NRF Taking Its Big Show to Asia-Pacific
The National Retail Federation’s “Big Show” is getting bigger.
On Sunday, at the annual NRF Big Show convention and trade fair at the Javits Center in New York, officials from the NRF and Paris-based event organizer Comexposium said the two organizations will collaborate to bring the Big Show to Asia-Pacific beginning in 2024.
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It will be a new annual conference and exhibition that is expected to draw thousands of retailers and business partners from across the region. The inaugural NRF 2024: Retail’s Big Show Asia Pacific will be held June 11 to 13, 2024, at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre in Singapore, six months after NRF 2024: Big Show in New York City.
“NRF is proud to expand the footprint of Retail’s Big Show by bringing all the power and reach of our New York show to Asia-Pacific, one of the world’s fastest growing markets with limitless opportunities in retail,” NRF president and chief executive officer Matthew Shay said. “With offices in more than 20 countries around the world and ownership by the Paris Region Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Comexposium has extensive experience partnering with industry trade groups and an in-depth understanding of their role and convening power. Together with Comexposium’s expertise in global trade shows spanning Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Asia-Pacific and the U.S., NRF is prepared to make the Big Show even bigger.”
Shay said the Asia-Pacific version of Retail’s Big Show “aims to integrate regional leaders across the retail industry to collaborate at a Pan Asia-Pacific level. The mega event unites Asia-Pacific’s retail ecosystem under one roof, providing industry-leading content and a platform to attract quality audiences from across the region.”
“Singapore provides an accessible and vibrant gateway to the Southeast Asia region with a significant presence from international and regional trade sellers and visitors from across the retail industry,” Comexposium Asia Pacific CEO Elaine Chia said. “Echoing NRF’s Big Show in New York, Retail’s Big Show Asia Pacific will provide premier programming with the latest industry innovations and insights. Retail’s Big Show Asia Pacific is expected to grow into one of Asia’s leading trade shows with the support of the Singapore Tourism Board and NRF’s recognized expertise in retail, and the strength of Comexposium’s network with the international retail communities.”
The NRF released statistics indicating that Southeast Asia has a population of 655 million people, a $3 trillion consumer market, and average gross domestic product growth of around 5 percent among Association of Southeast Asian Nations member countries. By 2050, the region is expected to be the fourth-largest market in the world, with rapidly growing disposable income and high digital adoption, according to the NRF. Retail sales across Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand are projected at $1.54 trillion in 2022 and expected to reach $1.77 trillion by 2025.
Retail’s Big Show Asia Pacific will complement NRF Retail’s Big Show, which is held in January each year at the Javits Center in New York City.
