Must-Attend Retail Conferences in 2026
The 2026 CommerceNext Growth Show is the must-attend event for retail leaders seeking unparalleled opportunities to learn, network and drive growth. But if you can’t make it, we’ve curated a list of other top retail conferences in 2026—handpicked to provide valuable insights that can help you achieve your business goals.
CommerceNext June 23-24
- Location: New York City
- Type: Ecommerce
- Attendees: 2,700+
- Speakers: 150+
The 2026 CommerceNext Growth Show dives deep into agentic AI, commerce media, ecommerce innovation, omnichannel transformation, AI strategies and more. With over 150 industry-leading speakers from brands like Wayfair, American Eagle and Foot Locker and 2700+ attendees from Target, Sephora, Walmart and more, it’s a must-attend event for learning and making connections in ecommerce.
CommerceNext will feature panels and keynotes on AI, omnichannel strategies and content optimization. Plus, CommerceNext offers the most generous travel program in the industry, with up to $2000 in travel credit for retailers and brands. Register now for the 2026 CommerceNext Growth Show!
Former speakers include:
– Kim Waldmann, Foot Locker
– Ashley Schapiro, American Eagle
– Fiona Tan, Wayfair
– Tom Ward, Sam’s Club
– Kelly Mahoney, Ulta Beauty
Expect these 2026 trends to be covered
- Agentic AI
- Omnichannel strategies
- The impact of shifting consumer behaviors
- AI tech & innovations
✔️Pros:
– Generous travel program
– High-profile speakers/attendees
❌Cons:
– Costly NYC location
NRF Big Show January 11-13
- Location: New York City
- Type: General Retail
- Attendees: 40,000+
- Speakers: 450+
NRF 2026: Retail’s Big Show convenes over 40,000 retail professionals and more than 1,000 exhibitors, focusing on artificial intelligence, sustainability and customer experience. Attendees can look forward to insights from industry leaders from Walmart U.S.and NVIDIA. Engaging networking events like parties and concerts provide ample opportunities to connect with peers in dynamic settings.
Speaker highlights:
– Mark Barrocas, SharkNinja
– Caroline Brown, The North Face
– Marc Metrik, Saks Global
– Dane Matthews, Taco Bell
Expect these 2026 trends to be covered
- The ethical use of consumer data
- AI innovations
- The effects of tariffs and global economic shifts on retail
✔️Pros:
– Large event for extensive networking
❌Cons:
– Overwhelming size, less ecommerce-specific
eTail West & eTail East February 23-26, August 10-12
- Location: Palm Springs, Boston
- Type: Ecommerce
- Attendees: 2,500+
- Speakers: 250+
eTail offers practical ecommerce solutions, covering AI, digital marketing and customer experience. With 250+ speakers from Allbirds, H&M, Albertsons and more, you’ll gain actionable insights on digital transformation and emerging technologies like AI and AR.
Speaker highlights:
– Stacey Politi, IPSY
– Alexa Ritacco, goop
– Josh Marehbian, FabFitFun
– Elton Graham, Sur La Table
Expect these 2026 trends to be covered
- Sustainability initiatives
- Innovative supply chain innovations
- Ethical AI usage
- Strategies for leveraging data
✔️Pros:
– Wide appeal of topics, flexible dates/locations
❌Cons:
– Exclusive appeal to certain industry, travel costs
Prosper Show March 10-12
- Location: Las Vegas
- Type: Ecommerce
- Attendees: 21,000+
- Speakers: 80+
Former speakers include:
– Trey Littell, Amazon
– Jane Naugler, SharkNinja
– Sean Riley, Dude Wipes
– Sherry Shi, TikTok Shop
Expect these 2026 trends to be covered
- AI-Driven personalization
- Sustainability in ecommerce
- Augmented Reality (AR) shopping
- Voice commerce
✔️Pros:
– Focus on marketplace setting
❌Cons:
– Limited appeal to non-marketplace sellers
Retail Summits Various Dates
- Location: Various Locations
- Type: General Retail
- Attendees: 10,000+
- Speakers: 350+
Retail Summits host conferences across cities like Los Angeles, Boston, Detroit, Seattle, Philadelphia and Denver. With a combined 10,000+ attendees, these events are for retailers, brands and merchants to explore ecommerce trends. Retail Summits nation wide location present invaluable networking opportunities for retail professionals to connect with local peers.
Speaker highlights:
– Allan Woodstrom, Best Buy
– Sarah McCaul, Hallmark Cards
– Amy Fensch, HP
– Michael Feinman, Goodwill NYNJ
Expect these 2026 trends to be covered
- Social commerce expansion
- International expansion strategies
- Logistics and payment solutions
✔️Pros:
– Accessible local events
❌Cons:
– Smaller scale, less emphasis on tech
Shoptalk Spring & Shoptalk Fall March 24-26, September 29-October 1
- Location: Las Vegas, Chicago
- Type: General Retail
- Attendees: 10,000+
- Speakers: 200+
Shoptalk includes over 200 speakers and 10,000+ attendees, focusing on customer-centric strategies such as value, inspiration and purpose. Expect speakers from Build-A-Bear Workshop, Chanel, Foot Locker and Gap, Inc. Fun networking events like the CommerceNext Topgolf Reception are also at Shoptalk. If you’re already attending Shoptalk, register now for this unique opportunity for fun networking.
Speaker highlights:
– Creighton Kiper, Walmart
– Elina Vilk, David’s Bridal
– Heather Bennett, Michaels Stores
– Matt Madrigal, Pinterest
Expect these 2026 trends to be covered
- AI-driven personalization, fulfillment and delivery technologies and innovative merchandising strategies
- The future of in-store technology
- Evolving political policies
✔️Pros:
– Large attendance with customer-centric focus
❌Cons:
– Busy sessions, expensive for non-retailers
Modern Retail Marketing Summit April 20-22
- Location: Huntington Beach
- Type: General Retail
- Attendees: ~1,000
- Speakers: ~100
Speaker highlights:
– Amina Pasha, Thrive Market
– More to be announced
Expect these 2026 trends to be covered
- Omnichannel integration
- Retail media networks
- Experiential retail
✔️Pros:
– Focus on sustainability, intimate settings for networking
❌Cons:
– Less tech and operations content
Women in Retail Leadership Summit April 27-29
- Location: Miami
- Type: General Retail
- Attendees: (invite only)
- Speakers: N/A
The Women in Retail Leadership Summit is for women leaders at top brands and offers inspiring keynotes and presentations on leadership and industry trends from speakers at Vera Bradley, David’s Bridal, Susan G. Komen, ThirdLove and more.
Speaker highlights:
– Corie Barry, Best Buy
– Brieane Olson, Pacsun
– Linda Findley, Sleep Number
– Ekta Chopra, e.l.f. Beauty
Expect these 2026 trends to be covered
- Brick-and-Mortar transformation
- Customer loyalty and payment systems
- Ecommerce Platform Optimization
✔️Pros:
– Exclusive for women leaders, strong leadership development focus
❌Cons:
– Limited audience, fewer tech discussions
Subsummit May 13-15
- Location: Kansas City
- Type: Industry-Specific: Subscription Models
- Attendees: 2,000+
- Speakers: 100+
Speaker highlights:
– Domonique Brown, Liquid I.V.
– Matthew Seifert, PrettyLitter
– Rachel Fagan, Happy Wax
– Yael Dornbusch, Zumba
Expect these 2026 trends to be covered
- Hyper-personalized subscriptions
- Integration of social commerce
- Community-focused memberships
✔️Pros:
– Deep dive into subscription models
❌Cons:
– Limited to subscription businesses, niche focus
The Lead Summit May 20-21
- Location: New York City
- Type: Tech-Focused
- Attendees: 3,000
- Speakers: 180+
Focused on the future of retail and innovation, this event unites over 3,000 professionals from major brands like Marc Jacobs, Fossil Group, DSW and Columbia. The Lead Summit covers current retail trends, AI, customer experience and features structured networking, workshops and an Innovation Village showcasing 80+ startups in ecommerce, marketing and automation.
Former speakers include:
– Mimi Ruiz, Columbia Sportswear
– Victoria Katsarou, MAC Cosmetics
– Sarah Angelmar, Clarins Group
– Gaurav Dixit, Lowe’s
Expect these 2026 trends to be covered
- Generative AI in fashion
- Sustainable and ethical fashion
- Leveraging big data to inform product development and marketing strategies
- Enhanced mobile shopping experiences
✔️Pros:
– Strong innovation/startup focus, large-scale
❌Cons:
– Not solely focused on ecommerce
NRF Nexus July 22-24
- Location: Colorado Springs
- Type: Tech-Focused
- Attendees: ~300
- Speakers: ~50
Former speakers include:
– Emeline Berlind, Sephora
– Dan Murphy, Liquid Death
– Fatih Nayebi, ALDO Group
– Jeremy Lowenstein, Milani Cosmetics
Expect these 2026 trends to be covered
- Emerging technologies and the future of retail customer experiences
- The convergence of entertainment and retail
- Competing with China’s online retail powerhouses
- MarTech: 1st party data strategies
✔️Pros:
– Digital marketing/tech focus, high-level discussions
❌Cons:
– Limited to tech/digital leaders, smaller scale than NRF Big Show
Total Retail Tech September 14-16
- Location: Dallas
- Type: Tech-Focused
- Attendees: Invite only
- Speakers: N/A
Total Retail Tech allows retail executives to explore digital transformation and omnichannel strategies. Keynotes will feature leaders from Domino’s and Build-A-Bear Workshop, and the event includes networking opportunities like meals and cocktail receptions.
Former speakers include:
– Sharonda Weatherspoon, Ralph Lauren
– Josh Shabtai, Lowe’s Innovation Labs
– Christopher Thomas-Moore, Domino’s
– Scott Devlin, The Vitamin Shoppe
Expect these 2026 trends to be covered
- AI & Machine Learning/digital transformation
- AI & Machine Learning/digital transformation
- Sustainability initiatives
- Omnichannel retailing
✔️Pros:
– Omnichannel and digital insights, retail executive-level networking
❌Cons:
– Limited to senior executives, fewer startup discussions
Groceryshop September 22-24
- Location: Las Vegas
- Type: Industry-Specific: Food & Grocery
- Attendees: 2,000+
- Speakers: 150+
Groceryshop brings together grocery retailers and CPG companies to learn about trends shaping the grocery retail landscape. Engage with industry leaders from Kroger, Tropicana, Unilever North America, Mars Petcare and more in keynotes and panel discussions.
Former speakers include:
– Fidji Simo, Instacart
– Claire Peters, Amazon Fresh
– Stuart Aitken, Kroger
– Ram Krishnan, PepsiCo
Expect these 2026 trends to be covered
- Expansion of private label products
- Automation and AI
- Enhanced pricing and promotions
✔️Pros:
– Top event for grocery and CPG trends, covers logistics
❌Cons:
– Limited niche content, vendor presentations
World Retail Congress April 27-29
- Location: Berlin
- Type: International
- Attendees: 1,000+
- Speakers: N/A
Geared toward high-level executives, The World Retail Congress 2026 includes over 1,000 senior executives from the global retail industry. The 2026 agenda will focus on the drivers for growth, including consumers, teams, technology and models. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage with industry experts through various sessions, discussions and networking opportunities.
Former speakers include:
– Brian Cornell, Target
– Alex Baldock, Currys PLC
– Alexander Lacik, Pandora
– Cheryl Potter, Marks & Spencer
Expect these 2026 trends to be covered
- AI-driven personalization
- Omnichannel integration
- Data privacy and security
✔️Pros:
– Executive-level networking, covers global growth drivers
❌Cons:
– Expensive & Exclusive
Shoptalk Europe June 9-11
- Location: Barcelona
- Type: International
- Attendees: 4,500+
- Speakers: 175+
Shoptalk Europe 2026 brings together over 4,500 professional. Sessions will cover critical topics such as digital transformation, emerging technologies and strategies. Keynote speakers include brands Rituals and B&Q. Attendees can also participate in curated meetings designed to foster meaningful business connections and collaborations.
Speaker highlights:
– Dan Rubel, Currys
– Bernard Osta, Vestiaire Collective
– Helena Bukowski, KICKS
– Mirjam Schuele, KARL LAGERFELD
Expect these 2026 trends to be covered
- AI-driven search & discovery
- Retail media networks
- Circular economy & recommerce models
✔️Pros:
– Focus on digital transformation, curated meetings
❌Cons:
– Focus on European trends
eCommerce Expo September 23-24
- Location: London
- Type: International
- Attendees: 10,000+
- Speakers: 200+
The eCommerce Expo includes over 10,000 senior-level professionals from the B2C and B2B sectors. The conference will explore customer acquisition, logistics and operations. Attendees can engage with over 200 world-class ecommerce solution providers and agencies. Participants can also benefit from more than 200 hours of live CPD-accredited content delivered by industry-leading speakers and brands.
Former speakers include:
– Adam Ull, H&M
– Ami Shukla, Diageo
– Anja Spielmann, Mars Food & Nutrition
– Alyssa Jaffer, Deliveroo
Expect these 2026 trends to be covered
- AI-powered customer service
- Voice search optimization
- Data privacy and security measures
✔️Pros:
– Extensive industry-leading content
❌Cons:
– UK-focused
E-Show & Technology for Marketing Madrid November 4-5
- Location: Berlin
- Type: International
- Attendees: 12,000+
- Speakers: 150+
E-Show & Technology for Marketing Madrid is where innovative leaders, companies and national and international experts share the strategies, tools and solutions that are changing the way companies attract customers, optimize conversions and scale online operations.
Speaker highlights:
– Speakers to be announced
Expect these 2026 trends to be covered
- Mobile commerce
- Social commerce
- Omnichannel strategies
✔️Pros:
– Strong European name/presence, large-scale B2B event
❌Cons:
– Primary focus on European market
As you plan your conference strategy for 2026, remember that these events are more than just learning opportunities—they’re platforms for professional growth. To maximize your experience, research each event thoroughly, set clear goals and prioritize networking.
Don’t miss the chance to attend the 2026 CommerceNext Growth Show, one of the industry’s premier events for learning and networking. Register now!
