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Retail's BIG Show

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Retail's Big Show
StatusActive
GenreRetail
VenueNew York, New York
Location(s)Jacob K. Javits Convention Center
CountryU.S.
InauguratedJanuary 1911
Attendance37,000[1]
Organized byNational Retail Federation
WebsiteOfficial website

Retail's Big Show, or the NRF Annual Convention & EXPO, is the flagship industry event of the National Retail Federation (NRF).

Retail's Big Show is an annual event held over three days in New York City.[2]

It is the world's leading annual retail event, bringing together 35,000[3] retail professionals and vendors from more than 90 countries for educational and networking opportunities. NRF 2023: Retail's Big Show attracted 35,000 attendees including retail professionals, vendors and 1,000 exhibitors.[4]

Retail's Big Show has frequently been ranked as one of the Top 200 events in North America, as well as one of the 50 fastest-growing trade events.[5]

NRF is partnering with Paris-based event organizer Comexposium to launch the inaugural NRF 2024: Retail's Big Show Asia Pacific, to be held June 11-13, 2024, at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre in Singapore, six months after NRF 2024: Retail's Big Show in New York City.[6]

Events

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Retail, technology and business leaders are among the headline speakers for the event, which has seen over 37,000 retailers from nearly 100 countries gather in New York to address the latest trends, innovations and strategies for transformation.[7]

Retail's Big Show went virtual in 2021, its 110th year, with 90 sessions and 300 exhibitors.[8]

History

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The National Retail Federation (NRF) is the world's largest retail trade association, with members including department store, specialty, discount, catalogue, Internet, and independent retailers, chain restaurants, and grocery stores. It is also an umbrella group that represents more than 100 associations of state, national and international retailers.[9]

NRF began in 1911 as the National Retail Dry Goods Association (NRDGA). This was also the year of its first annual meeting. In 1958, NRDGA was renamed National Retail Merchants Association. In 1990, the association and the American Retail Federation merged to form the National Retail Federation. During all the years, an annual convention was held for members.[10]

Today, Retail's Big Show continues to be an annual event held over four days beginning in the second week of January, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City.[11]

The EXPO Floor is open each day of the convention and hosts more than 700 exhibiting companies. The EXPO features special sessions produced by the NRF covering a wide range of topics such as sustainability, visual merchandising and the global economy. Exhibitors also offer their own sessions with product demos and case studies titled Exhibitor Big Ideas.[12]

The Innovation Lab, added to the show for the first time in 2018, showcases technologies of the future and how they are transforming the way retailers market, connect and serve their customers in immersive and interactive demonstrations. Robotics, personalization, augmented reality, faster checkout systems, spatial recognition and other technologies are on display that are either already in commercial use or at the start-up stage.[13][14]

The NRF Foundation Gala is held each year during the NRF convention. This event raises money for foundation programming, dedicated to shaping retail's future, and honors the 25 individuals named to the foundation's annual “List of People Shaping Retail’s Future.” Many of those on the list also speak at Big Show.[15]

In 2021, the event featured sessions focused on helping retailers understand the business changes that happened as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as a focus on how to move forward and best prepare for 2021 and 2022.[8][16] This included sessions discussing how to stay on top of online inventory and shopping behavior, how to engage with new-to-online shoppers,[17] and many success stories and case studies.[18][19] The event also focused on the employee side of retail, such as how to best support employees during a year when mental health and stress issues increased.[20] Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice gave the keynote speech on January 12 for the virtual event.[21][22] Other major speakers included Walmart Chief Customer Officer Janey Whiteside[22][23] and JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon,[16] and Deloitte's Chief Global Economist Ira Kalish.[24]

References

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  1. ^ "NRF Big Show Feature Chip and Joana Gaines Fireside Chat". Home Accents Today. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
  2. ^ "At Retail Trade Show, Technology Is the Star". Retrieved 2018-09-12.
  3. ^ Zaczkiewicz, Arthur (2023-01-10). "NRF Big Show to Spotlight Latest Retail Tech". WWD. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  4. ^ Blair, Adam (2023-01-24). "NRF 2023 Spotlights Profitability, Workforce Enhancements and Media Network Opportunities". Retail TouchPoints. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  5. ^ Retail's BIG Show ranks No. 150 on top trade show list Smart Brief, retrieved April 25, 2013
  6. ^ Campanelli, Melissa (2023-01-16). "NRF to Launch Big Show in Singapore in 2024". Total Retail. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  7. ^ "Alibaba, Lowe's, Nordstrom, Target to Speak at NRF 2019: Retail's Big Show". MarketWatch. Retrieved 2018-09-06.
  8. ^ a b "Retail 2021: The Five Things Retailers Should Be Talking About At NRF This Week". www.pymnts.com. Retrieved 2021-02-10.
  9. ^ Chen, James. "National Retail Federation (NRF)". Investopedia. Retrieved 2019-05-31.
  10. ^ "NRF Turns 100: A century at the heart of retail’s evolution." Retail Timeline sidebar. STORES magazine, February 2011, pages 26, 29, 30.
  11. ^ "RETAIL'S BIG SHOW - NRF ANNUAL CONVENTION & EXPO 2020 (New York, NY) - Retail & Shop Fitting Equipment & Service - Marketing & Selling". www.eventseye.com. Retrieved 2019-05-31.
  12. ^ "EXPO". NRF 2019 Retail’s Big Show & EXPO. Retrieved 2018-09-17.
  13. ^ "Exhibit at the Innovation Lab at NRF 2019: Retail's Big Show". SmartBrief. Retrieved 2018-09-18.
  14. ^ Moin, David (2018-01-22). "An 'Innovation Lab' for Discovering Retail Technologies". WWD. Retrieved 2018-09-19.
  15. ^ "CVS' Helena Foulkes to speak at NRF 'Big Show' - CDR – Chain Drug Review". CDR – Chain Drug Review. 2017-12-19. Retrieved 2018-09-19.
  16. ^ a b "NRF 2021: Retailers Gather Virtually to Ponder What Comes Next". Technology Solutions That Drive Business. Retrieved 2021-02-10.
  17. ^ Bose, Udayan. "NRF 2021: Retail Marketing's Need-to-Know Trends". Total Retail. Retrieved 2021-03-08.
  18. ^ "How to Create Hyper-Aware Stores for Enhanced Experiences and Better Business Outcomes". Network World. 2021-01-21. Retrieved 2021-04-06.
  19. ^ "Hershey sees business opportunity in family movie nights, tight budgets as Covid pandemic drags on". CNBC. 2021-01-21. Retrieved 2021-04-06.
  20. ^ "Mental health matters: NRF panel tackles retail stress, offers digital mental health tools". www.furnituretoday.com. Retrieved 2021-03-24.
  21. ^ "NRF 2021: Retail's Big Show – Chapter One". Technology Record. Retrieved 2021-02-16.
  22. ^ a b "NRF 2021 Day 1: The How, What and When of Retail's Reopening, Plus Insights From Condoleezza Rice". Retail TouchPoints. 2021-01-12. Retrieved 2021-02-16.
  23. ^ "Why Walmart's chief customer officer says retail can't go back to business as usual after the pandemic". Business Insider. Retrieved 2021-03-16.
  24. ^ "Retail Industry Experts View 2021 With Caution & Optimism". Convenience Store News. Retrieved 2021-02-23.