The Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City, a frequented venue by leading buyers and sellers in the wholesale and retail industry, will be hosting Retail’s BIG Show 2012 as one of its first events of the new year. Scheduled to run Jan. 15 to Jan. 18, the four day event offers unparalleled education, collegial networking, and an enormous EXPO Hall full of technologies and solutions.
As the event website boasts, “Anyone who is in retail has a home at Retail’s BIG Show,” from the C-Level and Senior Execs who make up 39 percent of the BIG Show audience to the regional managers and the single store operators. All in all, this year’s event is expecting in attendance 22,000 industry professionals, 500 plus exhibitors, 175 plus speakers, with 82 countries and 45 international delegations represented.
Promoting Indie Business at the Retail’s BIG Show
From the kick-off opening night reception and EXPO Hall happy hours to the more intimate working breakfasts and lunches, the Convention offers numerous networking opportunities for attendees. That includes the highlighted, Independents’ Day, sponsored by Dell, to be held during the event on Jan. 16. Independents’ Day provides a full day of programming specifically for those independent retailers attending the Convention and Expo. More than 95 percent of retailers in the U.S. operate just one location, and the NRF is proud to say that these retailers have a place at Retail’s BIG Show, and best of all can attend for free. “A mistake many small businesspeople make is that we think the NRF show is just for the big boys, but the NRF does a really good job of having stuff for us,” says Dave Ratner, a returning Independents’ Day retailer. “Last year, I went to different sessions and learned how to fine tune some ideas, and I got a couple of new ideas for how to market my business. And, not only that, but walking the show floor is great. For a little guy, you would think it would be intimidating because you have all the big vendors, but we found some management tools that work with small businesses as well.”
Independents’ Day programming is designed especially for small-to medium-sized companies. The day’s programs include sessions presented by retailers such as Ratner, Linda Hundt of Sweetie-licious Bakery Café, Sarah Endline of Sweetriot, and Allan Reagan of Flix Brewhouse. Other speakers include professionals from KAB Marketing and the Montana, Louisiana and Massachusetts retail associations. Many of Independents’ Day sessions fall into the following educational tracks: Online Retailing; Marketing and Brand Management; Merchandising; and Store Operations.
For more information about Retail’s BIG Show and Independents’ Day, visit www.nrf.com/annual12.
For more industry and tradeshow news, click HERE.