What is IRCE?

IRCE stands for Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition and is an eCommerce conference that takes place in Chicago, IL. IRCE brings together online retailers and eCommerce industry leaders for workshops, networking, and exhibition.

Intro

The 2016 IRCE show lived up to every bit of hype that surrounded it; the sheer magnitude of the conference was nothing short of stunning. There were so many different companies there ranging from photography systems all the way up to Warehouse Management Systems (we think SkuVault was the best :).

It was really great to be able to put faces to the names of our current customers to establish a more personal relationship with them. We also had the pleasure of meeting current and potential partners of SkuVault which was equally rewarding.

Partners, Clients, and Collaboration

Partners

IRCE was a great opportunity to enhance and build on current partnerships. These included: ShipStation, Shipworks, Channel Advisor, eBay, Big Commerce, Shopify, TrueShip, SureDone, XCart, Mozu, Refund Retriever, HubLogix, Cloud Conversion, Zentail, and quite a few others. We heard nothing but positive things about SkuVault and it was an honor to speak to these companies on how easy it is to integrate and partner with SkuVault. It made us feel like all our hard work has and will continue to pay off.

Clients

This trip, we also got to meet with some of our clients that we love seeing each year, as well as some we had not met with in-person before. We met with representatives from Dreamway Trading, Sunbelt Products, USP MotorSports, and so many more. They were very happy and satisfied with their experiences with SkuVault. You could see the excitement in their faces to meet representatives of their awesome WMS. They had nothing but good praises about us and they offered several suggestions to enhance our software.

Collaboration

Among the relationships we developed and cultivated during the week we spent there, the most difficult to maintain was the dynamic interaction of the SkuVault team. As there were thousands of people in attendance, it became, at times, difficult to speak to everyone that stopped by the booth. Of course, the goal is to help as many people as possible to explore the best in class warehouse management solution; and we achieved our goal by having a focused and cohesive team. With the help of Shane Stivers, the Quality Assurance Lead at SkuVault, and the cohesion of our sales team, we were able to assist everybody that came by our booth with anything and everything they needed.

We felt at home in the fast-paced, expansive hall where we displayed our booth as that ambiance is a macrocosm of the environment of the SkuVault office in Louisville, KY. The entire showroom was filled with positive, like-minded people who were chasing the dream together.  This observation was shared by almost all in attendance, who made it a point to continue the sense of solidarity long into the evening past dinner and into meet and greet get-togethers.

We sure do love hearing everyone’s story, so we look forward to meeting even more people at the next show.

The Venue

The Venue at McCormick Place was beautiful. Attendance was booming, yet the venue was spacious enough to where we weren't shoulder-to-shoulder with the crowd. SkuVault's booth location was ideal with lots of exposure from all directions in our aisle. With the amount of people who were attracted to our booth just in passing as well as all the referrals and introductions that were made to us by our partners, we all stayed busy the entire show.

Food and the City

We were in the Windy City for this conference, and it was a bit cool for June, be we survived. The enormous buildings that towered above us as we walked through the city were mesmerizing and the continuous action on the streets was non-stop - we loved it!

Being in the Windy city also means GOOD FOOD! We had lunch one day at the Weber Grill, brought to you by the people who make the Weber Grill, where they serve burgers and stuff fresh off the grill – but without the bugs ;). Kim Wren, our Director of Client Services ordered Ditka’s via GrubHub, and says that it was seriously the best banana cream pie in her life! From Italian beef sandwiches at Pizzeria Due, bone-in rib eye at Harry Caray's, and pot roast on nachos, we ate it all!

Conclusion

Overall, the show went off without a hitch. We want to give a HUMONGOUS thanks to SkuVault's Creative Director, Emilie Fritsch, for having our entire booth set up to perfection prior to the rest of the team arriving in Chicago. She did an incredible job at the show as she does every single day in our office. We have an incredibly talented team here at SkuVault with a diverse set of skills that has set us up for growth and success - we are looking forward to many conferences to come in hopes they all go as smoothly as IRCE 2016. Thanks to everybody who came by our booth and to all who assisted us in having such a great show!