The (Big) Show must go on? The National Retail Federation confirmed Thursday that its annual industry conference, the Big Show, now in its 112th year, will still continue in person as planned, despite rising COVID cases across the country. The three day event will run from Jan. 16 through Jan. 18, with a party planned on Jan. 15, at Manhattan’s Javits Center. Several events are planned for Jan. 17, Martin Luther King Jr. Day and a federal holiday.

An NRF spokeswoman drew a comparison between retailers’ operations during COVID-19 and the conference, which is expected to attract 20,000 attendees.

“Retailers have been safely navigating the pandemic for 21 months, and NRF is proceeding with hosting NRF 2022: Retail’s Big Show in-person at the Javits Center in New York City January 16-18,” she wrote in an email. Last year’s conference was virtual.

“We are working with our speakers on a daily basis and are confident that the vast majority will be in person,” another NRF spokeswoman wrote, noting that attendees will have virtual access to some sessions. More details about the schedule and virtual components will be released next week, she added.

The line-up of Big Show speakers includes Target CEO Brian Cornell, Matt Baer, chief digital and customer officer at Macy’s, and Vivian Chang, head of growth for DTC at Clorox. Jessica Alba, founder and chief creative officer of the Honest Company, a baby-focused brand, is planning to close the conference with a keynote presentation on Jan. 18. Best Buy CEO Corie Barry is scheduled to speak on Jan. 17; the electronics retailer pulled out of planned activations for its rebranded ads business at the CES earlier this week because of rising COVID cases; a Best Buy spokesman did not respond to an inquiry about Barry’s NRF appearance.

Indeed, CES, which is taking place in Las Vegas this week but was shortened by a day because of rising infections, has seen waves of cancellations that included the withdrawals of the likes of Google, Twitter, Amazon, Meta and Microsoft. Several programs have been removed from the agenda, while planned speakers like Paris Hilton have simply failed to show up. The conference’s issues could offer a preview of what the NRF might expect next week should the resurgence of COVID-19 continue.

Meanwhile, ICR announced Wednesday that its annual consumer industry conference, which is scheduled for Jan. 10 through Jan. 12 in Orlando, Florida and includes an audience of institutional investors, will now be held virtually instead of in person. Splash, a company that provides technology for events and counts clients such as LinkedIn, recently reported that 79% of companies expect to host hybrid events that are both virtual and in-person, and 59% of companies plan to increase their investment in event technology.

While NRF’s event will still host thousands, it’s a far cry from the nearly 40,000 who attended the 2020 event, which included 800 exhibitors and 16,000 retailers. Still, the NRF spokeswoman said that this year’s number of exhibitors and square footage of exhibit space exceeds that of two years ago. Attendees are required to show proof of vaccination and wear masks. The NRF, which advises that participants test at home before attending, will also be giving out test kits and offer PCR tests on-site.