Retail Technology Show grows number of senior level retailers and retail decision-maker visitors in 2024
As well as increasing overall visitor head count by +28% year-on-year, Retail Technology Show (RTS) reports that the number of senior, decision-making retail attendees also grew in 2024, with over eight in ten visitors in senior level roles.
Last month, RTS delivered its biggest ever showcase, with almost 400 tech exhibitors on the show floor and 120+ industry luminaries and leaders speaking on its stages discussing the industry’s hottest topics.
As well as drawing an audience of 12,752 retail professionals to the two-day event at London Olympia, it continued to pull in a senior level audience in 2024, according to its latest Post Show Report.
82% of RTS attendees operate within C-suite, senior management or ‘head of’ roles within their respective retail organisations, with the number of C-level visitors growing by +2 percentage points compared to 2023.
This senior level of retail attendees also meant 83% of those retailers attending the RTS either influenced or authorised decisions on retail technology spend within their organisations, +1% higher than 2023.
As with 2023, once again visitors to RTS indexed highly among fashion and grocery retailers, with the highest number of attendees coming from the fashion and apparel sector (27%), up +6 percentage points year-on-year, followed by grocery (22%), which also grew +8 percentage points compared to last year.
Other categories of retailer visitors included DIY, home and garden (9%), general merchandise and health and beauty (both 5%).
One of the biggest draws for retailers was to stay ahead of industry trends and consumer insights (28%).
With six conference tracks covering key focus areas of retailers’ operations – from e-commerce to AI and data, sustainability, operations and payments – a broad church of best practice and insights were discussed by leading brands including B&Q, adidas, Co-op, River Island and Max Mara.
Further motivations for attending RTS included networking with peers and partners (27%) and seeking technology inspiration on the exhibition floor (26%).
Event Director, Matt Bradley, comments: “RTS 2024 was all about bringing the magic of retail to life and, for us, that meant creating meaningful opportunities to connect industry leaders, senior decision-makers and innovators.”
“Whether it was walking the buzzing exhibition halls, hearing from retail disrupters on the session stages, or networking over drinks or at one of our satellite events or store tours – the industry needs those magic moments that connect the retail community, and we’re thrilled so many chose RTS as the event platform to do just that.”
“With exciting plans already in the pipeline for 2025, we can’t wait to bring what promises to be an even bigger and better RTS for next year.”
RTS 2025 will take place on 2nd and 3rd April. To register your interest, sign up here.
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