Retail Technology Show 2025

We are pleased to present an interview with Matt Bradley, Event Director of RetailEXPO. This fair will take place in London from May 1 to 2, 2019.

What novelties have you prepared for this 2019 edition?

For the first time, Retail Business Technology Expo (RBTE) is combining with Retail Digital Signage Expo (RDSE) and Retail Design Expo (RDE) as one unified show to mirror the transformation being seen in the retail industry and better meet the needs of its show audiences.

The new conference programme will feature the TrIED It Talks stage. This will showcase how retailers and brands have worked with tech vendors and design businesses to create engaging shopping encounters that deliver enhanced customer experience. The new Discovery Zone will feature exhibitors not seen at the show before, with solutions to inspire.

New in 2019 the Stylus VIP Masterclass, providing in-depth insight into the Five Key Shifts Impacting Retail, will be hosted by Katie Baron, Global Head of Retail for Stylus, the leading trends forecasting, research and advisory agency. Another new feature will be guided visitor tours, led by Alan Taylor, previously the Head of Design for B&Q, showcasing his ‘top picks’ of must-see design exhibitors in the Design and Digital Signage Zone.

Other popular show features making an appearance at this year’s show, include the Champagne Bar and the Innovation Awards, which celebrate businesses for their creative and cutting-edge approach to retail, with the winners highlighted on the show floor with the Innovation Trail.

The event presents a multifaceted programme with workshops at RetailEXPO, and special events. Which of the activities do you think are a must for the visitor or which of them do you highlight?

The Start-Up Safari, curated by Baringa, will be showcasing the very latest disruptive technologies that are pushing the boundaries of retail innovation, and returns for a second year due to popular demand.

There is also a strong international theme to the 2019 RetailEXPO, taking inspiration from retail best practice from around the globe, including a collaboration with Business France, which has handpicked eight of the best French retail tech start-ups to showcase their latest solutions in the Le French Tech Lounge.

What are the advantages of exhibiting at RetailEXPO?

The show is the must-attend event for retail and hospitality organisations looking for the right tools, solutions, innovations and advice on how to best run their business.

RetailEXPO brings together more than 15,000 retailers, brands, tech exhibitors and retail design businesses. In addition to the wealth of suppliers on show, we offer an outstanding free conference programme featuring leading independent expert speakers in more than 50 sessions with great interactive features. Moreover, guests can benefit from the networking opportunities on site, allowing them to connect with prospects and peers.

Can you give some tips for those exhibiting for the first time in London and specifically at RetailEXPO?

This is a great opportunity for exhibitors to connect with potential clients, business partners, analysts and the media. Planning ahead will help, whether it’s making plans to meet new people, reconnecting with long-distance contacts at the Champagne Bar, or networking over a coffee at the Retailers Lounge.

Entering the Innovation and Trail Awards is a fantastic opportunity to raise exhibitors’ profiles and showcase their innovations, draw media attention, create business opportunities and driving traffic to their stands. At the same time, exhibitors are gaining a hallmark for the very best innovations within the retail industry, positioning their most innovative products at the forefront of their target audiences' minds.

Not to forget making use of marketing and PR materials to get target prospects and the media interested. In addition, exhibitors who have their technology integrated in the stand design or on display can provide that much needed brand awareness and be at the forefront of visitors’ minds.

Can anybody attend RetailEXPO 2019? How to register?

The event is for retail and hospitality industry professionals to gain insight into new products in 2019. Visitors can sign up online for their free pass on the RetailEXPO website.

What is the content profile?

RetailEXPO has announced an impressive line-up of speakers for the two-day event on the 1st and 2nd May 2019 at London Olympia. In addition, we have more than 500 retail industry suppliers across the distinct tech, design and digital signage areas of the show – from enterprise-level software providers to forward-thinking start-ups and scale-ups.

A reinvigorated conference programme brings together six streams of insightful content, presented by leading retailers and brands including Lego, Virgin Holidays, Naked Wines, Mamas and Papas and Asda, taking place on the Headline Stage and across the dedicated stages for payments, marketing & brand, operations and store design & experience.

What is the visitor profile? 

RetailEXPO attracts senior retail professionals from across the globe, all hungry for ideas, information, products and solutions to help them run their retail organisations more effectively - whether it is a small independent retailer or a large group. Common job titles of the retailers who attend are Head of Creative, Head of Store Format, Head of Supply Chain, Ecommerce Director, COO, CIO, CTO, CCXO, CMO, CCO, COO and CFO.

Can you give us some participation results from the last edition? How many visitors and exhibitors attended? In total how many different nationalities were present?

Last year’s show saw thousands of senior retail professionals attending the two-day expo. There were over 380 cutting edge tech vendors and more than 80 speakers – from retailers and brands to analysts and futurologists – in our conference programme, all packed into the two-day event, with plenty of innovation, inspiration and insight to take in. Over 76 countries were represented, including delegations from North America, Asia, Africa, Middle East and Europe.

From 2 to 3 May 2018, Retail Business Technology Expo takes a place in London, and we interviewed Matt Bradley, Show Director for RBTE.

What news have you prepared for the 2018 edition? What are the highlights?

This year, we’ve made an even greater commitment to showcasing new, disruptive technologies and to championing the start-up community, whether it’s through the exhibitors featured in the Discovery Zone, or via our ‘Start-Up Safaris’.  New to RBTE 2018, our ‘Start-Up Safaris’ are tours hosted by our partners, Baringa, which feature leading-edge tech start-ups whose solutions are set to revolutionise the sector. There’s also a strong international flavour; also, an RBTE first, we have teamed up with Business France to curate the hottest tech start-ups from across The Channel, which will be showcased in the French Pavilion.

Our Conference Programme is packed full of insights from over 80 forward-thinking retailers, who are using technology to drive forward their operations at each stage of the retail value chain – whether it's reimagining the supply chain, rethinking store formats and in-store innovation, or revolutionising customer engagement.  From lifestyle brands, including ASOS and Birchbox, to grocery businesses, such as Iceland, Ocado and Coop, and department stores, including John Lewis, there’s a wealth of inspiration on offer from all walks of retail.

Add to this session from tech visionaries, Google – who, for the first time, is speaking at both our Retail Business and Retail Technology Conference streams – alongside AliPay and Samsung, and our Payment Conference stream, which will be showcasing next generation payments trends.  It’s safe to say there’s a full line up on offer.

What are the advantages of exhibiting at Retail Business Technology Expo 2018?

Europe's leading event for the retail industry, RBTE is the must-attend event for retail and hospitality organisations looking for the right tools, solutions, innovations and advice on how to best run their business.

RBTE attracts movers and shakers from across the globe, all hungry for ideas, information, and products and solutions to help them run their retail organisations even more effectively. They come to do business with the wide range of exhibitors who enjoy a successful show.

With 2018 set to be our biggest year to date, all solutions will be covered at RBTE. In addition to the 400+ suppliers on the show, we offer an outstanding free conference programme featuring leading independent expert speakers in over 50 sessions and great interactive features, including the co-located Retail Design Expo and Retail Digital Signage Expo.

The RBTE’s Innovation and Trail Awards will also help raise the profiles of exhibitors and their innovations, drawing media attention, creating opportunity and driving traffic to their stands, by gaining a hallmark for the very best innovations within the retail industry, positioning their most innovative products at the forefront of their target audiences' minds.

What are the latest trends in RBTE? Will these trends be present at the event?

In the last 12 months, it’s become clear that retail has never been as fast-moving and that innovation, which can underpin retail businesses, never stands still. In today’s highly competitive retail landscape, innovation has never been as critical to the success of modern multichannel retailing and technology has a crucial role to play in redefining retail’s revolution – and this is just what we will be showcasing at this year’s RBTE.

With over 380 cutting-edge tech vendors and more than 80 speakers - from retailers and brands to analysts and futurologists - all packed into the two-day event, there’s plenty of innovation and insight.

Can you give us some tips to make the most of visiting this event?

• Register in advance for the show
• Find the sessions most applicable to your business
• Book advance appointments with key exhibitors and media
• Look out for goodies – there is no reason why you cannot have a little fun at the show
• If you are creating a landing page for RBTE on your own website, use social media to drive web traffic back to this site, especially if you have gated pieces of hero content hosted on the landing page

Lastly, can you give us some participation results from the last edition?

Following last year’s record-breaking show, which had over 18,000 retail professionals attend the two-day event, the team at RBTE has been working away to top this and bring you an even bigger and better expo in 2018.