From September 5th to the 7th, 2022, Selfridges Group joined forces with The Future Laboratory, How To Academy, and Volans to host Mapping the Future – an immersive and interactive festival of ideas designed to explore what the department store of the future could be. Together we reimagined our current models and mindsets, unpack major topics and asked the biggest questions facing our business and industry.
The festival unfolded with a dynamic programme of talks, presentations, panel discussions, fireside chats, and unexpected activations, each guided by a set of thought-provoking essay questions, such as ‘what if nature wrote our strategy?’ and ‘in a world that must learn to live with less ‘stuff’, what is the future of the department store?’. By engaging in collective discussion, we can future-gaze the landscape of tomorrow's department store, exploring key challenges and solutions in our search to uncover a new model for retail.
Over these three days, we were joined by a stimulating cast of collaborators and external expert voices spanning the worlds of business, technology, science, activism, philosophy, art, and of course fashion. Each of their unique perspectives inspires new thinking as we forge ahead with our journey to reinvent the department store, and to imagine and create a sustainable future for both our customers and people.
Mindset guidlines
Be Open.
Arrive open-minded and receptive to new ideas and new thinking.
Be Curious.
Ask questions, wonder out loud, listen to each other.
Be Honest.
We will only do our best thinking if we say what we mean.
Be Bold.
Are you pushing your thinking as far as you can?
Above all, have fun. Enjoy the opportunity to break out from the day-to-day and connect with each other.