Graham Soult: keynote speaker

Graham Soult is a passionate, inspiring keynote speaker on retail and high-street topics, combining rich insights with entertaining delivery.

“Incredible knowledge”

Alongside his regular appearances on TV and radio, Graham is a passionate and inspiring keynote speaker on retail and high-street topics – combining rich, on-the-ground insights with entertaining delivery.

The York High Street Forum “The Future of the High Street” conference has been really interesting so far, and right now our keynote speaker Graham Soult is sharing some incredible knowledge.

Phil Seymour

As well as headlining conferences – in person and online – Graham has often appeared on panels, as both a contributor and a chair.

He also frequently works as a guest lecturer for UK universities, contributing to courses as diverse as business and interior design.

Whatever event you are planning, Graham’s participation is sure to inform and delight your audience.

Headline speaker

Some of the recent events that Graham has headlined have been for audiences in places as diverse as Paisley, York, London, South Africa and New Zealand.

Topics covered have included the evolving high street, place distinctiveness, advice for retail businesses, the repurposing of vacant shops, and more.

“New uses for old Woolworths buildings” (2024)

Graham Soult presenting at the Heritage Trust Network conference in Paisley
Graham Soult presenting at the Heritage Trust Network conference in Paisley

In his presentation at the Heritage Trust Network “High Street Regeneration: Finding new uses for old buildings” conference in Paisley, Graham discussed the key findings from his #Woolies15 research, illustrated by “examples of some of the most creative reuses of ex-Woolworths properties, in a positive story of high street resilience and reinvention.”

“Civic Voice: In conversation with Graham Soult” (2024)

In this live online discussion, hosted by Civic Voice’s Ian Harvey, Graham talked about “a 15-year research project of passion that offers insights into the transformation of 807 ex-Woolworths locations.”

“From Durham to York” (2023)

Graham's Indie York presentation
Graham’s Indie York presentation

Really enjoyed yesterday evening’s Indie York AGM, with an excellent and insightful talk from Graham Soult.

Your Creative Sauce

Graham’s presentation at the Indie York AGM used his high-street support work in Durham as the hook.

It took inspiration from the shared characteristics between the two historic cathedral cities – covering everything from the quality independent offer to LNER and Harry Potter.

“Ingredients for town centre success: How to bake the perfect place” (2023)

Graham on the big screen in the conference hall in Wellington, New Zealand
Graham on the big screen in the conference hall in Wellington, New Zealand

An energetic and engaging chap beamed in from the UK to give the keynote speech.

Felicity Wong, Wellington.Scoop

Headlining the Wellington City Council Local Centres Summit in 2023 – an in-person event, but appearing via Zoom – Graham shared perspectives and insights from the UK’s town and city centres with an audience of New Zealand place leaders.

“Stand out and deliver! How your store can thrive on the evolving high street” (2021)

Graham on stage at ERT Turning Point Live! in London
Graham on stage at ERT Turning Point Live! in London

Graham spoke on stage at the ERT Turning Point Live Conference 2021, to an audience of electrical retailers from across the UK.

Follow-up coverage in ERT magazine described how “Graham Soult from CannyInsights.com shared his upbeat assessment of the future of the high street with his thoughts on current trends, highlighting some practical steps for retailers to stand out and thrive in competitive markets.”

“Stand out and deliver! How stores can thrive on the evolving UK high street” (2022)

Promotion for Graham's University of Johannesburg presentation
Promotion for Graham’s University of Johannesburg presentation

Graham was invited to speak as part of “Around the World RetailFit 2022″, an online academic event hosted by the University of Johannesburg in South Africa, to an audience of professors and academics, students and retailers.

His talk repurposed the previous ERT Turning Point Live presentation, adapting it for an international audience.

“The shape of the future high street” (2021)

Quote from Graham Soult's Clothworkers' Company speech
Quote from Graham Soult’s Clothworkers’ Company speech

Graham was delighted to be the guest speaker at The Clothworkers’ Company Court & Livery Dinner, held at Clothworkers’ Hall in London on 20 July 2021.

His after-dinner speech reflected on high-street trends – especially in the context of Covid – but painted an optimistic picture of “how we can futureproof and celebrate our town and city centres.”

You can read the full speech here.

Panels

Promotion for Real Estate Live event, chaired by Graham Soult
Promotion for Real Estate Live event, chaired by Graham Soult

Graham makes regular appearances in panel discussions as part of conferences, trade shows and other events, always offering a constructive and thought-provoking slant on high-street, retail or wider business themes.

As a panel chair, Graham is skilled in navigating complex topics, imparting wisdom, and ensuring that all his fellow participants have a chance to shine.

“Department stories” (2024)

Graham took part in an online panel discussion, organised by Power to Change, about the repurposing of old department stores.

The full session is available to watch on YouTube.

“The future of the high street” (2023)

Follow-up coverage of the Richmond Events panel
Follow-up coverage of the Richmond Events panel

In this well-attended panel session at The Richmond Retail & eCommerce Directors’ Forum, held at The Belfry near Birmingham, Graham shared his perspectives on the evolution of town centres, suggesting that “the high street is returning to its roots as a place for gathering and entertainment.”

To make high streets attractive, Graham argued, there needs to
be “leadership, capacity for change, support, and champions… every high street needs a place manager.”

A full overview of the session is available to read here.

“Generating footfall in 2022”

Real Estate Live 2022 was a week of free online events featuring industry-leading speakers taking part in interactive virtual panels.

Chaired by Graham, this lively session on the topic of generating footfall brought together six practitioners and local authority place leaders, with the hour-long conversation covering retail trends, the brands still focusing on physical stores, the role of meanwhile uses in generating footfall, and the idea of high streets as “creative thriving hubs”.

In particular, the session highlighted interesting and practical examples of how places are generating footfall through events, culture, local focus, and collaboration.

As chair, Graham researched his fellow participants in advance of the session, introduced each speaker alongside an opening question, navigated questions from the live audience, and concluded the session with some uplifting takeaways.

The recording of the full session is available to watch on YouTube here.

Get in touch

Graham is always open to new speaking, chairing and hosting opportunities – if you have something in mind, or a potential opportunity that you would like to discuss, drop him a line.