VGN Virtual Global Summit Vision Report: Looking Ahead by Looking Back

Gain Strategic Insights from Convenience Retail’s Most Forward-Thinking Global Leaders

Get exclusive access to the inaugural VGN Virtual Global Summit Vision Report, capturing insights from the groundbreaking event held November 19, 2025. The report contains an executive summary of the presentation by a notable futurist and quick-reads from Vision Group retail leaders highlighting previous meetings.

The VGN Virtual Global Summit featured a presentation by Gerd Leonhard, founder and CEO of The Futures Agency, exploring the forces reshaping business, society, and especially the future of convenience retail. The event also featured more than a dozen Vision Group members sharing highlights over the years, revealing a striking convergence of how leaders across regions and disciplines view the future of convenience and mobility retail. Dominant themes emerged around AI adoption, shifting consumer behavior, and the industry’s evolution from the traditional convenience model toward an experience-driven model.

What You Will Learn:

• The Future of AI Implementation – Discover how retail leaders are moving past hesitation to embrace artificial intelligence as a strategic necessity with real applications from food forecasting to multilingual customer support that enhance rather than replace human capability.
• Consumer Health Revolution – Understand how GLP-1 medications and wellness trends are reshaping eating habits, store assortments, and the shift toward smaller portions and premium choices.
• EV Infrastructure Reality Check – Get candid perspectives from industry leaders on how electric vehicle charging is impacting traditional retail models and integrating into customers’ lives.
• Data Management as Competitive Edge – Explore why quality data foundations and seamless technology integration separate industry leaders from laggards, plus practical strategies for implementation.
• Workforce Excellence Strategies – Understand why people’s quality remains the true brand differentiator despite automation advances, with insights on building teams that create genuine competitive advantages.
• Global Innovation Perspectives – Access international viewpoints from leaders transforming sites into multi-energy, multi-functional mobility and lifestyle hubs across diverse markets.
• Academic Partnership Opportunities – Learn about VGN’s new initiative collaborating with universities on hackathons and capstone projects to drive innovation and build talent pipelines.

Why This Report Matters: