What to expect at the NRF 2024: Retail's Big Show

NRF Retail Big Show is returning to the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York this weekend for its 2024 edition.

One of the industry's leading events, the National Retail Federation's (NRF) Big Show features talks, exhibitions, live demonstrations, and more, covering topics ranging from innovation to new technologies, leadership, and business models. Created to foster deeper and more meaningful connections between industry leaders and experts, the NRF Big Show also aims to facilitate learning and insights within the retail industry.

With this year's event expected to be one of the largest shows to date, with more than 40,000 attendees representing over 6,200 brands from 100 countries, the NRF Big Show builds on the success of previous editions.

Running from January 13 to January 16, the event will welcome more than 1,000 exhibitors across a 300,000-square-foot exposition space at the NRF 2024 Expo. This year's edition also includes more than 50 NRF-curated keynote speaker sessions, more than a hundred big idea sessions, the NRF Innovation Lab, a Startup Zone, and an educational curriculum about the industry and future retail trends.

New additions to the show this year include an expanded food service innovation zone, which will showcase new technologies changing the customer food service experience; the NRF Supply Chain 360 Summit, which takes a holistic look at building a stronger supply chain; and the Sustainable Retail workshop examining new ways to implement circular retail.

What to expect

January 13 - Saturday

Similar to last year's event, the NRF Big Show will open with a networking event and an opening party on Saturday, January 14. The party, said to be bigger than ever before, will take place across two floors of the Marriott Marquis and include beverages and food. Special retail store tours at cutting-edge stores in Hudson Yards will also take place during the day.

January 14 – Sunday

Following the donut dunk, the NRF Big Show 2024 will open with a keynote session from John Furner, Walmart U.S. president and CEO and Chairman of the National Retail Federation, who will give a brief overview of the state of the industry and NRF, and why decisions made today matter more than ever.

Throughout the day, other keynote sessions will take place, including a featured session in the morning with the president of Levi Strauss & Co., Michelle Gass, on how the 170–year company aims to position itself for future success. Speaking for the first time since joining the company, she will share plans to accelerate the company’s growth with Matthew Shay, president and CEO of the NRF.

In between these keynote sessions, networking opportunities, big idea talks, and special programs, there be expo tours. Later in the day, another keynote session will take place with Philippe Schaus, the CEO of Moët Hennessy, on how to create a luxury retail experience. He will share his vision for the division’s retail strategy and the role of retailers in the brand with Manus Cranny, Bloomberg TV anchor.

January 15 – Monday

The second day of the NRF Retail Big Show will open with another keynote session: 'From winning championships to championing business: How Earvin “Magic” Johnson built success from the ground up.' Together with John Furner, president and CEO of Walmart Inc., Magic Johnson will share how he went from a leading player on the court to a leader in the boardroom of his global business.

Shortly afterward, Ed Stack, executive chairman of Dick's Sporting Goods, will sit down in conversation with Matthew Shay, NRF president and CEO, to discuss his experiences overseeing the evolution of one of the largest omnichannel sporting goods retailers in the US.

Remaining within the sports realm, the next keynote session will focus on '​Elevating athletic excellence' and see Under Armour CEO Stephanie Linnartz and two-time WNBA champion Kelsey Plum sit down to talk about Under Armour's strategies for improving the athletic experience, from high-performance sportswear and elevated sportstyle.

Throughout the day, other sessions focusing on generative AI's growing role within the retail industry will take place, as well as talks on innovations within the customer experience and the importance of data.

January 16 – Tuesday

Tuesday morning, the last day of the show, will kick off with a conversation between Tractor Supply Company CEO Hal Lawton and PwC partner Kelly Pedersen, who will examine the opportunities and challenges Tractor Supply has faced in retaining its company culture and values during unprecedented growth.

This will be followed by a featured session between Marc Metrick, the CEO of Saks, and CNBC Senior Retail Reporter Courtney Reagan, who will look at the luxury retailer's strategy for leveraging the luxury experience for online shoppers. Metrick will share vital insights on creating meaningful customer relationships and the importance of prioritizing high lifetime value (LTV) customers, next to how Saks is harnessing the power of data-driven personalization and AI to enhance the customer experience.

Later in the afternoon, the final keynote session will take place. Looking at product innovative and accessible design, the session sees a conversation between actor and producer Drew Barrymore and Made By Gather CEO Shae Hong take place. The two will discuss their brand of high-performance appliances and cookware, Beautiful, and how the intersection of innovation and premium design helps foster deeper human connection in the kitchen and home.

The NRF Retail Big Show will end on January 16, with other expo talks taking place across the conversation center.