Retail’s Big Show #NRF2021 Moved From January To June

Retail’s Big Show ^[1] #NRF2021 which was scheduled for January 17-19, 2021 has been cancelled as an in-person event.

The physical exposition and conference has been moved later in the year to June 6-8, 2021, with several virtual events being scheduled for next January.

The dates for the virtual event and ‘digital expo’ are varied; being January 12-14, January 19 and January 21-22, 2021.

In an email, National Retail Federation President and CEO Matthew Shay said

“Dear Friends,

After hundreds of conversations with exhibitors, sponsors, partners and other stakeholders during the past several months, as well as regular assessments of the convention and conference market and the current and expected health conditions in New York, we have concluded it is no longer feasible to hold NRF 2021: Retail’s Big Show as currently scheduled on January 17-19, 2021, at the Javits Center and that therefore we need to reimagine the NRF 2021 annual meeting and convention.

With the support of our exhibitors, sponsors and partners, we have decided to move the “in-person” exposition and conference to June 6-8, 2021. We will also host a virtual event in January 2021 that will feature robust content combined with a digital expo.

For over 100 years, NRF’s annual convention has been the biggest, best and most impactful event that convenes industry leaders to exchange visionary ideas, build partnerships and experience new technologies. In 2021, we are able to double down on our efforts to explore an exciting future for retail with two unique events. This is the time for creative and practical ideas that will shape retail’s future, and these are the events that will showcase those ideas with our visionary and innovative retail leaders and industry partners as we chart the path forward together.

Thank you for your continued support, and please stay safe”.

These are tough times indeed, for the large event organisers and the National Retail Federation should be applauded for making a difficult decision early on. No one knows what the pandemic situation might be like in January next year but what we do know is that retail is struggling at the moment and it’s unlikely to get any better for that sector anytime soon.

When the NRF polled its members, exhibitors and sponsors it would have been told in no uncertain terms that the appetite of retailers to meet in as little as six months time was definitely not there.