A stage is the room's first impression; you feel it before a single word is said. Here's how one Shoptalk Europe mainstage went from a vibe to a build, walked through the four moves of the Double Diamond.
Discover
Go wide. Before a single line gets drawn, I map who's in the room, what the brand wants to feel like, and what the space will allow.
The brief
Hyve wanted the 2022 mainstage in London to feel like anything but a conference: a retail show that looked like a party. My brief to myself: make the stage a landmark and a photo-op, not just a backdrop for slides.
The reference world
I went hunting for a feeling before a form: a late-'60s and '70s advertising world of rainbow arches, warm oranges and living-room yellows. That era of optimism is what makes brand-new retail ideas feel friendly instead of clinical.
Define
Narrow it down. Turn a mood into a buildable problem: real dimensions, sightlines, and a single clear concept.
Massing in 3D
I built the stage in SketchUp to pin down the things a mood can't: footprint, sightlines, and how tall the hero arch could go before it fought the room. Dimensions turn a vibe into something a fabricator can quote.
The concept elevation
Then one drawing to align everyone: a rainbow arch reading SHOPTALK EUROPE, flanked by vintage TVs, over a retro-tiled backdrop. The stage as a stage *set*: a single image the whole team could build toward.
Develop
Open it back up. Explore colorways, materials, and the details that make it printable and real.
Arch colorways
I tested the rainbow every which way before committing: which oranges, pinks and yellows would pop under stage light without arguing with the giant LED screens behind them.
Pattern & build specs
I drew the tiled orange-and-yellow motif that wrapped the walls and floor (the texture that made the set feel like a *place*), then packaged it all into art boards with exact colors, sizes and materials so the build had zero guesswork.
Deliver
Bring it all together into something you can stand on. Fabrication, rigging, and the reveal.
Construction
From an empty warehouse to truss, arch and LED: the best part is watching a drawing turn into structure you can walk under.
Showtime
The finished stage: a blue SHOPTALK EUROPE arch, a magenta glow, retro walls and a yellow couch: a landmark attendees actually walked toward, and the backdrop for every photo that weekend.
The stage, by the numbers
The scale the mainstage was built to hold.
Who took the stage
