NRA Show 2016: Record Breaking Success

The 97th annual National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show and the co-located BAR (Beverage Alcohol for Restaurants) at NRA Show, recently held at Chicago’s McCormick Place on May 21-24, posted record exhibit space and an uptick in total registration of more than 6 percent.

As the most comprehensive event for the food service industry, NRA Show/BAR 2016 brought a diverse range of industry segments together under one roof. In addition to thousands of independent and chain restaurateurs, NRA Show attendance included:

  • 100% of the top 50 restaurant brands in the world;
  • 98 of the top 100 restaurant brands;
  • Contract management representation from Aramark, Centerplate, Compass, Delaware North, Elior and Sodexo;
  • Dealer and distributor representation from Sysco, US Foods, Gordon’s Foodservice, TriMark,  Wasserstrom and Edward Don; and
  • Retail representation from Mariano’s, Lowe’s Foods, Oasis Stop & Go, ShopRite, Whole Foods, Wawa and Sheetz.

“NRA Show 2016 really knocked it out of the park,” said Megan Tallman, VP, Customer and Trade Communications at The Coca-Cola Company. “From the caliber of attendees we met with to the number of leads generated to the overall buzz and energy, this was a blockbuster four days for our business.”

NRA Show/BAR 2016 growth

  • At more than 680,000 square feet, the show was completely sold out and exceeded the previous NRA Show record of 638,424 by 7 percent.
  • More than 67,000 total registrants hailed from all 50 states and 100+ countries. The Retail registration category saw the highest YOY growth with 21 percent, while the Dealer/Distributor and Restaurant/Foodservice Operator registration categories grew by 9 percent and 4 percent, respectively.
  • Registration for BAR increased by more than 5 percent over 2015, bringing total registration to more than 5,500 for the first time since the co-located event’s inception.

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