speaker-photo

Neil Redding

Founder, CEO, Redding Futures

By skillfully connecting the possible with the practical, Neil Redding is a Near Futurist and Innovation Architect with 30+ years of experience in unlocking the transformative power of emerging technologies. A sought-after keynote speaker for venues like SXSW, Dubai Future Forum, and Building the Future, and at corporate events for Meta, Microsoft, Edelman, and more, Neil inspires audiences with the reality-shifting capabilities of AI and spatial computing for our physical, digital and natural ecosystems, and for realizing pragmatic interpersonal and business value. Through his boutique consultancy Redding Futures and previous roles, Neil has worked with world-class brands including Visa, Nike, Apple, and Verizon to distill these continually emerging possibilities, applying ecosystem-centered design to unlock sustainable growth, resilience, and transformative business opportunity.

9:00 AM - 10:00 AM

Wednesday October 22

Opening Keynote - The Near Future of Retail: Orchestrating With AI Agents (Narragansett Ballroom)

AI is no longer just a behind-the-scenes tool — it’s becoming an active participant in the evolution of retail. We are entering the Agentic Era, where enterprises will automatically adapt in real time to shifts in markets, supply chains, geopolitics, and technology itself.
In this keynote, Near Futurist Neil Redding reveals the mental models and practices foundational to this new era — in which experience design is an orchestrated collaboration of humans, AI and physical spaces, in service of greater customer satisfaction and truly extraordinary outcomes. You'll leave with a new, immediately actionable paradigm: AI as an active participant in teams, workflows, and businesses. The near future of retail is not just efficient — it is continuously evolving, resilient, and meets the customer where they are in profound new ways.

Takeaways:

  • Strategic clarity on how to thrive in the Agentic Era
  • Practical rituals for evolving your relationship with AI
  • A model for sustainable, symbiotic retail ecosystems