New & Improved

Danielle Romano, Convenience Store News

9/22/2015

When the 2015 NACS Show returns to the Las Vegas Convention Center Oct. 11-14, it will prove to be bigger and better than ever before. Now in its 42nd year, the show is getting ready to break records as it anticipates more than 23,000 attendees and 1,000-plus exhibitors, with expo space sizing up to 400,000 square feet.

Each year, the NACS Show brings together convenience and fuel retailing industry professionals for four days of learning, buying and selling, and networking. At the expo, attendees are guaranteed to find the best and newest products and services, as well as new ideas through workshops and educational sessions, and a magnitude of networking opportunities.

“The NACS Show allows retailers and suppliers to jump-start their plans for the coming year,” said Jeff Lenard, vice president of industry advocacy for NACS, the Association for Convenience & Fuel Retailing. “The timing of the NACS Show in October is perfect. It allows retailers to incorporate new ideas, concepts, products and services they found at the NACS Show into their strategy retreats and planning for the new calendar year.”

The NACS Show also gives suppliers access not only to the largest retail audience (convenience stores), but also direct access to buyers, Lenard added.

“The NACS Show is one of the country’s premier buying shows, and consistently rates at or near the top in percentage of attendees with buying authority,” he said.

REINVENTING THE WHEEL

Whether it is an operator’s first time at the event or their 10th, the NACS Show offers something for everyone. This year, it continues to reinvent itself with new offerings for attendees:

New Exhibitor Area: To make it easier for retailers to discover new products and services, the designated New Exhibitor Area will feature only new-to-the-NACS-Show exhibitors. There are more than 1,160 exhibitors expected at the 2015 NACS Show, of which 200 of them are first-timers, which is 65 more exhibitors than last year. The New Exhibitor Area will receive an extra hour of dedicated expo time each day.

Four Days of General Sessions: NACS Show veterans are used to the traditional three days of general sessions and high-profile speakers, but this year the expo is breaking the mold by expanding with four full days of general sessions.

Women’s Networking Forum: This debut session will provide attendees the opportunity to connect with other women in the convenience and fuel retailing channel. It is open to all female retailers seeking professional growth through networking and building relationships. Presenter Roberta Oster Sachs, leadership coach and Emmy award-winning journalist, will lead the forum. She’ll be joined by former NACS Chair Sonja Hubbard, CEO of E-Z Mart Stores and one of Convenience Store News’ 2014 Top Women in Convenience senior-level executive winners.

Updated Technology Edge Event: Now in its second year, the Technology Edge program is partnering with Conexxus, the industry’s standards and technology organization, to bring more value, education and broader solutions to attendees. Over two and a half days, technology-professional attendees can benefit from specialized educational sessions, facilitated group discussions, networking opportunities and access to new tech products and solutions.

MAXIMIZING YOUR EXPERIENCE

NACS Show attendees will be busy discovering new products, networking and learning best business practices. To help them maximize their experience even before they get to Las Vegas and make the most of their time onsite, NACS is introducing the MyShow Planner.

With the MyShow Planner at their fingertips, showgoers can use their NACS login username and password for access to a plethora of opportunities. Attendees can explore the 50-plus educational sessions and schedule the specific ones they’d like to attend; browse exhibitor listings, new companies and save time by adding them to the list of exhibitors they’d like to visit; and synch their MyShow Planner schedule with the NACS Show mobile app for nonstop access.

Made available in August, the NACS Show mobile app navigates the shortest paths between attendees’ favorite exhibitors with the interactive floor plan and enables them to view the complete schedule, review their personalized MyShow Planner agenda on the go, and stay in synch with the latest show alerts and updates.

The NACS Show mobile app is available for free download for iPhone, Android, iPod Touch, iPad and other web-enabled devices.

Nothing General About These Sessions

Dynamic retailer and business/leadership speakers will take to the general-session stage

Sunday, October 11 | 12:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.

Chris McChesney is global practice leader of execution for Franklin Covey and the national bestselling author of “The 4 Disciplines of Execution.” For more than a decade, he’s led Franklin Covey’s design and development of these principles, as well as the consulting arm that has become the fastest-growing area of the company. Known for his high-energy and engaging message, McChesney has personally led many of the most noted implementations of the 4 Disciplines, including for the state of Georgia, Marriott International, Shaw Industries, Ritz Carlton, Kroger, Coca-Cola, Comcast, Frito-Lay, Lockheed Martin and Gaylord Entertainment.

Monday, October 12 | 10 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.

Connie Podesta is an award-winning author, comedian and expert in the psychology of human relations, as well as sales and leadership. Not your typical motivational keynote speaker, Podesta motivates audiences differently by fueling them with exciting new ideas, mindsets, attitudes and solutions to empower them to tackle even the toughest challenges in today’s crazy, 24/7 world. She began performing comedy when she was 14 and never looked back; her humor allows her to tackle even the toughest issues organizations face with substance and style. She helps teams understand why it’s important to change behaviors, rethink attitudes, reassess old ideas and get on board to make things happen.

Tuesday, October 13 | 10 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.

John Mackey, co-CEO and co-founder of Whole Foods Market, has led the natural and organic grocer to become a $14-billion Fortune 500 company with more than 400 stores and 87,000 team members in three countries. The company has been included on Fortune magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” list for 18 consecutive years and ranked first in the food and drugstore industry as part of the magazine’s “Most Admired Companies” list. Mackey has also focused on building a more conscious way of doing business through the Whole Planet Foundation, Local Producer Loan Program, Global Animal Partnership and Health Starts Here initiative. He will discuss “conscious capitalism” and how a company’s higher purpose can effect stakeholder integration, leadership and culture.

Wednesday, October 14 | 8 a.m. – 9 a.m.

“Ideas 2 Go,” since its inception in 1994, has featured hundreds of interviews with retailers from 38 states and five countries, showcasing the industry’s best practices. Each year, a new Ideas 2 Go program makes its debut at the NACS Show and attracts thousands of attendees looking for new ideas to implement in their stores.