Expect small refinements to improve the experience rather than such a sweeping change as last year's move from Austin.

Changes to the 2026 edition of The Running Event won’t be as dramatic as last year, when it relocated to San Antonio. But with a new director at the helm, the annual trade show has made key improvements to the experience while preparing to celebrate its 20th anniversary.

Now leading the charge is event director Genae Salinas, who took over from Christina Henderson after her promotion to vice president of the Endurance Portfolio at Diversified USA, TRE’s parent company.

Salinas said most of the differences to the show, happening Dec. 1 to 3, will be logistical and behind the scenes. For instance, the exhibition hall in the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center is expanding — in a space that’s already bigger than what TRE was working with in its previous home in Austin. Roughly 400 exhibiting brands have been confirmed for the 2026 event as of publishing, up from 360 last year, and registration has been tracking well for both retailers and media, according to event organizers.

“Feedback was overwhelmingly positive on San Antonio,” Salinas said. “Exhibitors and attendees loved the city. They loved the convention center even more than we were expecting, so we’re really leaning into that.”

One major addition will come through a live podcasting space on the exhibition floor, satisfying a request that creators had made for years. In a sense, it replaces the TRE Live programming that had streamed through Flo Track and was hosted in partnership with PR Project.

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