Retail 2020, Case Study

A Living Blueprint of Tomorrow’s Retail

Retail 2020 wasn’t just an exhibition it was a portal. Designed and curated by Morris Misel, this 3-day centrepiece of the national Retail Expo welcomed over 100,000 people into a walk-through simulation of what the future of shopping could look like.

Positioned at the heart of the exhibition centre and surrounded by traditional booths, Retail 2020 stood apart an immersive, multi-sensory prototype that blended technology, foresight, and theatre. From magic mirrors and smart shopping carts to prototype AR activations and biometric payment simulations, the pavilion allowed attendees to experience future retail environments that, at the time, had never been seen or implemented.

Guided tours ran every 10 minutes, hosted by university students trained by Morris to not just inform but provoke: What if this was your store? What if you sold to avatars, not just humans? What if your shelving learned from your customer?

The pavilion also included a VIP business breakfast for over 100 industry leaders, media walkthroughs with live national TV crosses, and strategic showcases for major retailers who would later adopt many of the ideas seen here first.

Shift: From showroom exhibitions to immersive, future-focused prototype retail environments.

The result? Retailers walked away inspired but also with clear, actionable insights. Many of the pavilion’s ideas became reality in the years that followed, with Morris credited for making the impossible feel tangible and urgent. Retail 2020 became the benchmark for future-forward retail storytelling.