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Five things to look for next week at NRF

The BIG Show is bigger than ever, so where do you begin? Start with our checklist of five things to look for at retail's biggest gathering.

January 6, 2015 by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

Next week, the world of retail will find a temporary epicenter in the city of New York — in the massive Javits Convention Center more specifically, which is once again the site for the annual NRF Convention & Expo, "The BIG Show." Once again, we will be bringing you coverage not only from the highlights of the show floor, but from the keynotes, panel sessions and more. If you're attending, give us a shout @retexperience!

It's pretty easy to look at the program and the exhibit hall map and feel a bit daunted. Here are a few of the things that our editorial team is going to be looking for:

A keynote from Ben Bernanke

Bernanke was the chairman of the Federal Reserve System from 2006 to 2014. To say that those were some pivotal years in the world economy is beyond understatement. Whatever your politics may be, Bernanke was witness to history many times over, and it should be fascinating to hear him talk about economic trends, as well as what retail means to the world economy.

The annual Retail Leaders Awards Program

On Monday afternoon, NRF will celebrate the winners of its annual awards program, which celebrates "outstanding examples of leaders in the retail industry." Among the recipients of honors will be Frank Blake of The Home Depot, Neil Blumenthal and David Gilboa of Warby Parker, Gunter T. Bright of American Express, and others.

The NRF iLab

Tucked down on the first floor of the Javits Center, the NRF iLab promises the ability to "see, touch and experience some of the most interesting and innovative products finding their way into the marketplace." That includes 3D printers, virtual reality, and a live demonstration of crowd-sourced app development. Snacks will include a sustainable energy bar made out of crickets. (Great idea, could change the world … still probably not going to try it. Probably.) If you have time on Monday morning, participants from the iLab will take to the EXPO Stage at 11:15.

Everything is mobile, and mobile is everything

By this point, it's unnecessary to talk about how much of an impact mobile has had on the business of retail. It's becoming self-evident, to anyone who is paying even a little bit of attention. But it's a change-in-progress, and you can expect to see a huge amount of emphasis on mobile and what it means next week, both on the show floor and in the majority of the educational sessions and presentations. (Bonus idea: Carry a jar with the word "disruption" written on it, and require people to put a dollar in it each time they use the word. You will be able to retire when you return home.)

More art than science

In the years that we've been attending the NRF event, it's been fascinating to watch a subtle, but very real shift taking place: from an emphasis on technology and the nuts and bolts, to an emphasis on customer experience and the softer discipline of making that technology resonate with a customer. There's plenty of tech to be found on this year's agenda, but there's also more talk of creativity, individuality, distinctiveness (look for that on the show floor, too, as vendors go out of their way to give real-world examples of what all these screens and sensors can actually do for a customer). We're especially looking forward to the Tuesday 11:15 am session with Christian Davies of FITCH, as well as the Wednesday morning keynote by Robert Safian, editor-in-chief of Fast Company.

What's your goal for this year's show? What do you hope to learn and accomplish? Tell us in the comments below, and don't forget to connect with us @retexperience!