Asia Retail Congress

What Asia Retail Congress does

Asia Retail Congress is a privately organized, non-profit event platform founded in 2005 and headquartered in Mumbai, India. It operates a flagship two-day annual congress at Taj Lands End that convenes retail industry leaders including company chairs, presidents, CEOs, and directors from leading international and national retailers across Asia. The event features more than 50 educational sessions, awards ceremonies, and over 5 hours of dedicated networking time. The congress positions itself as Asia's single most important global platform for promoting world-class retail practices.

The organization's product portfolio extends beyond the core retail congress to include co-hosted events: the Rural Marketing Forum & Awards, focused on India's $100 billion rural market opportunity, and the Agriculture Innovation Congress & Awards, themed around innovation and sustainability in agriculture. It also administers recurring awards programs including the Retail Excellence Awards, 100 Most Influential Retail Leaders, 50 Most Influential Rural Marketing Professionals, and Agriculture Innovation Awards. The technology underpinning the operation is a standard event management and conference platform with no disclosed proprietary AI or data products.

Asia Retail Congress generates revenue through three streams: event registration and conference fees paid by attending retail professionals, corporate sponsorships from retail brands and shopping malls, and awards program revenue including nomination fees. The organization operates with a lean team of 8 employees and is supported by a partner ecosystem including CMO ASIA, World Federation of Marketing Professionals, Asian Confederation of Businesses, World CSR Day, and World Sustainability Congress, with Taj Hotels serving as the exclusive venue partner. The founder, Dr. R. L. Bhatia, has led the organization since its inception.

Name

Asia Retail Congress

Legal name

Asia Retail Congress

Website

https://asiaretailcongress.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Asia Retail Congress is a Mumbai-based non-profit founded in 2005 that runs an annual two-day congress convening retail industry executives across Asia, alongside co-hosted rural marketing and agriculture innovation events and multiple industry awards programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retail Industry Events

akta.pro primary industry

Executive Summits & Invitation-Only Forums (MPAGAGAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA), Agriculture, Food & Nutrition Congresses (THAHAJAI)

Keywords

• Retail industry congress
• Industry awards programs
• Executive networking events
• Rural marketing forum
• Agriculture innovation congress

Headquarters

HQ city

Mumbai

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Event Registration and Conference Fees: Revenue generated from retail professionals attending the congress, including registration fees for the two-day event and associated educational sessions.
2. Sponsorship and Partnerships: Corporate sponsorships from retail brands, shopping malls, and related businesses that participate as event partners and exhibitors.
3. Awards and Recognition Programs: Awards program revenue including nomination fees and recognition categories such as Retail Excellence Awards, 100 Most Influential Retail Leaders, and Rural Marketing Awards.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Asia Retail Congress is an annual two-day retail industry conference held in Mumbai, India, bringing together company chairs, presidents, CEOs, and directors from leading international and national retailers for educational sessions, networking, and awards recognition. The organization also co-hosts specialized adjacent events including the Rural Marketing Forum and Agriculture Innovation Congress, alongside recognition programs such as the 100 Retail Leaders Program and Retail Excellence Awards.

Product overview

Asia Retail Congress operates as an event and awards organization running multiple co-hosted programs: the core Asia Retail Congress (a two-day retail industry conference), the Rural Marketing Forum & Awards (focused on India's $100 billion rural market opportunity), and the Agriculture Innovation Congress & Awards (covering agricultural technology and sustainability). The organization also manages the 100 Retail Leaders Program and Retail Excellence Awards to recognize industry achievements. These programs provide educational sessions, global networking opportunities, and industry recognition through awards, targeting retail executives including company chairs, presidents, CEOs, and directors from leading international and national retailers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Rural Marketing Forum & Awards: A co-hosted event focused on rural marketing and agricultural development in India.
• Agriculture Innovation Congress & Awards

Products and services

• Asia Retail Congress Annual two-day retail industry congress in Mumbai that convenes Chairs, Presidents, CEOs, and Directors from leading international and national retailers for education, networking, and recognition.
• Rural Marketing Forum & Awards Specialized co-hosted event focused on rural marketing, including a recognition program for rural marketing professionals.
• Agriculture Innovation Congress & Awards Specialized co-hosted congress focused on agriculture, featuring recognition through an awards program.
• 100 Retail Leaders Program Recognition initiative profiling 100 retail leaders as part of the congress programming.
• Retail Excellence Awards Awards program that recognizes excellence across the retail industry as part of the annual congress.
• 50 Most Influential Rural Marketing Professionals Recognition list identifying 50 most influential professionals in rural marketing, supporting the Rural Marketing Forum.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 50 educational sessions per congress
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, major, minor and core.

• Rural Marketing ForumflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 February 2027Co-hosted event at Asia Retail Congress 2027, focused on rural marketing and rural consumer insights. The 20th edition scheduled for February 2026 at Taj Lands End, Mumbai.
• Agriculture Innovation CongressflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 February 2027Co-hosted event at Asia Retail Congress 2027, themed 'Transforming Agriculture through Innovation and Sustainability'. Held on February 20th, 2026 at Taj Lands End, Mumbai.
• World Federation Of Marketing ProfessionalsmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerEndorsing organization for Rural Marketing Forum events, providing credibility and international reach to the partnership.
• CMO ASIAmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerMarketing partner for Asia Retail Congress and Rural Marketing Forum, helping promote events to marketing leadership across Asia.
• World CSR DayminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner organization supporting sustainability and CSR-focused events under the congress umbrella.
• Asian Confederation Of BusinessesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEndorsing confederation for Rural Marketing Forum, representing business interests across Asian markets.
• World Sustainability CongressminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner organization providing sustainability focus to the event portfolio.
• Godrej PropertiesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSupported By partner for Rural Marketing Forum 2017, demonstrating corporate backing for rural marketing initiatives.
• Taj Hotels (Taj Lands End)coreOthersPrimary venue partner for Asia Retail Congress events. Taj Lands End, Bandra West, Mumbai serves as the exclusive venue for annual congress events.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• World Retail Congress: Global retail industry congress previously organized in various locations serving CEOs of major retailers. Direct comparable as a retail-executive-focused congress with educational sessions and awards.
• Shoptalk: Runs major retail and e-commerce conferences (Shoptalk, Shoptalk Spring, Groceryshop) in the US and UK. Comparable as a specialist retail industry event organizer targeting CEOs and senior retail executives with educational sessions and networking.
• MAPIC: Leading international retail real estate and shopping center event. Comparable as a B2B conference serving retail property, mall, and brand executives — adjacent vertical to Asia Retail Congress which also lists Shopping Center Congress & Awards in its portfolio.
• Retail Week: UK-based retail industry media and events business hosting conferences (e.g., Retail Week Live) for retail executives. Comparable as a content-and-events operator serving the retail leadership community.

Broad incumbents

• Informa Markets: Global B2B events organizer running hundreds of trade shows across industries including retail. Comparable as a large-scale professional conference organizer with adjacent retail event properties and sponsorship-driven revenue model.
• Comexposium: Major international B2B event organizer with retail and consumer goods exhibitions. Comparable as a scaled professional conference organizer serving retail and FMCG industries with exhibitions and congresses.
• EuroShop: The world's leading trade fair for retail investment, held triennially in Düsseldorf. Comparable as a large-scale retail industry trade event serving international retailers, exhibitors, and solution providers.
• National Retail Federation (NRF): Operates NRF's Big Show, the largest annual retail industry conference globally. Directly comparable as a membership-driven retail industry association hosting flagship events, awards, and educational programming for retail executives — Asia Retail Congress operates the analogous regional (Asia) version of this model.

Emerging players

• Retailers Association of India (RAI): Indian retail industry trade body that runs its own retail events and knowledge programs. Comparable as a domestic Indian retail industry association hosting events and serving retail executives.
• CMO Asia: Asia-based marketing leadership platform that is also a marketing partner of Asia Retail Congress. Comparable as a regional B2B events and awards organization for senior marketing and business leaders in Asia.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/welcome-to-asia-retail-congress

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Asia Retail Congress