RTP Editors Spotlight What To Watch For At #NRF2019
Every year, the Retail TouchPoints editorial team travels to the NRF Big Show in New York City, and this year’s event, held Jan. 13-15, 2019, will really live up to its name: the conference is projected to host 37,000 attendees, 16,000 retailers and more than 700 exhibitors.
Top names speaking at the event will include Marvin Ellison, President and CEO of Lowe’s; Jamie Nordstrom, President of Stores at Nordstrom; Brian Cornell, CEO of Target; Heidi Zak, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of ThirdLove; Rebecca Minkoff, Co-Founder and Creative Director of Rebecca Minkoff; and Neil Blumenthal, Co-Founder and CEO of Warby Parker.
In this Q&A, the editors explain what they’re most looking forward to at the 2019 Big Show. Let us know what you’re interested in via the comments below!
Debbie Hauss, Editor-in-Chief: Every year I look forward to reconnecting with my friends and colleagues in retail, media and PR. NRF brings all of us together every year and I am thankful for that. We share insights that we’ve gathered throughout the year traveling to a variety of different events, and it’s enlightening to share what we’ve seen as transformational in the industry during the past year. I’m also always impressed by the effort and time put into creating the booths for the event and how they are highlighting the latest technology innovations. This year I expect to see more of the “sexy” tech, like AR and VR, but I’m also expecting to see a strong showing of foundational solutions that will enable retailers to create the efficiencies that allow them to take the time to actually consider the cool new ideas.
Adam Blair, Executive Editor: The NRF Big Show is the industry’s most frustrating event (and no, it’s not just because the Javits Center’s aisles get so crowded that it’s hard to get from one end of the exhibit hall to the other). It’s frustrating because there are so many amazing sessions to attend that I’d have to clone myself to attend every one that sparked my interest. Here are just a few of the titles that tickled my fancy: Power Of The Pack: Women Alone Can Be Powerful But Together Have Tremendous Impact; How Fashion Retailers Use Data To Improve Everything; Is Sustainable The New Sexy?; Why Is There A Robot In My Store?; and, Redefining Masculinity In the Retail Industry For A More Equal World. The entire NRF lineup demonstrates yet again that retail is an exciting, ever-changing industry to cover.
Glenn Taylor, Senior Editor: This year, I’ll be attending the press tour of the NRF Innovation Lab, which is featuring nearly 50 emerging tech companies in categories such as virtual reality, AI, facial recognition and robotics. While I have walked through the Innovation Lab in previous Big Shows, I never got to take the full press tour, allowing me to take in every company first hand and learn more about what all of them are trying to accomplish. Additionally, it will be great to pick the brains of execs in these fields to see how they think the industry will shake out within the next year. If anything, I think the Lab experience will benefit me the most by giving me ideas for coverage throughout 2019. If the biggest retail show of them all is putting these technologies up for display, it’s safe to say that there will be a lot of value from all the parties that are included.
Bryan Wassel, Associate Editor: This will be my first NRF Big Show, so I’m looking forward to seeing the industry’s major players in person during the event. The sheer number of executives and experts, from those I’ve interviewed over the phone to those I’ve only heard of, is intimidating, but I’m excited to finally make the rounds and meet people face-to-face. This also will be a golden opportunity to really immerse myself in the world of retail in general — I’ve been to other industry events (including our own Retail Innovation Conference), and each has provided more insight into the latest developments and top issues facing the industry. From the tours to the interviews to the panels, I’m ready to take it all in.