VisionR at NRF 2026

VisionR attended the National Retail Federation Big Show at the Javits Center for the fourth year running. The annual show, which takes place each January is the largest gathering of retailers in the world. Representatives from every continent convene to attend talks, network, and assess the latest technologies and solutions on the expo floor. 

This year, VisionR were at booth 1753. It was very well placed at the edge of one of Floor 1’s main thoroughfares. The booth was open-plan and spacious and we were armed with a lot of new material and use cases. Fresh from the previous year, VisionR’s most recent use cases for physical stores revolve around pain-points like replenishment, staff tasking, identifying higher opportunity spend, and eliminating long queues. 

Day one of NRF started off with the Mardi Gras themed opening party at the Marriott Hotel, home of the most impressive elevator in New York, in my opinion. The opening parties always encapsulate the energy of the Big Show. When mingling, the great food and complimentary bar service were much appreciated, as many people would have just flown into New York from halfway across the world. 

There were great views of the city, music and entertainment, incredible service, and a well-co-ordinated launch of all things NRF. People were reminded of what’s in store and who the keynote speakers would be starting from the Sunday morning and continuing all the way through to late afternoon on Tuesday. We were especially excited for Ryan Reynolds who was speaking on behalf of his company Maximum Effort, and a private music event featuring Joe Jonas of Jonas Brothers’ fame. 

NRF’s first day kicked off with one of the busiest days on the expo floor that VisionR have ever had. What started as a slow trickle of attendees entering the event, erupted into a mighty flood from about 11am onwards. When retailers made it to the VisionR booth, they were treated to a range of very sweet Irish Butler’s chocolates, assembled into a blocky, quadratic pyramid.

The energy was apparent from the get-go, with thousands of interested and engaged retailers walking the floor. With so much noise, it was important to attract those interested in in-store insights and computer vision. The space we operate in is still in its infancy but it’s clear from speaking with retailers that legacy solutions, while still effective and operational, are unable to gather truly actionable data points on shoppers. 

This year we were focused on demonstrating our most successful use cases from 2025, where we onboarded some of the largest grocery, convenience, furniture, and department stores in the United States and Europe. We met familiar faces from previous retail technology events in Las Vegas, London, Paris, and San Francisco. However, the chance to meet leaders from retailers we have so much admiration for, face-to-face is the real beauty of NRF’s Big Show. 

VisionR’s plug-and-play smart camera solution has evolved rapidly in the last 12 months, now providing simplified consultancy-led data, where stores will be guided toward more revenue opportunities. Smarter staffing based on predicted footfall to conversion for whole stores or departments within stores, and a live alert system meaning stores can react in real time. 

After Day one, we immediately moved along to O’Toole’s Bar & Grill, just a ten-minute walk away from the Javits Center, where we were co-hosting a Retail Trivia night with Enterprise Ireland and other Irish technology companies. The hosting duties fell to Sharon Lawlor Yourell and Renee Hartmann, two of Rethink Retail’s recognised experts. 

We were delighted with the turnout, with leaders from major North American and European retailers in attendance. The Trivia aspect of the night was brilliant fun, and inspired great debate and discussion, with some particularly tricky multiple-choice questions. Fun Irish prizes were dished out to the top quizzers, which included luxury bottles of whiskey and gin, and vouchers to some of Ireland’s most popular and unique retailers. 

Day two of NRF kicked off in similar fashion, and the VisionR booth was still very well-stocked with insights and chocolate. Friends of ours from the likes of Simbe, Future Proof Insights, and Everseen, were close by and it was great having the likes of Melissa Moore from the Retail Tea Break Podcast (nominated for a Vendors in Partnership award) and Dominik Miserandino of Retail Tech Media Nexus stop by the booth for a chin wag. 

With all the action, it was hard to find time to get away from the booth and see the expo floor for ourselves, but as I explored, I was blown away by the likes of Hypervision with their ultra-realistic hologram marketing products and Return Queen, specialising in a DoorDash style service for returning online purchases. Vusion, one of the most popular large stalls at NRF distributed free champagne and hot dogs each day, word of which spread quickly. 

The VisionR team ended up at a Vusion event in Lower Manhattan on the evening of the second day, where the 30th floor of the Skyline bar provided spectacular views of the city, well lit up, with the Empire State Building in close proximity. Delicious tiny New York hors d’oeuvres were being served, with choices of tartare, mac and cheese, Thai chicken, fried aubergine, and more. 

Our final day at NRF was one of crossing off our appointed meetings, ensuring we had met everyone we’d intended to, and reflecting on a great event with our neighbouring vendors. We re-booked our stall for 2027, which will be an even larger space towards the entrance of Floor 1, meaning we’ll be even more visible to attendees. 

It’s certain that our conferencemaxxing skills have been sharpened following this year’s trip to the Javits Center, and it was great introducing VisionR’s latest hire, Cameron Furmidge, to VisionR’s favourite beer and hotdog establishment, none other than Rudy’s Bar and Grill. Pitchers of Rudy’s Blonde flowed, and our jukebox selections included an eclectic mix of Weezer, The Smiths, and our favourite wistful singer-songwriter, Elliott Smith.