Retail Connect Events

What Retail Connect Events does

Retail Connect Events LLC is a privately held event management company based in Boston that organizes the annual Collaborate conference, a hosted buyer B2B networking event serving the retail design industry. Founded in 2012, the company is now in its 14th year and operates a single annual edition at Seaport Hotel Boston, with Collaborate 2026 scheduled for September 13-15, 2026. The event brings together senior retail design professionals, architects, and retailers as qualified buyers, and manufacturers and distributors of architectural elements, lighting, millwork, fixtures, floor coverings, furnishings, signage, surfacing materials, decor, and customer-facing technology as solution providers.

The core product is the event itself, delivered through the Converve networking platform, a third-party SaaS tool that provides participant registration, a matchmaking algorithm, one-on-one meeting scheduling, messaging, and personal agenda management. Retail Connect Events does not own or develop this platform; it configures the tool for each annual edition and applies a curation strategy that limits supplier participation to two to three providers per product category to ensure a low-competition environment.

The company operates a hosted buyer model in which qualified buyer attendees participate at no cost while suppliers fund the event through registration fees. Pricing is $12,000 for a primary supplier representative (inclusive of up to 20 pre-scheduled 20-minute meetings, two nights of resort accommodations, all planned meals, receptions, and educational seminars), $5,000 for an additional representative, and $3,000 for exclusive sponsorship of a meal or reception, with contracts structured as multi-year agreements. Retail Connect Events is owned and operated by Tia Potter, who serves as the sole organizer and primary recruiter of both buyers and suppliers, and the company employs 1-10 people.

Name

Retail Connect Events

Legal name

Retail Connect Events LLC

Website

https://retaildesignevent.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Retail Connect Events LLC organizes the annual Collaborate conference, a hosted buyer B2B networking event that pairs senior retail design professionals with curated solution providers through pre-scheduled one-on-one meetings at a single annual Boston edition.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Show and Event Services

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

akta.pro primary industry

Industry-Specific B2B Trade Show Organizers (THAHABAB)

Keywords

• B2B event management
• Hosted buyer events
• Retail design networking
• Trade show organization
• B2B matchmaking events

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Supplier Registration Fees: Suppliers pay to attend the event and meet qualified buyers. The hosted buyer model means buyers attend at no cost while suppliers fund the event through registration fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Retail Connect Events organizes intimate, invitation-based B2B networking and matchmaking events for retail design professionals and the suppliers/vendors who serve them. Its flagship annual event, Collaborate, runs over two days in Boston and brings together approximately 65 vetted retail design buyers with solution providers in a hosted-buyer format. The company leverages the Converve networking platform to pre-schedule one-on-one meetings and manage event logistics.

Product overview

Retail Connect Events operates Collaborate 2026, an annual B2B networking event for the retail design community. The offering consists of a web-based networking platform (provided by Converve) that supports participant registration, matchmaking between retail design professionals and solution providers, one-on-one meeting scheduling, and event agenda management. The platform is delivered as a unified event networking service, not as separate modular products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Collaborate 2026 Annual Event
• Hosted-Buyer Matchmaking Service

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 20 pre-scheduled one-on-one meetings per supplier over two days
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Emerging players

• Swapcard: Swapcard provides AI-powered matchmaking and networking software for trade shows and conferences. It is an emerging alternative in the same hosted-buyer matchmaking category and could be used by organizers of events comparable to Collaborate.
• Bizzabo: Bizzabo is an event experience platform offering registration, networking, and matchmaking tools for B2B events. It competes with the Converve platform that powers Collaborate and represents an alternative technology stack for hosted buyer and matchmaking events.
• Foundry (formerly IDG Communications events): Foundry operates B2B media and events for technology and design-adjacent audiences. Its event-led go-to-market motion and curated hosted-buyer formats are operationally comparable to Retail Connect Events, though it focuses on different verticals.

Broad incumbents

• Reed Exhibitions (RX): RX is one of the world's largest exhibition organizers, running thousands of trade shows annually. While not a direct retail design specialist, it is a broad incumbent whose portfolio approach could overlap or compete for supplier marketing dollars.
• Informa Markets: Informa Markets operates many of the world's largest B2B trade shows, including GlobalShop. As the parent of the most direct competitor, it is a broad incumbent in the same space with far greater scale, marketing reach, and venue resources.
• Emerald X: Emerald X operates a portfolio of B2B trade shows and conferences across multiple industries. It serves as a broad incumbent competitor that could enter or expand within retail design events using its event infrastructure.

Direct peers

• VMSD (Visual Merchandising and Store Design): VMSD is a long-running trade publication and event organizer covering visual merchandising and store design. It targets the same retail design professionals as Collaborate and produces complementary industry content, awards, and educational programming.
• Shop! Association (formerly POPAI): Shop! is the industry association for retail at the point of purchase, producing retail design awards, workshops, and networking events for retailers, brands, and solution providers. It overlaps directly with Collaborate's retail design community and offers adjacent educational programming.
• GlobalShop: GlobalShop is the largest annual trade show and conference for retail design and store experience in the U.S. It serves the same retail design and retail decision-maker audience and offers a comparable mix of exhibitor booths, educational sessions, and networking, making it the most direct competitor to Collaborate.

Others

• Converve: Converve is the B2B matchmaking and event networking platform that powers Collaborate 2026. It is an enabling technology partner rather than a competitor, supplying the matchmaking, scheduling, and messaging capabilities described across Retail Connect Events' product offering.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/retail-connect-events-llc

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 Retail Connect Events