thought leaders. The Council helps retailers focus on actionable approaches, accelerate innovation, and make more informed technology decisions.
For solution providers, Retail AI Council offers direct access to retail decision-makers in a trusted, education-focused environment. The Council helps technology companies build credibility, share expertise, and better understand retailer priorities around AI transformation.
Membership is free for all member types. Join today at https://RetailAICouncil.com.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260520330065/en/
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