KeHE Holiday Show 2026 is June 10 to 11 in Chicago, plus virtual June 3 to 19. Use this plan to win holiday placement with demos, tags, and fast follow up.
The KeHE Holiday Show 2026 is a hybrid buying event for natural, specialty, and conventional CPG brands. The in person show runs June 10 to 11, 2026 at McCormick Place in Chicago, in Lakeside Halls D1 and D2. The virtual show runs June 3 to 19, 2026 on the KeHE CONNECT platform.
This is a show where retailers are thinking about Q4, seasonal displays, and holiday promos. That means the “nice to have” products lose, and the products with a clear sell story win. Your job is to make it easy for a buyer to say yes to a next step.
This guide gives you a practical plan, pre show, on site, and virtual follow up. It is written for brand teams, brokers, and field teams that want clean execution and clean reporting.
If you want help running a buyer focused booth experience and a simple reporting plan, start with trade show experiences and promotional campaigns.
The in person KeHE Holiday Show 2026 is June 10 to 11, 2026. The virtual show runs June 3 to 19, 2026.
McCormick Place in Chicago, in Lakeside Halls D1 and D2.
June 10 runs 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. June 11 runs 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
KeHE says registration launches the week of April 15.
KeHE notes there are over 1,400 retailers and KeHE employees attending across two days, and suggests around 900 to 1,100 samples based on one sample per person.
KeHE CONNECT is KeHE’s digital platform used for ordering and discovery. For this show, it also powers the virtual component that stays open 24 hours a day during the virtual dates. It gives you extra time to get seen and to follow up.
No. KeHE positions its shows as trade events for their retail customers and supplier partners.
Many brands treat a holiday buying show like a normal expo. They show up with a table, a lot of flavors, and a smile. Then they leave with “great meeting you” contacts and no clear next step.
The fix is simple. Build your show plan around how a buyer thinks in June. They want products that fit holiday behavior, giftability, party needs, pantry loading, and display merchandising. They also want fewer surprises. That means clear margin story, clean case pack story, and promo story that feels easy to run.
Hybrid adds a second layer. Your in person booth creates the trust. Your virtual presence extends discovery and makes follow up easier. Treat it as one program, not two separate tasks.
Pick one primary outcome for the show. Keep it measurable.
Then pick the number. Example, 40 qualified buyer meetings, 120 tagged leads, or 25 buyers who request pricing and terms.
Holiday shows reward clarity. Buyers should understand your product in under 10 seconds.
Keep your story focused on one holiday job. Examples, a gifting item, a party item, a better ingredient swap, a fast meal helper, a seasonal limited edition that earns display space.
A buyer can only remember so much in one day. Give them one hero item that anchors the talk, plus one bundle that makes merchandising easy.
Keep the rest of the lineup as optional. Do not lead with a full catalog.
Make your booth work like a simple funnel.
If you want the same discipline across many shows, the structure in experiential marketing brief template helps teams stay aligned.
KeHE suggests around 900 to 1,100 samples based on expected attendance and one sample per person. Use that as your baseline, then adjust for your product.
Build a simple hourly plan. The show is only two days, so you cannot waste peak windows. Pre portion when it improves speed and cleanliness. Reset on a timer so the booth never looks tired.
Buyers want fast answers. Make a one page sheet your team can use and share.
Do not turn this into a brochure. It is a cheat sheet for decisions.
This show moves fast. One person should not do everything.
If you are a small team, combine roles in slow hours. Split roles again when traffic spikes.
KeHE shares practical on site tips. Free WiFi is offered on the show floor, and KeHE notes that electricity is included in each exhibitor booth package. KeHE also encourages exhibitors to bring their own ordering device since rentals are not guaranteed.
Simple checklist for your kit.
The virtual window runs longer than the in person show. Use it to extend momentum.
Every booth conversation should end with one of these closes.
Then reflect that in your tags so your follow up is fast.
Your show program is not two days. It is over two weeks if you count the virtual window.
This is where a clean system pays off. If you want to run it like a real campaign, the tools in engagement marketing and logistics help keep the details tight.
Leadership does not need a long recap. They need a clean story backed by numbers.
If you want a reporting structure that stays clean, use experiential marketing reporting as your template.
If the KeHE Holiday Show 2026 is on your calendar and you want a booth plan that wins buyers and stays clean operationally, Makai can help with strategy, staffing, and reporting. Start at Request a proposal. If you are building a broader field plan around Chicago, see where we work and coverage for Illinois.
Since 1995, Makai has been connecting brands with people through live experiences, retail programs, and national activations.
