They call NRF “Retail’s Big Show” for a reason. For one, the sheer amount of market innovation and engineering presented at the New York City-based trade show is vast. And, from an experiential marketing point of view, the expo floor is a feast for the senses. During our spin around the Javits Center this year, we spotted several trends, but we also took note of some clever ideas that gave exhibitors an edge. Here’s a snapshot.
THEMED DIORAMAS
Like many exhibitors, AWS leveraged a portion of its booth space to showcase its GenAI products and services. Unlike its competitors, the brand presented a series of compelling retail-themed dioramas. To interact with the installation, attendees accessed a large screen that prompted them to build their own GenAI retail marketing campaign.
From there, the dioramas helped demonstrate how Amazon’s Bedrock and Personalize AI platforms can be used to deliver hyper-personalized customer experiences across a variety of touchpoints along their journey, from discover to find to purchase to post-purchase. Dare we say the scene was whimsical? (Agency: Event Marketing Partners)
CROSS-POLLINATION
Teamwork makes the dream work, or at least it did for SUSE and its NRF 2025 comrades. The brand, which sells open-source operating systems, linked up with AWS, Kyndryl and Lenovo to encourage attendees to engage with all four brands via a dedicated Passport Program.
Participants simply picked up the passport, visited participating partner exhibits and collected stamps at each stop for a chance to win prizes, then submitted their completed passport at SUSE’s booth (hello, data capture). Three lucky winners were randomly drawn and contacted directly after the show to claim their reward, which included a YETI Crossroads backpack, a Lenovo tablet and an Anker Nebula mini projector.
SWEET RELIEF
Salesforce is renowned for its large-scale, nature-themed exhibits, and at NRF 2025, the company maintained its best-in-class reputation. What caught our eye was the simplicity of “Agent Astro’s” cookie cart, which sat at the edge of the footprint, away from the buzz of the brand’s screens, demos, product displays and mini theater sessions.
Beside the cart, a friendly brand ambassador dished out free cookies featuring a cartoon astronaut, helping to cement Salesforce’s exhibit messaging and providing a bit of sweet relief for the many attendees who hustle through the expo floor running on fumes. (Agency: Sparks)
Related:
- NRF 2025: Five Exhibit Design Trends from Retail’s Big Show
- Green Lights: These Eco-friendly Giveaways ‘Self-destruct’
‘LANDFILL-PROOF’ SWAG
“Wow—that’s the most generic scarf I’ve ever seen.” It’s an actual quote we overheard at NRF as an attendee examined the piece of swag he just acquired.
While a scarf is a serious upgrade from the breath mints and koozies that other brands were dishing out (not to mention that it was a frigid week in NYC), we all know what happens to unwanted event giveaways. The item wasn’t useful or unique enough to hold value for this person—and it may be a sentiment that many seasoned trade show attendees share.
What we liked: the very simple, but tried and true, swag strategy employed by Shipt. NRF attendees were invited to customize a tote bag with a variety of graphics, patterns and text on a large screen located at the front of the exhibit. There was no mass distribution of the bags, which likely meant that only those who found a tote useful took the time to personalize one.
Featured photo credit: Jason Dixson Photography
