Retail's Big Show: Back in person

After a two-year hiatus, NRF was able to host a safe and successful?112th annual convention ?in New York City, January 16-18. It was our first opportunity to come together — in person — since our show in January 2020, and despite all the hurdles, the decision to proceed was the right one. NRF 2022: Retail’s Big Show served as an important step as we move forward from pandemic to endemic.

Retailers remained open during even the most challenging times of the pandemic by instituting strict safety protocols and procedures that protected both employees and the customers they serve. For this year’s Big Show, we followed the lead of the industry we serve by exceeding basic safety guidelines and protocols required to enter the Javits Center. We required proof of vaccination, provided KN95 masks and offered rapid testing kits as well as PCR testing to meet requirements for our international travelers.

Our members, retailers, exhibitors and presenters found great value in the in-person experience and enhanced safety protocols. We hope our decision encourages other business and industry gatherings to proceed in person — while adhering to COVID-19 safety guidelines and regulations.

Despite concerns around the omicron variant, confusion with conflicting health agency recommendations on quarantines, and travel delays caused by winter weather, we had over 725 exhibiting companies, 146 educational sessions, 200 media representatives and thousands of retail attendees from across the country and around the world.

Our?Innovation Lab ?and?Startup Zone ?featured hands-on opportunities to see and interact with emerging technologies that are transforming retail every single day. Those who purchased the NRF 2022 On Demand Package or a full conference pass can watch select sessions from the Keynote Stage,?FQ Equality Lounge and?DE&I Stage and Showcase until March 31.

NRF 2022 had a great speaker lineup with some of retail’s most successful leaders like?Brian Cornell , Board Chairman and CEO of Target Corp and the winner of The Visionary 2022 award ; Marvin Ellison of Lowe’s Companies Inc. ;?Corie Barry of Best Buy Inc. ; and?John Furner , President and CEO of Walmart U.S., who was elected Chairman of the NRF Board of Directors, succeeding the former President and CEO of Qurate Retail, Inc., Mike George.

At Retail’s Big Show, leaders focused on retail’s biggest topics like innovation, diversity, sustainability, convenience and personalization. They forecasted what the next challenges and trends are likely to be in retail and discussed the best ways to identify and accelerate solutions that will strengthen the overall industry.

For all those who joined us and attended in person, we are grateful for your participation and hope you found the event as rewarding and exciting as we did. We were heartened to hear from so many retailers, exhibitors and speakers about how much they enjoyed being back together in person at the Javits. Here is a short video thanking everyone who attended.

NRF will continue to convene retailers throughout the year to address industry priorities. We are excited to debut two new events in 2022.

NRF Supply Chain 360 will be held in Cleveland in June and will convene retail’s leading supply chain and sustainability professionals to address ongoing supply chain challenges.

NRF Nexus will be held in California in July and will convene 300 of our industry’s brightest minds in marketing, technology, digital and innovation to discuss cutting-edge ideas and best practices.

We look forward to coming together again in January 2023 to learn, network and celebrate our industry at the world’s largest retail trade show, NRF’s Big Show.