PLMA’s annual trade show is all about what’s new, different and better in store brand products. This year, that focus extends beyond the exhibit floor, with several new program enhancements awaiting the thousands of attendees when they arrive in Chicago.
PLMA’s Executive Education Insight Series debuts at Show
There is more to experience at PLMA’s 2026 Trade Show than the exhibit floor. On Sunday morning, PLMA’s new Executive Education Insight Series offers four courses featuring timely business insights, practical strategies and actionable takeaways: Tariffs and Store Brands: The Latest FMCG Outlook with Neil Saunders, GlobalData; Ultra-Processed Foods: What Manufacturers Need to Know, Kantha Shelke, Corvus Blue; The Core Principles of Sales Message Architecture, Michael Hubble, Oratium, and Building Winning Strategies Within a Retailer’s Private Brand Portfolio, David Mayer, Lippincott. Designed for manufacturers, retailers, brokers,suppliers and service providers, the new Series provides an additional professional development opportunity before the Show begins and complements Sunday afternoon’s Opening Seminars. The Series will be conducted at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare. Admission is complimentary to registered Show attendees with a valid badge. Advance program registration is required.
Speaker Spotlight:
The Dynamic Lineup at This Year’s Private Label Trade Show PLMA has unveiled an industry-leading speaker lineup for its 2026 Store Brands Marketplace Private Label Trade Show in November. The headliners are John Conlin, Senior Vice President of Food & Beverage Merchandising at Target Corp. and Abby Cook, Senior Vice President of Own Brands for Ahold Delhaize USA. Carol Angrisani reveals details about their much-anticipated keynote addresses and shares a look at other notable presenters and topics of discussion.
New World of Ideas Presents Peak Store Brands in a Reimagined Venue
After years as a popular Show attraction, the Idea Supermarket is getting a makeover. PLMA’s new World of Ideas will present peak store brands in a reimagined venue just off the Show floor. With a new look and more expansive content, PLMA is rebranding its suite of curated product exhibits. The venue will encompass New Product Expo, Salute to Excellence Award Winners, Retail Trends and International Wine Award Winners, exhibits that display perspectives of state of the art, global store brand enterprise, quality and innovation. The convenient location provides an informal networking place where retail decision makers connect with manufacturers capable of scaling innovations. The World of Ideas continues PLMA’s tradition of selecting award-winning products, trending formulations, and cutting-edge packaging for special attention at the Show. Over two days, the exhibits will entertain and inform showgoers with a grand visual tour of private label achievement, inspiration and creativity. To support sales and share in a fast-evolving retail landscape, store brand executives must anticipate shifts in consumer demand. By analyzing multi-country trends, retailers and wholesalers can benchmark their current private label portfolios against new category paradigms.
PLMA’s New Mix, Mingle & Unwind Reception on Monday Night Will Enhance Connections
To enhance retailer-supplier connections and improve attendees’ overall experience, the traditional Sunday evening reception will be moved to Monday night as the newly named Mix, Mingle & Unwind Reception. Following a full first day on the Show floor, Monday evening provides a more natural opportunity than Sunday for exhibitors, retailers and industry partners to continue conversations they started during the day, as well as to strengthen existing and new business relationships and network in a more relaxed setting. Attendees won’t have far to go. The new Mix, Mingle & Unwind Reception will be held from 6pm to 7:30pm at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, site of the Show. Retailers, wholesalers and visitors have a lot of exciting and informative new things to look forward to in Chicago, in addition to the tens of thousands of world class food and nonfood store brand products and their experienced, dependable suppliers.
