The Event

DTC Live New York 2026 New York · Sep 15

DTC Live New York is a single-day, boutique gathering for direct-to-consumer brand leaders, part of a series that's grown from an intimate dozen-brand start into 120+ brands across its wider footprint. Expect a focused day of sessions and networking rather than a sprawling multi-day trade show.

Worth knowing before you go: as an annual DTC Live partner with panel slots and newsletter placements already in place, Expandly's European expansion message reaches this room by design rather than through cold outreach.

View event site → What this means for EU expansion

The Room

Who's expected at DTC Live New York 2026

DTC Live draws direct-to-consumer brand founders and growth leaders looking for a concentrated day of tactical sessions and peer networking. Expandly is an annual partner of the series, with panel slots and newsletter placements built into the relationship, so this is a room where Expandly's perspective on European expansion already has a natural audience.

The boutique format also means depth over breadth: fewer attendees than a large trade show, but a higher proportion of them are genuine decision-makers rather than junior staff sent to scout the floor.

DTC brand founders Growth and marketing leaders Ecommerce operators Retention and CRM leads Operations and fulfillment leads

For a growing brand seeking the next step up, is DTC Live New York 2026 a good fit?

Strong fit: this is one of the few events on the calendar where Expandly has built-in distribution, not just booth presence.

Format

A single-day event on Sep 15, built for focused sessions and networking rather than a sprawling multi-day trade show.

Series growth

DTC Live's flagship series has grown from an intimate ~12-brand start to 120+ brands across the wider series, though NYC-specific numbers aren't separately published.

Expandly partnership

Expandly holds a £22,000/year annual partnership with DTC Live, including 3 panel slots, 3 newsletter segments, the Silverstone Summer Social and quarterly strategy sessions.

Programme

What's on at DTC Live New York 2026

Three tracks anchor the confirmed 2026 agenda.

01 Growth & Acquisition

Sessions on customer acquisition strategy as US paid channels get more expensive and competitive, a common trigger for brands to look at new markets.

Diversifying acquisition channels
Reducing customer acquisition cost

02 Retention & Community

A track on building loyalty and community around a DTC brand, relevant to any brand thinking about how retention strategy travels into a new market.

Building brand community
Loyalty program design

03 Operations & Scaling

Practical sessions on the operational side of scaling a DTC brand, from fulfillment to team structure, as founders weigh their next growth phase.

Scaling fulfillment operations
Building the right team structure
Expandly panel: what European expansion actually costs

Live Intelligence

What's being said about DTC Live New York 2026

Preview themes ahead of DTC Live New York 2026.

Series scale continues to grow

EVENTS INTELLIGENCE · JUL 2026

DTC Live's wider series now spans 120+ brands, up from an intimate ~12-brand start. The New York edition keeps the single-day, boutique format even as the series footprint expands.

Same-day overlap with eComCon26

EVENTS INTELLIGENCE · JUL 2026

DTC Live New York runs the same day as Ecommerce Connect (eComCon26) in London, a scheduling overlap worth noting for brands weighing which room to prioritize.

Expandly's partnership deepens visibility

EVENTS INTELLIGENCE · JUL 2026

As an annual partner, Expandly's panel slots and newsletter placements give European expansion messaging direct reach into this DTC-focused audience.

A recurring fixture on the DTC Live calendar

EVENTS INTELLIGENCE · JUL 2026

Expandly's ongoing partnership means this edition consistently includes European-expansion content, so expect it to show up again in future editions rather than as a one-off.

The bigger picture

DTC growth ceilings push brands overseas

The acquisition and retention pressure driving DTC Live's agenda, rising ad costs, channel saturation, retention strategy, is exactly what pushes US DTC brands to look at Europe next. A room built around scaling operations is also a room ready to hear about scaling into a new geography.

Rising US acquisition costs make less-saturated European markets an attractive diversification play.
DTC brands that already run tight retention and CRM operations can usually adapt those playbooks per European market with local nuance.
Fulfillment is the operational question that most often stalls a DTC brand's EU plans, since shipping from the US per order kills unit economics.
A Netherlands warehouse gives DTC brands next-day delivery into Germany and neighboring markets, matching the delivery speed US customers already expect.
DTC founders and growth leaders weighing their next market are the core audience here, and the boutique format favors substantive conversations over floor traffic.

If growth and retention are the themes of the day, the follow-up question worth asking is which market to test next.

Series brands

DTC Live's flagship series has grown from an intimate dozen-brand start to more than 120 brands across its wider footprint.

120+brands

Netherlands VAT

Registering for VAT in the Netherlands typically takes three to four weeks, among the fastest lead times of any EU market.

3-4weeks

Brands expanded

Expandly has already guided more than 2,000 US and UK brands through EU compliance, VAT registration and fulfillment via the Global Expansion Pathway (GEP™).

2,000+brands

Good to Know

Questions about DTC Live New York 2026

How big is DTC Live New York 2026?

DTC Live's flagship series grew from an intimate ~12-brand start to 120+ brands across the wider series, but there's no NYC-specific attendee count published, so it's best described qualitatively as a boutique, mid-sized gathering.

How long does DTC Live New York 2026 run?

It's a single-day event on Sep 15, 2026, designed for a focused day of sessions and networking rather than a multi-day trade show format.

How does VAT work for a US brand selling in Europe?

You register for VAT in each country where you hold stock, and charge VAT on sales to consumers there. Schemes like the Import One-Stop Shop simplify some cross-border sales, but holding stock in a country creates a registration obligation regardless. Rates and thresholds vary by market, so confirm each before launch.

Why are US brands expanding into Europe now?

The main reasons are rising US advertising and acquisition costs, marketplace and tariff volatility, and the risk of depending on a single channel or market. Europe offers large, less-saturated markets as a growth and diversification play.

Why hold stock inside Europe instead of shipping from the US?

Local stock ships next-day domestically and reaches neighboring EU countries in a day or two, matching what European shoppers expect. Shipping each order from the US adds cost, customs delay, and a slower delivery promise that hurts conversion and marketplace ranking.

Is DTC Live New York worth prioritizing over other similarly-sized US events?

If your next question is which market to expand into, yes. DTC founders and growth leaders with international ambition are the core audience, and the boutique format favors substantive conversation over floor traffic.

Make Your Move

Heading to New York this September?

If you're already at DTC Live, you'll likely catch Expandly on a panel. Worth starting the Europe conversation early.

Expandly's Global Expansion Pathway (GEP™) turns DTC growth playbooks into a compliant European launch, covering VAT, compliance and fulfillment through our Netherlands warehouse. As an annual DTC Live partner, we'll be in the room, so let's talk before the day gets busy.