Re:imagine Retail Design Conference — Jen Lemerand / Design Leader

Retail / Events

A two-day conference and design sprint that energized 330+ associates to imagine the future of retail

Client: Sam’s Club

Role: Studio Director, Event Emcee

Team: VP of UX Design and Research, Senior Director Design Research, Senior Director UX Design, Senior Manager UX Design, Content Strategist, Senior UX Designer, Staff Researcher & Lead of Inclusive Experiences

Company: Walmart

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The second annual Re:imagine Retail conference marked a defining moment for Sam’s Club’s Experience Team—and the first major event hosted at the new 37,000-sq-ft Clubhouse design studio. What began as an intimate gathering of 80 in its first year evolved into a two-day, cross-functional event of 330+ participants from Sam’s Club, Walmart, partner organizations, and university programs.

The goal: inspire and equip associates to turn bold ideas into impact, using design thinking to shape the future of retail.

The Sam’s Club Experience Team set out to create a two-day design conference and sprint that was both creatively energizing and logistically seamless—the first large-scale event at the newly opened Clubhouse innovation studio.

Our goal was to design a cohesive sprint experience—complete with personas, problem statements, and empathy tools—that empowered hundreds of cross-functional associates (UX, tech, ops, marketing, product) to collaborate, prototype, and present real retail solutions in a single day.

The Challenge

As part of the core planning team of nine, I co-led operations, logistics, and event strategy, ensuring the Clubhouse experience ran smoothly end-to-end. I helped shape the sprint challenge and served as Emcee and facilitator throughout both days—bringing energy, clarity, and approachability to every session.

Key contributions included:

Sprint design: Co-authored the structure and flow of the Learn → Imagine → Try → Test framework. Introduced empathy mapping and journey mapping tools to help teams understand user needs and accessibility challenges.
Operational leadership: Managed on-site logistics and vendor coordination, aligned to budget.

The Approach

Facilitation: Led 330+ people across 30 teams through every phase of the sprint—coaching, challenging assumptions, and modeling human-centered problem solving in real time.
Engagement: Created a sense of momentum and belonging as Emcee, guiding participants, maintaining excitement through rapid presentations and awards.
Space activation: Leveraged Clubhouse’s zones and design principles to foster exploration—digital signage, interactive experiences, and an event microsite that guided teams through the process.

Ideas to Impact

Outcomes

330+ attendees (up from 80 the prior year) representing every major business unit.

30 prototypes presented to a panel of retail experts across five award categories.
100% cross-functional teams blending UX, tech, ops, marketing, and product associates.
Strong internal feedback that the sprint was “thoughtful, challenging, and impactful”—with positive growth from year one.
Sparked ongoing integration of learn-from-others facilitation methods into future Clubhouse training programs.

Even teams left with ideas they could apply to their day-to-day work, validating the core principle that “a great idea, big or small, can have a huge impact.”

Reflections

Re:imagine Retail reminded me that designing large-scale creative experiences requires both a zoomed-out vision and precision at the smallest details. I learned how critical it is to balance planning with adaptability—and how energy and encouragement can unlock confidence in even the most hesitant participants.

Seeing teams cheer for their “competitors,” collaborate across disciplines, and test with real users underscored a belief I hold deeply: design is a team sport. The momentum from this event shaped the foundation for our next phase of Clubhouse training—where learning from others became central to how we teach design thinking.