We’re at a critical point in the evolution of showrooms in the design industry. New digital dimensions are expanding what a showroom can do and how it can engage with architects, designers, and end users in a radically altered experience. In this episode, ThinkLab explores the possibilities of all this upheaval and asks the experts – what steps should we take now? 
 
First, Kelly Bacon, global practice lead of Workplace Advisory at AECOM, discusses the physical/digital convergence of the showroom and envisions one possible scenario for how a furniture rep and a designer might interact. Darren Ross, our second guest, runs the Magic Castle Hotel in Los Angeles. He tells us about the hotel’s celebrated “Popsicle hotline,” an example of Darren’s customer-focused mindset and commitment to creating memorable moments — both useful attributes when building a showroom experience. Our final guests are Bitreel CEO Cosmo Kramer and COO Renu Chipalkatti, who discuss what the metaverse is and what it means for manufacturers and designers: Will there continue to be physical spaces? What will their role be?  
 
In this episode: 
 
[8:48] Kelly urges designers to consider functionality, especially when creating hybrid workplaces. 
[19:12] Darren talks about the power of connection as the real secret to his hotel’s appeal. 
[23:38] “It was pretty stunning to see a gaming application that could be life-changing in terms of shopping.” 
[26:37] Cosmo advises manufacturers on their next steps to prepare for the metaverse. 
[30:43] Renu discusses how showrooms will transition within the next five years. 
 
Take action:  
Our latest ThinkLab playbook includes 20 easy-to-implement tactics to help you find success with an integrated phygital showroom experience –and to say thanks for listening, we’re giving our podcast listeners the first chapter featuring all 20 ideas for elevating your showroom experience absolutely free. Visit https://info.thinklab.design/playbooks to download your complimentary chapter  
 
Connect with our interviewees on LinkedIn: 
Kelly Bacon 
Darren Ross 
Cosmo Kramer 
Renu Chipalkatti 
 
Special thanks to our episode sponsors Mannington Commercial, Keilhauer, theMART, and NeoCon, thoughtfully selected because they both represent companies that are bringing new techniques and thinking from outside the design industry for positive application. 
Finally, thanks to Hannah Viti, our audio producer, and Blue Dot Sessions for providing the music for this episode.