As the grocery landscape evolves at breakneck speed, staying ahead of trends, forging strong supplier relationships, and investing in your people is more important than ever. Enter The NGA Show 2026: the premier gathering for independent grocers, wholesalers, and their partners.
Mark your calendar for February 1-3, 2026 in Las Vegas (exhibits run February 2-3) at the MGM Grand Conference Center.
Strategically, the show is a must-attend for IGA members and wholesalers. For the fifth consecutive year, IGA has partnered NGA to ensure our members, wholesalers, and partners receive the education and networking opportunities crucial for them, all in addition to the great content NGA puts together for the larger group.
"Our retailers and store teams are busier than ever, so giving them one big event that incorporates the best of IGA and NGA is the best way to give them access to the educational sessions and networking opportunities they need in one place," IGA CEO John Ross said.
What makes The NGA Show a must-attend?
In the 1920s, national grocery chains began to thrive, with the company that would later be known as A&P aggressively expanding their stores nationwide. Local hometown grocery stores feared they would be pushed out by these chains. J. Frank Grimes, a Chicago accountant who specialized in wholesale grocery accounts, set out to form a union of independent grocers who would take advantage of volume buying and mass marketing, giving them the resources they needed to compete with a growing chain store presence. By 1926, the Independent Grocers Alliance was born.
100 years later, IGA will kick off our centennial year at The NGA Show. IGA and NGA will cohost the opening reception, celebrating IGA's milestone anniversary and introducing our Centennial IGA USA Retailers of the Year. This remarkable group of retailers, nominated by each of our U.S. Licensed Distribution Centers (LDCs), represent the best independent retailers of the last 100 years, and this reception is the first of several events designed to honor their contribution to the industry.
Throughout the show, we'll be hosting IGA-specific workshops, keynote presentations from IGA leadership, and opportunities to connect with and learn from fellow retailers and industry suppliers.
Fresh Pitches is a bold new one-to-one networking opportunity debuting at the 2026 NGA Show. Designed to foster high-impact connections between sponsors and independent grocery retailers, Fresh Pitches reimagines the traditional one-to-one meeting model with a fast-paced, curated speed networking experience.
Fresh Pitches centers around short, high-impact conversations that are designed to open the door to future business opportunities. Retailers and suppliers will rotate through a series of timed sessions, creating an efficient way to discuss new products, services, and partnerships. The goal: to spark meaningful conversations, eliminate the pressure of rigid pre-scheduled meetings, and create a more natural, engaging environment for business development.
“Networking has always been a cornerstone of The NGA Show, and Fresh Pitches introduces a dynamic new way to strengthen collaboration between independent grocers and their supplier partners,” said NGA President and CEO Greg Ferrara. “Attendees are looking for more flexibility, more energy, and more opportunities to make meaningful connections - and this program delivers just that.”
There will be two Fresh Pitches sessions during The NGA Show 2026 exhibit hall hours on Monday, February 2 and Tuesday, February 3, in the newly designed Connections Hub on the show floor. Pre-vetted retailers will be stationed at assigned tables while sponsors rotate through a series of (5) five-minute meetings. This speed networking round will be followed by a social networking hour to allow space for continued conversations. Learn more about Fresh Pitches here.
With so much to learn and experience, The NGA Show is a must-attend event at one great price. IGA retailers and wholesalers can secure $150 off with the code IGA150. Early bird pricing ends December 17, 2025.
Independent grocers and regional wholesalers operate in constant disruption, including changing consumer preferences, supply chain pressures, labor challenges, and technology shifts. The NGA Show 2026 is engineered to equip you for those forces, not just to survive them but to lead your market.
Vegas is the setting. February 1-3 is your window. The audience is your peers and partners. The invitation is open — don’t discount your future.