NRF 2024: Retail’s Big Show Asia Pacific proved to be a hit with retailers eager to embrace technology and innovation, which is why organisers are scaling up for next year’s event.
Event brief
The US National Retail Federation (NRF) and global event organiser Comexposium launched NRF 2024: Retail’s Big Show Asia Pacific in Singapore to extend their reach.
American in origin but designed for a largely Asian audience, NRF 2024: Retail’s Big Show Asia Pacific presented an exhibition, conference and retail store visits.
Themed “Fast Track Your Success”, the event focused on the dynamic and evolving nature of the retail industry and its future.
“We aimed to provide a platform for knowledge exchange, networking and innovation that drives the industry forward,” said Ryf Quail, managing director, NRF 2024: Retail’s Big Show Asia Pacific, Comexposium. “The warm and favourable reception from the retail communities strongly indicates a significant demand for a pan-regional retail event.”
Event highlights
The tradeshow, with 238 exhibitors, spanned three halls. There was a heavy emphasis on automation, technology and innovative applications – unlike visual merchandising displays of two decades ago, when the Retail Industry Trade Event held sway.
Exhibitor pitches ranged from procurement, logistics, storage, point-of-sale and payment to customer service, relationship management and data analysis for sales and employee management. E-commerce solutions also figured prominently, as did RFID and AI.
The Modern Store, for instance, presented a new shopping experience with interconnected action prompts, in-store phone conversations, and check-out and Generative AI-enabled actions.
Lenovo, Nvidia, and AMD jointly showed their AI-ready platforms for retailers – from shop floor to data centre, to improve customer experience and operational efficiency.
In the NRF Innovation Lab area, 20 exhibitors and start-ups from around the world showed retail technology and applications drawing on AI, AR, data analytics and Web3.
Visenze’s e-tail multiple search and discovery, Corsight AI’s real-world facial intelligence, Zappar’s easily-accessed QR codes, including for the visually impaired, and Trollee’s AI-driven smart-cart were among the crowd-pullers.
Conference sessions and panel discussions took place in two meeting rooms on Level 3 as well as in the exhibition halls. Speakers from leading brands shared insights on the latest trends, omnichannel retailing, AI integration, sustainable practices and the customer experience.
Unlike most tradeshows, NRF offered silent conferencing within the expo hall. Attendees could hear the talks through headsets, with showfloor discussions unaffected by the talks and videos.
Simultaneous translation was available in Japanese, Chinese and Portuguese through headsets for talks in meeting rooms. Japan, China and the Americas were among the countries with the biggest presence at NRF 2024.
Retail store visits were another attraction. Groups visited the Luzerne flagship store (ceramics) on two afternoons. Hosting on different days were BHG department store, Escentials, Design Orchard and the flagship stores of Nike and Singtel.
However, while many foreign participants were glad to see a bit of Singapore outside the event venue, some found the tours long and tiring.
Summing up, Elaine Chia, CEO for Asia Pacific at Comexposium, said: “Bringing Retail’s Big Show from the US to Asia Pacific has been an exciting journey. Data shows that we have successfully delivered a world-class event and established Retail’s Big Show Asia Pacific as a must-attend occasion in the region.”
Challenges
The NRF Innovation Lab was often congested as exhibitors shared an open-plan area instead of standard booths, and some drew more visitors than others.
“Space was a challenge as we ran out of room on the expo floor quite early and several eager exhibitors could not secure a booth. Also, several activities were oversubscribed,” said Chia.
For example, exhibitor Big Idea sessions were oversubscribed by about 30 per cent, and some people had to be turned away.
Another challenge was the high volume of eleventh-hour registrations which strained the registration platform, especially on the first day.
“For 2025, we’re working closely with Marina Bay Sands to reconfigure the floor to accommodate more exhibitors. As we expect 10,000 attendees, we have started the planning process and are working closely with our partners and vendors to ensure we have the infrastructure and capacities to accommodate everyone,” added Chia.
Event NRF 2024: Retail’s Big Show Asia Pacific
Organiser Comexposium and National Retail Federation, USA
Venue Sands Expo and Convention Centre
Date June 11-13, 2024
Attendance 8,600 participants from 52 countries
