Ron Howard to headline the NAMA Show 2026 in Los Angeles

Director and actor Ron Howard will take center stage at the 2026 NAMA Show, the annual trade show for the convenience services industry taking place April 22–24 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Howard will serve as the event’s marquee speaker, offering a unique perspective on leadership, innovation and creativity — essential traits for success in the creative services industry.

Howard has directed many successful films, including “Apollo 13” and “A Beautiful Mind,” and is co-founder and co-chairman of Imagine Entertainment with producing partner Brian Grazer. Productions from Imagine have earned 63 Emmy Awards, 10 Academy Awards and 11 Golden Globe Awards.

He began his career as an actor in “The Journey” and “The Music Man,” later becoming widely known for his roles as Opie on “The Andy Griffith Show” and Richie Cunningham on “Happy Days.” Howard is a member of the Television Hall of Fame and holds two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

NAMA leaders said Howard’s career — from child actor to director and studio co-founder — mirrors the focus on collaboration, creativity and long-term vision that many operators and suppliers are bringing to micro markets, vending, unattended retail and workplace coffee and pantry services.

“There’s a shared DNA between storytelling and service innovation,” Kristen Griffith, NAMA’s senior vice president of member experience, said in the announcement. “The NAMA Show is where those ideas meet: where creativity, technology and human connection come together. Ron Howard’s perspective captures that energy perfectly.”

In addition to the keynote, the 2026 program will include technology showcases, product launches and education sessions aimed at helping convenience services companies respond to evolving consumer expectations around access, variety and experience.

Registration is open for the NAMA Show.