speaker-photo

Johan Kiszonak

Director of Design, ZenGenius Inc.
Johan Kiszonak is an experiential retail design, marketing, and visual merchandising leader with more than two decades of global experience developing store concepts, brand environments, and customer experiences for international retailers and consumer brands. His career spans leadership roles across North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, including work with Marks & Spencer, Landmark Group, Marina Home, and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC). He has also led experiential design initiatives for global brands such as LEGO and Dove. As Design Director at ZenGenius, Johan focuses on strategic retail concept development, experiential environments, and visual merchandising systems that help brands translate strategy into compelling in-store experiences. Through his work and mentorship in the Retail Challenge, he supports teams and brands in pushing creative thinking, collaboration, and innovation within the retail industry.
12:00 - 12:20 PM

Wednesday May 6

Smart Talk Session: From Brief to Experience: Inside the Retail Challenge Winning SNIPES Experience (Stage 1)

At Shop! MarketPlace, the Retail Challenge brings the realities of retail design to life. In this special Smart Talk session, attendees will step inside the winning booth from last year’s challenge — created in just six hours by the DROP SQUAD team for the streetwear brand SNIPES. What began as a fast-paced design brief evolved into a fully realized retail experience built under real-world pressures: tight timelines, diverse perspectives and the need to translate brand strategy into a meaningful consumer experience. Led by winning challenge coaches Maximus and Johan, together with Retail Challenge facilitator Bevan Bloemendaal, this behind-the-scenes walkthrough explores how collaboration, leadership and rapid problem-solving shaped the final design now on display on the show floor. More than a competition, the Retail Challenge reflects the fast-moving, cross-disciplinary nature of retail today. Takeaways:

  • Learn how collaboration across disciplines fuels stronger retail concepts
  • Discover strategies for translating brand identity into physical experience
  • Understand lessons in leadership, creativity and decision-making under pressure