Find your next opportunity with Breakthru Meetings
As AI transforms the industry, real conversations matter more than ever. Breakthru Meetings connect you directly with the decision-makers who matter most. Because every attendee is AI-focused, each conversation is a high-value opportunity to gain insights, and exchange ideas about AI.
September 22-24, 2026
Huntington Beach, CA
Sept 22-24, 2026 | Huntington Beach, CA
Find your next opportunity with Breakthru Meetings
As AI transforms the industry, real conversations matter more than ever. Breakthru Meetings connect you directly with the people who matter most. Because every attendee is AI-focused, each conversation is a high-value opportunity to gain insights, and exchange ideas about AI.
What are Breakthru Meetings?
Breakthru Meetings take place on-site during RetailClub AI Festival and are scheduled across dedicated blocks.
Each meeting is double opt-in, meaning you’ll only meet with people who also selected you.
TWO TYPES OF MEETINGS:
Hosted Meetings: Pre-scheduled, sponsored meetings designed for qualified individuals from retailers and consumer brands. Hosted attendees get a free ticket and travel/hotel reimbursement in exchange for up to 8 hosted meetings.
General Meetings: Peer-to-peer and cross-industry connections open to all attendees. No quotas. No obligations. Just shared interest.
Who Are They For?
Breakthru Meetings are open to all registered RetailClub AI Festival attendees. Whether you are a retail and brand executive, AI leader, operator, innovator, or technology partner, the program is designed for professionals who recognize that AI is reshaping the industry and want to take part in that change. If you are focused on discovering new AI solutions, exploring partnerships, or staying ahead of industry change, Breakthru Meetings are for you.
Use Cases for Meetings
PARTICIPANTS COME TO MEETINGS WITH GOALS LIKE:
- Discovering new opportunities
- Evaluating emerging solutions
- Partnering with startups and platforms
- Raising capital or sourcing deal flow
- Building media relationships
- Recruiting talent and co-founders
- Benchmarking with peers in a rapidly evolving landscape
You can filter and prioritize accordingly.
How it works
You can join Breakthru Meetings when you register for RetailClub AI Festival or by logging back into your registration portal. Meeting selections open closer to the event, and final schedules are shared just ahead of RetailClub AI Festival. We will send reminders at every step.
Build Your Profile
Everyone completes a short profile with over 100 data points across company type, role, business goals, and more.
Get Recommendations from AI
Our AI Target-Finder suggests up to 200 highly relevant people you should meet, based on millions of datapoints from past programs.
Make Your Selections
Request meetings with people you want to meet. You can indicate “Very Interested” or “Interested” to help prioritize scheduling.
See Who Selected You
You’ll also see which participants selected you. You choose who to opt into. There are no blind or automatic assignments.
Receive Your Final Schedule
After mutual selections are finalized, your personal calendar of meetings is delivered, including exact table numbers. Every meeting is opt-in by both sides. There are no cold intros or surprise walk-ups.
Have Questions?
Have questions? Email us at hello@retailclub.com.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Yes! Any Future Proof attendee who registers by the Breakthru deadline can participate in any of the more than 50,000 Breakthru meetings we will be facilitating at no additional cost.
There are three steps to ensure that you can participate in Breakthru meetings: profile completion, meeting selection & opt-in, and meeting acceptance & scheduling. All steps are important, but completing your profile before the deadline is crucial.
All meetings are double-opt-in, meaning both parties must indicate that they would like to meet for the meeting to be scheduled and take place.
Each meeting is 15 minutes long, the perfect amount of time to discover whether or not there is a greater opportunity to work together.
There will be no content sessions during Breakthru meetings. All meetings will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday.