What NRF 2025: Retail's Big Show Europe does

NRF Retail's Big Show Europe is an annual international retail trade show co-organized by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Comexposium, held at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles. The event targets senior retail executives, technology providers, and emerging retail innovators, attracting approximately 12,000 attendees from 60+ countries and featuring 200+ retail leaders as speakers and a curated roster of 200+ exhibiting brands. Its core product is the three-day exhibition combined with conference programming, complemented by structured sub-brands: Startup Hub (60+ early-stage companies), NRF Innovators Showcase (top 30 retail tech innovators), Exhibitor Big Ideas sessions, Expo Tours, and a VIP Retailers Club.

The underlying technology infrastructure is powered primarily by the third-party Map Your Show platform, which handles exhibitor registration, floor plans, session browsing, and personal agenda management. The proprietary Business Meetings service is a matchmaking platform integrated into the official mobile app that enables exhibitors to schedule pre-qualified meetings with project-carrying visitors before and during the event; it was used by 96% of exhibitors in 2025 and generated 2,563 meetings. Other digital tools include an online Media Kit Generator enabling exhibitors to create branded promotional assets.

The business model combines multiple revenue streams: exhibitor booth sales (raw space at €615/sqm, equipped stands at €1,130/sqm, Startup Hub at €3,750, Innovators Showcase from €6,250), tiered sponsorships (Bronze €20K-€35K through Diamond €100,001+), attendee passes (free Expo Pass for retailers, €449 advance / €649 standard Retailer All-Access Pass), and ancillary add-on branding opportunities. Distribution is executed via a dedicated multi-region sales team covering Europe, North America, and APAC, with the event itself serving as the principal marketplace and the Business Meetings service as the primary value-delivery mechanism post-sale.

Name

NRF 2025: Retail's Big Show Europe

Legal name

NRF Retail's Big Show Europe

Website

https://parisretailweek.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2025

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NRF Retail's Big Show Europe is an annual trade show co-organized by NRF and Comexposium in Paris, serving 12,000 retail executives, technology providers, and innovators from 60+ countries through exhibitions, matchmaking, and conferences.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Show & Event Services

akta.pro primary industry

General Consumer Expos & Trade Shows (MPAGAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Professional & Association Conferences (MPAGAGAB), Executive Summits & Invitation-Only Forums (MPAGAGAK)

Keywords

• Retail trade show
• Exhibition management
• Business matchmaking
• Retail conference
• Event sponsorship

Headquarters

HQ city

Courbevoie

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Exhibitor Booth Sales: Companies rent exhibition space at the event. Pricing varies by booth type: raw space at €615 per sqm, equipped stands at €1,130 for 9-27 sqm, Startup Hub at €3,750, and Innovators Showcase at €6,250 (startups) or €8,250 (established companies).
2. Sponsorship Packages: Tiered sponsorship levels ranging from Diamond (€100,001+) to Bronze (€20,000-€35,000), offering varying levels of visibility including logo placement, social media coverage, and exhibitor passes.
3. Attendee Pass Sales: Retailer All-Access Pass at €449 (advance rate, saving €200 from €649). Expo Pass is free for retailers. Non-retailers must purchase appropriate passes.
4. Additional Branding Opportunities: Various add-on opportunities including digital branding, print materials, stage naming, and specialty area sponsorships available for purchase through the Exhibitor Resource Center.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

NRF Retail's Big Show Europe is a three-day retail industry trade show held annually in Paris (2026 edition: September 15-17, 2026 at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles) that brings together retail professionals, retail brands, and technology providers. The event sells exhibition booth space (bare and equipped stands), tiered sponsorship packages, attendee passes, and structured networking via the Business Meetings matchmaking service, along with specialized showcase areas for startups and innovators.

Product overview

NRF 2026: Retail's Big Show Europe is a trade show/event platform, not a unified software product. The core offering is the retail trade show itself (September 15-17, 2026 at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles), which combines physical exhibition space (bare stands and equipped stands via 'Le stand by Marcelo Joulia'), matchmaking services (Business Meetings), and specialized showcase areas (Startup Hub, Innovators Showcase featuring top 30 retail tech innovators, Exhibitor Big Ideas sessions, Expo Tours). Additional offerings include sponsorship packages at five tiers (Diamond through Bronze), digital tools such as a Media Kit Generator, and a Map Your Show exhibitor portal. The Startup Hub targets companies founded 2021 or later at €3,750, while Innovators Showcase targets established and startup retail tech companies with turnkey booths starting at €6,250.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Startup Hub: Area showcasing innovative startup companies in retail and e-commerce sector
• NRF Innovators Showcase
• Exhibitor Big Ideas
• Expo Tours
• Business Meetings

Products and services

• NRF 2026: Retail's Big Show Europe Europe's premier international retail trade show bringing together 12,000 retail professionals from 60 countries over three days for conferences, exhibitions, networking and innovation showcases.
• Business Meetings Service Professional matchmaking platform enabling exhibitors to schedule targeted meetings with project-carrying visitors; used by 96% of exhibitors in 2025 with 2,563 meetings scheduled.
• NRF Innovators Showcase

Quantifiable outcome

• 96% of exhibitors used the Business Meetings service in 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ComexposiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of NRF Retail's Big Show Europe. Comexposium contributes European market expertise, event management capabilities, and local operational infrastructure for the Paris-based event.
• VusionGroupminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of NRF 2026: Retail's Big Show Europe, providing digital retail technology solutions.
• AsanaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of NRF 2026: Retail's Big Show Europe, offering work management platform.
• InstacartminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of NRF 2026: Retail's Big Show Europe, providing grocery and retail technology solutions.
• PaytweakminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of NRF 2026: Retail's Big Show Europe, providing payment solutions.
• All In BoxminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of NRF 2026: Retail's Big Show Europe.
• GloryminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of NRF 2026: Retail's Big Show Europe, providing cash management solutions.
• B-NetworkminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial accommodation partner for NRF 2026: Retail's Big Show Europe, offering preferential hotel rates for attendees.
• Map Your ShowcoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology platform provider for floor plans, exhibitor search, session browsing, and personal agenda management. Powers the exhibitor portal and attendee experience.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Comexposium Group: The French exhibition organizer that co-runs NRF Europe and operates a global portfolio of B2B trade shows (including Maison&Objet, Paris Retail Week, and more). It is a parent/operational partner rather than a peer, but comparable as a B2B trade-show operator of similar scale and business model.

Regional players

• Viva Technology (VivaTech): Major Paris-based technology and startup event. While broader than retail, it draws the same French/European retail-tech ecosystem (vendors, sponsors, startups) and overlaps on the Startup Hub concept and retail-tech exhibitor base.

Broad incumbents

• Money 20/20 Europe: Large-scale fintech and payments industry event in Amsterdam. Overlaps with NRF Europe's audience on retail-payments and commerce sponsors (e.g., Paytweak, Glory) but is broader (financial services), making it a partial competitor for retail-fintech exhibitors.

Direct peers

• Euroshop: The world's largest retail trade fair, held triennially in Düsseldorf, Germany. Euroshop is the dominant European retail event in scale (100,000+ visitors) and competes head-on with NRF Europe for retail-technology exhibitors, sponsors, and retailer attendees across Europe.
• Paris Retail Week: Former Paris-based retail trade show organized by Comexposium that effectively was absorbed into NRF Retail's Big Show Europe. Strong overlap in audience, venue heritage, and Comexposium's ownership lineage; useful as a direct comparability benchmark.
• Shoptalk Europe: A major European retail and ecommerce conference focused on retail innovation and technology. It targets the same retail-tech exhibitor and senior retail buyer audience as NRF Europe and is held annually in Europe, creating direct scheduling and budget competition.
• NRF Retail's Big Show (New York): The flagship annual retail trade show organized by NRF in New York. It is the parent event of NRF Europe, sharing the same NRF brand, audience of senior retail leaders, exhibitor base, and sponsorship ecosystem, but at a much larger scale. Direct overlap in exhibitor budgets is the main competitive dynamic.
• RetailEXPO: UK retail trade exhibition covering store design, marketing, technology, and supply chain. Comparable in audience (retail decision-makers and retail-tech suppliers) but primarily serves the UK market; competes for European exhibitor spend.
• InternetRetailing Expo (IRX): UK-based retail and ecommerce trade expo focused on digital retail innovation. Targets a similar European retail buyer and retail-tech vendor audience but with a stronger UK concentration; competes for the same exhibitor marketing budgets.
• NRF APAC (Singapore): The Asia-Pacific sister event of NRF Europe's parent brand, organized under the NRF global events portfolio. Same audience profile (retail leaders, retail-tech vendors), same NRF brand, and direct overlap in global sponsors seeking multi-region exposure.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nrfeurope

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

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 NRF 2025: Retail's Big Show Europe