The Telecom Retail Summit

The Telecom Retail Summit
From Digital to Physical: Why Telecom Retail is Falling Behind and How to Leap Forward.

Telecom sells the most advanced technology in the world, yet delivers one of the worst consumer experiences in modern commerce. That gap isn’t just a CX issue. It’s a growth issue. And in a market where everyone is being asked to do more with less, it’s also a cost issue too.

In the IQ Era, disconnected systems, bloated tech stacks, and manual workarounds aren’t survivable. They slow teams, inflate operating costs, and block real innovation like agentic commerce.

The good news? Modernizing retail doesn't have to be expensive or mean ripping everything out and starting over. 

If you’re being asked to cut spend, modernize your stores, and deliver better experiences all at once, this Summit is for you. Join industry leaders and futurists as we unpack what’s broken and define what telecom retail needs to become.

Agenda

9:00 - 9:15 | The Cost of Standing Still in Telecom Retail

9:15 - 10:00 | Why Telecom Retail Feels Stuck in 2009 and How Forward-Looking Telcos are Breaking Free (Panel)

10:00 - 11:10 | The Agentic Store: Retail Reimagined for the Intelligent Customer 

• Why Apple Gets It and Most of Us Don’t
• The Store of the Future: Fewer Systems, Better Experiences
• From Omnichannel to Agentic Commerce 
• Device Activation is Holding Telecom Retail Back
• Supply Chain 2.0: Consignment, Channels, and Emerging Trends 

11:10 - 11:40 | Your Network Is Intelligent. Your Tech Stack Is Not. That’s the Problem. (Panel)

11:40 - 12:25 | Winning the Race for Relevance with the Modern Consumer (Keynote)

12:25 - 12:30 | What Comes Next for Telecom Retail

12:30 - 1:00 PM | Networking with a Store of the Future Demonstration

Session Details

9:00 - 9:15 | The Cost of Standing Still in Telecom Retail

This opening session frames why telecom retail is at an inflection point. Consumer expectations have changed, buying journeys are now hybrid and non-linear, and the store has become the most critical and most fragile brand moment in the telecom experience.

We’ll unpack what’s breaking, what’s shifting, and why standing still is no longer an option. This session sets the context for the morning ahead and makes clear why modernizing telecom retail isn’t a “nice to have,” but foundational to growth, cost control, and long-term brand relevance.

➜ Speakers: Megan Howse, Senior Vice President of Marketing at iQmetrix | Christopher Krywulak, Founder & CEO of iQmetrix 

9:15 - 10:00 |Why Telecom Retail Feels Stuck in 2009 and How Forward-Looking Telcos are Breaking Free (Panel)

This candid panel digs into the uncomfortable truth of why the telco customer experience feels so behind other retail sectors. We'll explore what leading retailers get right, why telco struggles to keep up, and what brands are doing to close the gap.

➜ Moderator: Ken Hughes, 'The King of Customer Experience'

10:00 - 11:10 |The Agentic Store: Retail Reimagined for the Intelligent Customer 

Modern retail leaders aren't asking for more tools. They're asking for better outcomes. This session examines how agentic AI and intelligent automation are shaping the shopping experience and what it takes to design a Store of the Future that scales, adapts, and delivers value across customers, associates, and the business.

Why Apple Gets It and Most of Us Don’t

This is not about copying Apple. It’s about understanding the principles they’ve mastered. We’ll break down what great retail brands get right when it comes to experience and connect those lessons to a clear vision for the future of telecom retail, where stores are simple, intelligent, human, and where technology supports the experience rather than dominating it.

➜ Speaker: Christopher Krywulak, Founder & CEO of iQmetrix

The Store of the Future: Fewer Systems, Better Experiences

This session outlines a clear vision for the Store of the Future in telecom. One that connects online, in-store, and assisted journeys into a single, seamless experience. We’ll share how modern telecom stores can reduce complexity, operate more efficiently, and empower staff while delivering faster, more intuitive customer experiences. This vision reframes the store not as a cost center, but as a strategic growth engine built to scale, adapt, and support what comes next.

➜ Speaker: Ken Konkel, Lead of Technology at iQmetrix

From Omnichannel to Agentic Commerce

Omnichannel connected systems. Agentic commerce connects decisions. In a new AI-native reality, workflows no longer wait for commands. They adapt, coordinate, and act in real time across store, digital, and back-office environments. Retail becomes responsive, predictive, and continuously optimized.

➜ Speaker: Waleed Ayoub, Fractional CTO at iQmetrix

Device Activation is Holding Telecom Retail Back

Buying a car online, renewing a mortgage, or opening a bank account can now be done in minutes. Yet buying and activating a new phone is still slow, fragmented, and frustrating for both customers and staff. So much so that your customers are now avoiding your stores altogether.

In this session we’ll spotlight why device activation is still one of the most broken moments in the telecom consumer journey. This session sets up a simple truth: if telecom can’t fix activation, it can’t fix the retail experience.

➜ Speaker: Jason Raymer, Senior Vice President of Client Experience at iQmetrix

Supply Chain 2.0: Consignment, Channels, and Emerging Trends 

Inventory, consignment, and supply chain matter even more than you think. Customers may never see your supply chain, but they feel it every time products aren't available or processes break down. This session explores modern approaches to inventory management and consignment models, and why operational excellence behind the scenes is critical to delivering a frictionless store experience on the floor.

➜ Speaker: Sam Moses, Senior Sales Engineer at iQmetrix

11:10 - 11:40 | Your Network Is Intelligent. Your Tech Stack Is Not. That’s the Problem. (Panel)

Great retail experiences don't happen on top of broken systems. They're built on architecture that allows BSS, OSS, activation, and sales platforms to work together as one.

In this panel, we’ll break down what modern, composable architecture, open APIs, and integrations look like in practice and why the spaghetti bowl tech stack and legacy approaches are holding retailers back. We’ll explore how interconnected commerce enables cleaner integrations, faster change, and more resilient retail operations without adding more systems to the stack.

➜ Moderator: Jason Raymer, Senior Vice President of Client Experience at iQmetrix

11:40 - 12:25 | Winning the Race for Relevance with the Modern Consumer (Keynote)

World-renowned consumer futurist Ken Hughes joins us and unpacks how modern consumers actually think, feel, and buy today. This session will challenge legacy assumptions about loyalty, attention, and experience, and show why brands that win tomorrow obsess over emotion, relevance, and human connection...not just the transaction.

➜ Keynote Speaker: Ken Hughes, 'The King of Customer Experience'

12:25 - 12:30 | What Comes Next for Telecom Retail

The store is still where brands are felt, trusted, and remembered. In our closing, we'll connect the ideas you've heard into a clear picture of what comes next, and invite you to experience what the Store of the Future can look like when vision turns into reality (just steps away).

➜ Speaker: Megan Howse, Senior Vice President of Marketing at iQmetrix

12:30 - 1:00 | Networking with a Store of the Future Demonstration

Join us for a break and networking. We'll help you step into a live demonstration of what modern telecom retail can look like. Explore new flows, smarter experiences, and real examples of how technology and creativity come together to create a store customers actually want to be in.

Join the conversation — Registration is open.