NRF 2026: Retail’s Big Show returns to New York City as one of the most important retail and commerce events in the world. The show gathers retailers, brands, marketplaces, tech providers, investors, and partners to talk about everything from AI and data to store operations, supply chain, and customer experience.
Over three days at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, you can walk the Expo floor, join strategy sessions, see live tech demos, and run back-to-back meetings with buyers and partners.
This guide walks you through what NRF 2026 is, who attends, what to expect on site, and how to plan your trip so you can get full value from every session and meeting.
What Is NRF 2026?
NRF 2026 is the National Retail Federation’s annual “Retail’s Big Show,” held each January at the Javits Center in New York City. It is NRF’s flagship event and one of the leading global gatherings for retail, ecommerce, and consumer brands.
The event focuses on:
- Retail strategy, leadership, and growth
- Store operations, labor, and omnichannel experiences
- AI, data, and analytics in merchandising and marketing
- Supply chain, logistics, and inventory
- Payments, loss prevention, and retail media networks
Recent editions of Retail’s Big Show have attracted around 40,000 retail professionals, more than 6,000 brands, and about 1,000 exhibitors, with over 175 sessions across three days.
You can view the NRF 2026 event listing on Vendelux here: NRF 2026 on Vendelux.
When And Where Is NRF 2026 Taking Place?
NRF 2026 takes place January 11–13, 2026 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City.
Event basics
- Dates: January 11–13, 2026
- City: New York, NY, United States
- Venue: Jacob K. Javits Convention Center
The Javits Center sits on Manhattan’s West Side, with a large glass facade, multiple exhibition halls, and extensive meeting space that has been expanded and modernized in recent years.
Who’s Coming To NRF 2026?
Official 2026 demographics will publish after the show, but data from NRF 2025 and past years gives a clear signal. NRF: Retail’s Big Show typically attracts:
- 40,000+ retail professionals
- 6,000+ brands represented
- Around 1,000 exhibitors
- Attendees from 90+ countries
Job level and function skew senior and decision focused:
- Large shares of managers, directors, senior directors, GMs, presidents, and owners
- Executive management, merchandising, ecommerce, marketing, IT, supply chain, store operations, and finance all represented in force
You can expect:
Retailers and brands
- Enterprise and mid-market retailers across grocery, fashion, beauty, home, specialty, and big-box
- DTC brands and marketplaces expanding into stores or wholesale
- Global groups from North America, Europe, APAC, and Latin America
Technology, services, and platforms
- Commerce platforms and POS providers
- AI and personalization vendors
- Retail media and adtech providers
- Supply chain, WMS, OMS, and last-mile solutions
- Payments, fraud prevention, and loyalty platforms
Investors, media, and partners
- Venture and growth equity investors tracking retail tech
- Analysts and trade media covering trends and product launches
- Systems integrators, agencies, and consulting firms
Why This Audience Matters
If you sell into retail or retail-adjacent verticals, NRF 2026 is one of the few events where:
- Senior buyers, operators, and tech leaders are all in the same building
- Many arrive with pending projects in AI, store modernization, omnichannel, and data
- You can meet both global banners and smaller innovators within three days
On the buyer side, it is a rare chance to:
- Compare vendor approaches in payments, retail media, supply chain, and analytics on one floor
- See integrated solutions live instead of in slide decks
- Talk directly with product leaders and implementation teams
Done right, NRF compresses months of sales cycles, vendor scouting, and strategy conversations into a single trip.
Who Will Be Speaking At NRF 2026?
The full NRF 2026 speaker lineup is still developing, but several high-profile sessions are already confirmed.
One of the headline keynotes features Ryan Reynolds on the NRF main stage, discussing how he builds brands with humor, authenticity, and smart use of media in a conversation with Adyen CFO Ethan Tandowsky.
Based on NRF 2025 and earlier programs, you can expect:
- CEOs and presidents from major retail brands, marketplaces, and CPG companies
- Technology and platform leaders in AI, cloud, and data
- Supply chain and operations leaders focused on resilience and profitability
- Investors and analysts sharing forecasts and patterns across retail categories
Session styles include main stage keynotes, featured sessions, case studies, fireside chats, and panel discussions.
What Kind Of Sponsors And Exhibitions Will There Be?
The NRF Expo is a central part of Retail’s Big Show, with around 1,000 exhibitors spanning the full retail value chain.
You can expect exhibitors in:
- POS, unified commerce, and ecommerce platforms
- AI recommendation engines and personalization
- Retail media, measurement, and marketing tech
- Inventory, WMS, OMS, and supply chain visibility
- Loss prevention, computer vision, and store security
- Payments, BNPL, fraud management, and loyalty
- Workforce management and scheduling tools
- Store design, fixtures, and in-store experience
Special Expo features called out for 2026 include:
- NRF Innovators Showcase
- Startup Hub
- Foodservice Innovation Zone
- Retail media and advertising focused areas
- Expo tours and Exhibitor Big Ideas sessions
For vendors, this is where live demos, booth theater sessions, and scheduled meetings happen. For buyers, it is where you turn your short list into real options.
What Kind Of Sessions Are There At NRF 2026?
NRF 2026 offers a mix of education and Expo content. Pass types define how much of this you can access.
Key education formats include:
- Keynote sessions
- Strategy and leadership talks from global CEOs, founders, and industry figures.
- Strategy and leadership talks from global CEOs, founders, and industry figures.
- Featured sessions
- Tactical sessions on customer behavior, store innovation, digital, and AI.
- Tactical sessions on customer behavior, store innovation, digital, and AI.
- AI Stage
- Focused on AI use cases in retail, from personalization and search to operations and forecasting.
- Open to retailers with All-Access passes.
- Exhibitor Big Ideas sessions
- Vendor-led but case focused, often co-presented with retailers.
- Vendor-led but case focused, often co-presented with retailers.
- Zones and stages on the Expo floor
- Foodservice Innovation Zone
- Retail media focused content
- Startup pitches and innovation showcases
In total, you can expect more than 150–175 sessions plus roundtables, tours, and side events based on recent years.
What To Expect From NRF 2026 – Is The Event Worth It?
NRF positions Retail’s Big Show as “The Next Now” for retail. The value usually shows up in three areas:
- Clarity on where retail is heading
- You see concrete examples of AI, automation, and omnichannel projects that are live in stores and ecommerce, not only in pilots.
- You see concrete examples of AI, automation, and omnichannel projects that are live in stores and ecommerce, not only in pilots.
- Benchmarks and playbooks
- Sessions and Big Ideas talks often share metrics and frameworks you can adapt to your own business.
- Sessions and Big Ideas talks often share metrics and frameworks you can adapt to your own business.
- Concentrated networking
- You can meet operations, IT, marketing, and finance leaders from hundreds of retailers in a short window.
If you are responsible for retail growth, digital transformation, store operations, or tech investment, NRF is one of the few global events that directly shapes plans and budgets for the coming year.
Why Should You Attend NRF 2026?
Different teams go to NRF for different reasons, but some patterns are consistent.
For retail leaders and executives
- Stress-test your strategy against what other retailers are doing.
- Explore partnerships in AI, supply chain, stores, and retail media.
- Hear directly from peers who have already executed programs you are planning.
For digital, data, and IT teams
- Evaluate platforms across commerce, data, and personalization in one place.
- See integrated solutions for unified inventory, order orchestration, and analytics.
- Learn where generative AI and automation are actually creating value.
For vendors and partners
- Meet high-intent buyers who influence retail tech budgets.
- Run live demos and workshops instead of only high-level pitches.
- Build pipeline with retailers from multiple regions in a single trip.
If retail is a core vertical for your business, NRF 2026 belongs on the short list of events that drive pipeline, partnerships, and roadmap decisions.
Leverage Attendee Insights: Who’s Attending And How To Prepare
Before you invest in passes, booths, and travel, you should understand which accounts and roles are likely to attend and how they buy.
Using Vendelux, marketing, partnerships, and sales teams can:
- Upload or build an ideal customer profile (ICP) list and see which accounts are planning to attend NRF 2026
- Connect your Salesforce or HubSpot data to identify overlap between opportunities and NRF attendees
- Filter by seniority, function, and region to focus on the decision makers who match your deals
- Use Vendelux Meetings to pre-book meetings with target accounts during NRF instead of relying on walk-ups
NRF attendees tend to be:
- Senior operators and executives with active mandates for change
- Channel and ecommerce leaders who own budgets for platforms and services
- Emerging brands looking for partners to scale retail and DTC
How To Use That Insight
- Prioritize a list of strategic accounts and align internal owners for each.
- Prepare meeting kits: tailored demos, ROI stories, and next-step options.
- Block time for focused conversations away from booth traffic where needed.
Planning around attendee data turns NRF from a general show visit into a structured pipeline and partnership exercise.
Things To Consider Before Registering For NRF 2026
Pass types and pricing for NRF 2026 are already live on the official site.
Pass type
NRF 2026 offers two main categories:
- All-Access Pass
- Keynotes and featured sessions
- AI Stage sessions (retailers only)
- Big Ideas, Foodservice Innovation Zone sessions, and other education
- Networking activities like Donut Dunks, AI Stage roundtables, Opening Party, Retail’s Big Concert, and more
- Expo Pass
- Expo floor access
- Startup Hub, Innovators Showcase, Foodservice Innovation Zone
- Big Ideas sessions and selected networking programs
Retailers can often access an Expo Pass for free if they register before specific cutoff dates. Non-retailers pay different rates depending on membership status.
Budget and team planning
- Decide who needs education and who focuses on Expo and meetings.
- Factor in travel, hotel, passes, and any hosted events or meeting rooms.
- Review partner discounts or association rates if you are eligible.
Always verify the latest pricing and eligibility details on the NRF registration site before you finalize.
Plan Your Visit To NRF 2026 And What To Do After Hours
The Javits Center is on Manhattan’s West Side near Hudson Yards and the High Line, with good access to hotels, restaurants, and transit.
Getting there
- Nearest subway access is via the 7 train at 34th Street–Hudson Yards, a short walk from the Javits Center.
- Penn Station and Moynihan Train Hall are nearby for regional rail and Amtrak.
- LaGuardia, JFK, and Newark airports all serve NYC; travel time varies with traffic.
After hours
NRF evenings fill quickly with:
- Vendor receptions, hosted dinners, and invite-only events
- Retailer-only gatherings, country pavilions, and partner meetups
- The official Opening Party and, for 2026, Retail’s Big Concert for attendees with eligible passes
Plan a mix of:
- Pre-booked dinners with key accounts
- Time at receptions and networking events
- Short breaks so your team can regroup, debrief, and prep for the next day
Neighborhoods like Hudson Yards, Midtown, and the West Village are common choices for client dinners and informal drinks.
Tips When Traveling To NRF 2026 + Hotels
Book accommodation early
January in New York is peak time for retail travel. Look at:
- Hotels within walking distance of the Javits Center in Hudson Yards and the West Side
- Midtown properties near Penn Station or Times Square if you prefer more dining options
- Group blocks and association deals if traveling with a larger team
What to pack
- Comfortable shoes for long days on concrete floors
- Layers and a warm coat; New York in January can be cold and windy
- A portable charger, universal adapters if traveling internationally, and a simple notebook
Local considerations
- Build buffer time into your schedule for security, coat check, and walking between Expo and session rooms.
- Keep backup meeting spots in mind, such as nearby hotel lobbies and coffee shops, in case the floor is too loud for detailed conversations.
Summary: Careful Planning Helps You Get Full Value From NRF 2026
NRF 2026: Retail’s Big Show is where retail leaders, brands, and technology partners compare strategies, see what is working, and commit to next steps for the year ahead. With tens of thousands of attendees, thousands of brands, and a dense education and Expo program, it can shape your roadmap, partnerships, and pipeline for the next twelve months.
To get the most from NRF 2026:
- Set clear goals across learning, vendor assessment, and meetings.
- Use Vendelux to understand who will be there, then pre-book meetings with accounts that matter.
- Align your team on target attendees, key messages, and desired outcomes.
- Treat logistics, hotels, and after-hours plans as part of your strategy, not an afterthought.
With the right preparation, NRF 2026 can deliver a year’s worth of insight, relationships, and revenue opportunities in three focused days in New York.
