The National Grocers Association (NGA) and Clarion Events announced the successful conclusion of the 2024 NGA Show. From March 10 to 12, 3,600 grocery retail industry professionals came to the Caesars Forum Convention Center in Las Vegas for networking and education, plus a sold-out expo hall featuring nearly 350 exhibitors of products and services.
The NGA announced record-breaking attendance and a sold-out exhibition hall, making this year’s show their biggest in 42 years.
It brought together independent retailers, wholesalers, food retail industry executives, food/CPG manufacturers, and service providers from all over the United States for the three-day event. The National Grocers Association and Clarion Events produced the 42nd edition of the annual trade show and conference.
“We had the largest NGA show we’ve ever had in the history of the organization. We’ve got fantastic retailers, including many of the regional chains here participating as well. So, it’s just been a great show, a lot of great energy, a lot of nothing but positive feedback”, said Greg Ferrara, NGA President, and CEO to Abasto Media.
The 2024 NGA Show was a three-day event offering over 50 educational sessions and workshops by more than 100 experts. Topics included labor issues, food as medicine, employee retention, deli trends, private label, AI in marketing, omnichannel marketing, digital promotions, data analytics, sustainability, and more.
“The NGA Show is truly the place where grocers gather – and gather they did, in record numbers,” said Jamie Reesby, vice president for generation and grocery at Clarion Events. “Working closely with NGA and its members, we continue to enhance our offerings, from education to networking, to help grocers navigate today’s competitive environment. Initial responses have been glowing and we look forward to continuing to meet and exceed those expectations.”
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The 2024 NGA Show Highlights
- The return of the popular Technology Summit and Financial Symposium on Sunday, plus a “Snack and See” session honoring the recipients of NGA’s Creative Choice Awards for excellence in marketing and merchandising, featuring celebrity chef Curtis Aikens as emcee.
- A sold-out expo hall featuring more than 350 exhibitors and sponsors, where retailers and wholesalers discovered products and services covering the entire spectrum from store design to innovative food products and thought leadership theater sessions with expanded educational opportunities beyond the main stage and breakouts.
- The opening keynote address was presented by celebrity chef Carla Hall, a dynamic entrepreneur, author, and Food Network star whose positive energy, love of food, and experiences pushing outside of her comfort zone delivered an enthusiastic kickoff to the show.
- Multiple networking events, including the opening reception, the Best Bagger Championship sponsored by PepsiCo, and the closing celebration at Brooklyn Bowl, which features a Women Grocers of America cocktail hour.
- Co-located with the Independent Grocers Alliance Rally and Indoor Ag-Con
Awards Presented
Several awards were presented, including:
- The Peter J. Larkin Community Service Award to RoNetco Supermarkets of New Jersey.
- The Thomas K. Zaucha Entrepreneurial Excellence Award to Kim Eskew, chairman and CEO of Arkansas grocery chain Harps Food Stores.
- WGA Woman of the Year Award to Marcy Nathan, creative director at Rouses Markets.
- The Best Bagger Championship was awarded to Madison Ireland of Harmons Neighborhood Grocer in Utah.
- NGA’s Creative Choice Awards: Winners by popular online vote of the Outstanding Marketer and Merchandiser awards were Michigan-based SpartanNash and Hired Man’s Grocery and Grill in Conway Springs, Kan., respectively. A complete list of winners can be found here.
- Students from the Food Industry University Coalition presented the Student Standout Awards, honoring their choices for the most interesting and valuable products displayed on the expo floor. This year’s winners included Amodex in the Center Store category; Soulful Bee for Fresh Health and Wellness/Pharmacy; Retail Data Systems for Operational Services; Digi America Inc. for Sustainability in Store Design; and Shopic for Technology.
- The Student Case Study Competition was won by the team from Cornell University.
The 2025 NGA Show
Next year, the NGA Show will take place Feb. 23-25, 2025, at the Caesars Forum Convention Center in Las Vegas.
“It will be one more year here in this facility. The good news is that next year, many of our rooms that you saw many of the education rooms were so popular that we had people stand up by the walls. Next year, we’re going to turn some of those workshops into even larger sessions so that more people will be more comfortable and can attend”, said Greg Ferrara to Abasto during an interview on the last day of the 2024 NGA Show. “We want to continue to grow that, and our goal is to grow this show so that the entire grocery industry is able to come together to find new products to make new connections to learn great education, and to take all that back to the companies to be able to grow.”