News, hints + tips

Christmas is a magical time of year, and nowhere is this more evident than in the world of food and beverage retail and hospitality. Few people understand this better than Lindsey Butler, whose career has spanned over 25 years at some of the UK’s most prestigious retailers.

Earlier this year, Stephen wrote an opinion piece for Gifts Today in which he argued that trade show exhibitors and visitors should make 2024 the year in which all parties come together to work for the good of the High Street - and that this might start with a concerted effort to make in-person trade shows unmissable again.

During the festive season, the way your space looks can make all the difference. From carefully chosen lighting to seasonal colour schemes, every visual element contributes to how your customers perceive and engage with your brand.

The Sound of Christmas: Designing Festive Soundscapes. It’s not just about what your customers see - it’s what they hear.

We’re thrilled to welcome Louise Welsby to the team at SS+A. Louise joins us as our newest Associate, bringing her extensive expertise in communications, marketing strategy, and - most importantly - storytelling.

Helen Keller, the American author, disability rights advocate, political activist and lecturer, who was blind from early childhood, said "Smell is a potent wizard that transports you across thousands of miles and all the years you have lived". In this age where stories are probably as powerful a marketing tool as they ever have been, the power of a smell to evoke memories and emotions should be a well-used component in any retailer’s toolbox.

As the Christmas season approaches, retailers face the annual challenge of creating unforgettable customer experiences, all while navigating the complexities of rising costs and shifting consumer expectations. The festive period can be a make-or-break moment for businesses. With this in mind, here are ten essential tips to get the customer experience just right this Christmas.

We are excited to announce that SS+A has welcomed Lauren Groves into our ranks full time as Ambience Architect, more formally referred to as Chief Operating Officer. With a passion for the cultural sector and years of working with multiple organisations, Lauren brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the table.

Last week Stephen Spencer FRSA FTS had the honour of attending the OxLEP Business Marketplace and awards event at the Examination Schools in Oxford.

our team has been hard at work delivering impactful strategies, customer experiences, and business solutions for a range of iconic cultural and heritage sites. From castles to hospitals, bridges to abbeys, our associates have been instrumental in shaping projects that are not only transformational but also leave a lasting legacy.

This year at Autumn Fair, we are offering all visitors the opportunity to meet with one of our expert Associates to discuss one of nine topics to help maximise revenue from your visitor experience. Enjoy a complimentary tea or coffee at the Buyers Lounge with one of their Associates and come away with three immediate actions to improve productivity and return investment in your organisation.

Spring & Autumn Fair, the UK's largest and most inspirational retail trade shows for Home, Gift and Fashion, has announced the creation of a new Advisory Board designed to drive the continuous enhancement of the two shows and ensure that UK retail has a thriving marketplace in which to do business…and Stephen is one of them!

The second of a continuing series of articles written for Musems + Heritage Advisor to help cultural institutions find new and more sustainable solutions to the challenges of this increasingly chaotic world.

As the nights start, drawing in and thoughts turn to Christmas, whilst retailers‘ plans are laid and suppliers, order books, hopefully filling up, there’s a question, which is unlikely to be answered this season, but should be on every retailer’s and supplier’s agenda for 2024 and beyond.

It’s time to take our brand experiences to the next level: delivered through curated sight, sound, touch, taste and (remember, whopping), smell. AR, VR, even blended reality, can’t compete with that.

From Marrakech to Silicon Valley and digital to physical, these recent experiences and excursions encapsulate the true meaning of Ambience.

Well, it's done! For months, we at Stephen Spencer + Associates have been living and breathing AMBIENCE - be it Ambience Networking Lounge or Ambience Playbook.

This year’s Museums + Heritage Show will introduce a newly designed networking area for attendees to meet with Sector Support Organisations and Networks. The space, named the ‘Ambience Networking Lounge’, has been created in partnership with collaborative consultancy Stephen Spencer + Associates. Its design is centered around the creation and importance of ambience, and will explore how each of the senses combine.

In 2023, every organisation must deliver maximum value, for money, and for time, to survive and thrive. Stephen will share the principles and practice of the Ambience Playbook – a new, how-to guide to thriving no matter what budget you or your visitors has. Join us at the M+H Show 2023.

Stephen was delighted to contribute to an important and lively webinar by the International Longevity Centre - UK. With the potential annual spend by disabled people estimated at £80bn in the UK, the arguments for making shops and High Streets both accessible and appealing to older people are clearly commercial as well as moral.

Experience UK, in partnership with the Department for International Trade, has just launched the 2022 edition of Experience on Main Street and we very pleased to contribute. Find us on page 84 where we examine why the future of retail is Ambience.

Arriving at a new client visitor attraction early yesterday morning, and not seeing an obvious entry point to the management offices, I followed an employee into the cafe kitchen, where I met the cafe manager. Introducing myself, I noted that she seemed pleased to see me. "I don't normally see anyone down here", she explained…

If you’re currently putting the finishing touches to your Christmas display thinking, “something is missing”, could it be that your sixth sense is kicking in?

We may have a new Prime Minister, and a new Chancellor of the Exchequer (cue Brenda from Bristol: “ANOTHER one???”), but nevertheless it’s a fairly certain bet that 2023 is going to be a challenging year, for attractions, destinations, high streets and of course for consumers. So, assuming Christmas planning is “done”, how can we give our business the best possible start in the coming year?

SS+A is delighted to be adding two consultants with hands-on experience gained in such luminous environments as The Harry Potter Studio Tours and Merlin Entertainments.

For every retailer, and supplier, Christmas 2022 is hugely important: it’s a last chance to counter the genuinely unprecedented prevailing circumstances with a God-given sales spike.

As our new Prime Minister takes office, I am wondering, in a non-political way, whether she has a mentor.

Your shop is your event space - an activation or extension of your brand experience. Every journey that a customer takes through your store, both on and offline, should immerse them in your values and heritage, and leave them wanting more.

Join us in Theatre 3 where we’ll be hosting a fantastic array of the very best people from our industry.

Earlier this month, Stephen was ask to make recommendations for the latest Smartify ‘Museum Reset’ newsletter.