Shoptalk stage with tall fluted columns lit magenta and a ‘SHOP TALK’ logo, two people in conversation
Shoptalk stage with tall fluted columns lit magenta and a ‘SHOP TALK’ logo, two people in conversation

Shoptalk USA

Retail’s leading event

Client since 2025

Each year Shoptalk brings over 10,000 industry leaders, brand executives and tech innovators together to talk about the future of commerce, digital transformation and emerging technology in FMCG.

Design scope

Design & concept · Stage design · Entrance experience · On-site Supervision

Design objectives

A strong first impression, and stages that look as good in renders as they do live.

Shoptalk wanted stages that brought the programme to life and a bold entrance that made visitors stop, take a photo and share it. The theme changes every year, so the design is new each time, and all of it has to fit the venue’s rules and the budget without either one showing.

Sun Effects design concept

The entrance and stages featured bold, physical design elements, including a giant disco ball, oversized lettering and metal chain-mail curtains.

We design Shoptalk from the concept up, building around the client’s annual theme and investing where people see and share it most: the entrance and stages. We work directly with the local production crew to meet the venue’s requirements while ensuring the design never feels like a compromise.

Client Hyve Group Country USA Attendees 10,000 Venue Mandalay Bay Convention Center Venue Area 80,000 m² (861,112 ft²)

Panel of speakers on the pixel-block ‘SHOPTALK’ stage lit purple and green
Shoptalk stage with a gold textured backdrop and a panel of speakers in front of a large audience
Shoptalk stage framed by a warm curtain of hanging festoon lights, with two people in conversation
See how our renders compare to the final product
3D render of a Shoptalk stage with a purple curved backdrop reading ‘SHOPTALK’ and pink armchairs
The finished Shoptalk stage: a purple textured curved backdrop reading ‘SHOPTALK’ with pink armchairs and white tables
3D render of a Shoptalk stage with a pixel-cross patterned backdrop in white and blue reading ‘SHOPTALK’
The finished pixel-cross Shoptalk stage lit purple, with a panel of speakers seated
3D render of a Shoptalk stage with tall fluted columns and a green floor reading ‘SHOPTALK’
The finished fluted-column Shoptalk stage lit magenta with a ‘SHOP TALK’ logo and two people in conversation
Shoptalk main stage with pink beams and a large ‘THE NEW MARKET’ screen behind a speaker
Entrance area at Shoptalk with illuminated ‘SHOPTALK’ signage and blue lighting as attendees arrive
Giant inflatable purple ‘SHOP TALK’ letters on a patterned floor in the Shoptalk expo hall, with attendees walking past
Shoptalk stage with warm gold vertical light strips and side screens reading ‘SHOPTALK RADIO’ in a darkened auditorium
Large blue illuminated cube with pink neon edges reading ‘THE NEW MARKET’ in the Shoptalk expo hall
Giant freestanding gold ‘SHOPTALK’ letters lit against a dark background
The finished purple curved ‘SHOPTALK’ stage with pink armchairs and white side tables
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