Explore the MAPIC Innovation Forum, its retail technology focus, 2026 dates in Cannes, programme format and relevance for mall operators, landlords and retailers.
Retail technology creates value only when it solves an operational problem.
The MAPIC Innovation Forum is MAPIC’s dedicated platform for technology companies, retail property owners, mall operators and brands looking for practical ways to improve the performance of physical destinations. The forum brings together established technology providers, emerging companies, and decision-makers responsible for customer experience, asset management, leasing and store operations.
Rather than treating innovation as a separate technology showcase, the programme focuses on solutions that can be applied across shopping centres, retail parks, high streets and mixed-use destinations.
The Innovation Forum is a dedicated exhibition, conference and networking area within MAPIC.
Its purpose is to connect retail real estate companies with technology partners capable of addressing specific business priorities. These may include understanding visitor behaviour, improving tenant communications, activating underused space, strengthening loyalty, supporting omnichannel services and making destinations easier to access. The format combines product demonstrations with conferences, pitch sessions and direct meetings between solution providers and potential clients.
For operators and landlords, the value is not the number of technologies on display. It is the opportunity to compare solutions against a defined operational need and assess whether they can be deployed across one asset or an entire portfolio.
The 2025 Innovation Forum included a dedicated exhibition area, five conferences and pitch sessions, and more than 35 technology exhibitors, startups and innovation companies. Participating companies represented a broad range of retail technology applications, including location intelligence, customer analytics, flexible leasing, tenant engagement, loyalty, gifting, mobility and digital commerce.
The conference programme examined new business models and changing consumer expectations, while the pitch sessions gave technology providers a shorter format for presenting specific products and use cases.
This structure makes the forum most relevant for visitors who arrive with a clear question. A mall operator may be looking to improve footfall measurement. A leasing team may need a more efficient way to manage temporary space. A retailer may be evaluating tools that connect store activity with digital demand.
The strongest conversations begin with the operational problem, not the product category.
Technology procurement in retail real estate is becoming more selective.
Operators are no longer adding digital tools simply to demonstrate innovation. New systems are expected to improve measurable outcomes such as dwell time, tenant productivity, leasing efficiency, customer retention, or operating costs.
This changes the role of events such as the MAPIC Innovation Forum. The forum is not only a place to discover vendors. It is also a way to compare how different owners, operators and retailers define the same problem.
A solution that works for a single flagship mall may not be suitable for a regional portfolio. A customer-facing application may attract attention but create limited value without reliable data, tenant participation or integration with existing systems.
The commercial question is therefore not whether a technology looks innovative. It is whether it can be implemented, measured and scaled.
MAPIC 2026 will take place on November 3 and 4 at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France.
The Innovation Forum remains part of the main MAPIC programme, alongside the exhibition, conferences, networking formats and pitching sessions. MAPIC expects approximately 4,000 participants from 75 countries, including 1,800 retailers and 200 exhibiting companies across the wider event.
The detailed Innovation Forum agenda and the complete list of participating technology companies are expected to be published by the organiser as the event approaches.
Retailers, landlords, mall operators and technology providers can register through the official MAPIC website.
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