About this Event
Where retail leaders meet. Where the industry’s next moves are decided.
Retail Doctor Group continues to bring together some of Australia’s most influential retail leaders for State of the Nation 34, RDG’s exclusive CEO Community breakfast conference, at Meers Hall, Art Gallery of New South Wales, on 29 October 2026.
Now in its 16th year and 34th edition, State of the Nation has become one of Australian retail’s most established executive forums - the room where leaders come together to challenge conventional thinking, share what's really happening inside their businesses, and debate what comes next.
It is the voice of contemporary Australian retail.
Not another conference about retail. A conversation between the people actually leading it.
“Retail doesn’t wait for your strategy to catch up,” said Brian Walker, Chair & Founder, Retail Doctor Group. “The advantage increasingly belongs to leaders who can see the change early, make the call, and move. State of the Nation is where we get beyond the headlines and hear directly from the people making those calls: what they’re seeing, what they’re changing, and where they believe retail goes next.”
The leaders. The issues. The best and next moves in retail.
From changing consumer behaviour, global best practice, and AI, to productivity, profitability, transformation, and the future of retail, State of the Nation 34 goes beyond commentary to the decisions that matter.
Where leaders meet. Where retail moves forward.
For generations, the Art Gallery of New South Wales has celebrated the creators, thinkers, and visionaries who challenged convention and helped shape the way we see the world.
On 29 October, State of the Nation 34 brings together a different group of shapers and creators - the retail leaders influencing how Australians will shop, live, and experience retail next.
Event venue & nearby stays
Meers Hall, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Art Gallery Road, Sydney, Australia
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.