LAS VEGAS – The National Grocers Association and Clarion Events announced the successful conclusion of The NGA Show, which delivered a nearly 20% increase in attendance from grocery retail industry professionals to the Caesars Forum Convention Center in Las Vegas for networking, product sourcing and education.

The in-person show 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, Feb. 27-March 1. The 39th edition of the annual trade show and conference is produced by the National Grocers Association and Clarion Events.

“What an exciting three days! We thank our exhibitors, sponsors, speakers, attendees, media partners, supporting organizations and partners who helped to make the 2022 NGA Show a huge success. We’ve already received such positive feedback on the content in the education sessions, the top-level thought leaders from across the industry who shared insightful ideas, and the opportunity to source new products all delivered solutions and ideas on how grocers can grow their business and better serve their communities,” said Cruz Alvarado, event director of The NGA Show for Clarion Events.

“The NGA Show, co-located with the IGA Rally and Indoor Ag-Con, delivered a trifecta of education, best practices and actionable insights designed to help independent grocery operators propel their businesses into a future of growth and continued opportunity,” said Greg Ferrara, NGA president and CEO. “With strong retailer and wholesaler attendance, we intend to build upon the momentum of a successful show and the occasion of NGA’s 40th anniversary this year as we work toward an even more exciting conference back here in Las Vegas in 2023.”

Highlights of the show included:

• The exhibit hall, featuring more than 200 exhibitors, where retailers and wholesalers discovered products and services covering the entire spectrum from store design to innovative food products, and everything in between. This year’s expo floor also featured the World of Latino Cuisine pavilion, which ran a full schedule of culinary demonstrations presented by world-renowned chefs. Retailers were given a front-row seat to the latest products and information on how to successfully sell to Hispanic customers, 60 million consumers and growing.
• The opening keynote address was presented by former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who discussed the country’s economic and political landscape, and its potential impact on independent community grocery operators.
• Attendees mixed and mingled at several networking events including the kickoff Opening Reception, the Best Bagger Championship and After Party, Creative Choice Awards breakfast and the Closing Celebration.

With this year’s theme, “Where Grocers Look to the Future,” retailers and wholesalers kicked off their NGA Show experience with exclusive new programming: “”Innovation Through the Eyes of the Independent Grocer.”

The education program expanded to offer 50-plus sessions with more than 100 subject matter experts who spoke on a variety of relevant topics including store design, international commerce, omnichannel, artificial intelligence, inflation, data analytics, workforce development, e-commerce, demand forecasting, category trends, Hispanic marketing, food safety, succession planning, front-end technology, labor costs, digital communications, green energy and ransomware.

Several awards were presented, including:

• The Peter J. Larkin Community Service Award, to Cub Foods, for the efforts of its pharmacy operations to deliver COVID vaccines throughout their home state of Minnesota.
• The Thomas K. Zaucha Entrepreneurial Excellence Award, to Michael Needler Jr., president and CEO of Fresh Encounter Inc.
• WGA Woman of the Year Award, to Suzanne Schmitz, a Save A Lot owner in Western New York.
• Best Bagger Champion, with a grand prize of $10,000, was awarded to Alexa Sobsey from Nugget Markets in California.
• Creative Choice Awards, winners listed here: https://info.urban-expo.com/e/338151/creative-choice-winners-/4dlgxf/984038036?h=Gl0acWm6J6jOeqXMMAxJTyQ5KKfb0ISRkSeS1B21heQ and in these videos: Marketing winners / Merchandising winners

More information about each day of The NGA Show can be found at https://info.urban-expo.com/e/338151/show-press-releases/4dlgxm/984038036?h=Gl0acWm6J6jOeqXMMAxJTyQ5KKfb0ISRkSeS1B21heQ.

The 2023 NGA Show will take place Feb. 26–28, 2023, at the Caesars Forum Convention Center in Las Vegas.