24/7: The NACS Blog

11/5/2009

While we weren’t the first — by a long shot — to write about mobile foodservice, it’s good to know that your trade association publication is featuring foodservice trends that capture the attention of well-known culinary magazines such as Food & Wine magazine.

Check out Food & Wine’s blog for a review of L.A.-based Kogi’s new mobile kitchen — “fully loaded in the back with a grill, sink and special grilling-tools compartment” — and read more about Kogi and other mobile foodservice vendors in this month’s NACS Magazine cover story, “Meals on Wheels.”

Posted at 9:26 AM by cblasinsky | Category: Operations | Email this Post | Comments (0)

10/29/2009

Mobile Foodservice: A Growing Trend?

Is mobile foodservice the wave of the future? A segment in MarketBrief reports “13%, or approximately one of eight consumers, actually has visited a mobile food truck in the past six months,” indicating that there is plenty of room for growth in the niche. Some of the cuisines mobile food trucks are bringing to the streets include Korean barbeque and fresh Belgian waffles.

For more on mobile foodservice, see the November 2009 NACS Magazine cover story "Meals on Wheels" (member login required).

Posted at 12:57 PM by czuazua | Category: Merchandising; Operations | Email this Post | Comments (0)

10/26/2009

But Wait, There’s More!

So the NACS Show is over for 2009 – and while it may take everyone a while to recover from a great event in Vegas, it’s never too early to start planning for next year. The NACS Show will be held October 5 to 8 in Atlanta, and will provide another dose of informative workshops, unbeatable networking opportunities and more ideas for improving your business. So as you’re updating your contact lists for this year and reviewing our workshop handouts, don’t forget to mark your calendar for 2010!

Posted at 9:41 AM by czuazua | Category: NACS Events; NACS Show | Email this Post | Comments (1)

Clinton Speaks on C-Stores

President Bill Clinton spoke to NACS Show attendees this morning about the future of the convenience and petroleum retailing industry, and his confidence that the industry will continue to innovate and satisfy the needs of consumers in a constantly changing environment. He emphasized the need to combine business interests with public service, and operate in such a way that benfits c-store owners and consumers alike.

"I am wildly optimistic about the future." Clinton told attendees.

Posted at 9:40 AM by czuazua | Category: NACS Events; NACS Show | Email this Post | Comments (0)

10/22/2009

Roger Dow Stirs C-Store Crowd

Travel industry executive Roger Dow drew a standing-room only crowd at the opening general session at the NACS Show yesterday when he spoke about the importance of customer focus in the convenience store industry.

“How do you reach the point where your customers tattoo your logo on their body?” Dow asked the audience.

For the industry, he said, making every customer feel special is crucial. Despite the slow economy and other difficulties, Dow emphasized c-store strength in surviving the downturn and reminded attendees that they must play to win.

Click here for more information on upcoming general sessions.

Posted at 6:29 PM by czuazua | Category: Best Practices; NACS Events; NACS Show | Email this Post | Comments (0)

Brazilian Invasion!

Convenience store retailers from Brazil have arrived at the NACS Show as a force to be reckoned with! More than 300 c-store operators from Ipiranga have joined the action, exploring the expo floor and listening in on workshops to improve their operations back home and exchange ideas that will change their businesses. Some of the ideas they will take back home are innovations in technology, marketing and best practices. The group is composed of many single-store operators, as well as members of larger chains, such as Ipiranga Petroquimica.

Click here for information on international events at the NACS Show.

Posted at 6:27 PM by czuazua | Category: Global; NACS Show; NACS Events | Email this Post | Comments (0)

10/20/2009

Check Out the NACS Center!

The NACS Center is located in the Grand Concourse of the Las Vegas Convention Center. Visit us and learn more about:

“Ideas 2 Go”: This DVD features the popular Ideas 2 Go presentation that will be shown during Thursday’s general session, and the DVD will be available for purchase immediately following. NACS members receive a 50% savings compared to regular prices.
NACS CAFÉ: A dynamic, innovative resource provided to convenience retailers who want to build and grow effective, profitable foodservice programs.
NACS Credit Card Processing Program: Designed to reduce card-processing fees for convenience and petroleum retailers.
CSX: The CSX database is an essential tool that enables you to compare your firm’s performance with similar firms in the industry – and it is the industry’s only resource for margin and balance sheet data.
Convenience Tracking Program (CTP): a store-level shopper entry and exit research and insight program. Learn about customer intentions and behavior.

Posted at 12:11 PM by czuazua | Category: NACS Show | Email this Post | Comments (0)

10/19/2009

Get the Scoop on Badges

As part of a new process this year, badges were mailed in advance of the NACS Show for all attendees registered on or before September 18. If you received your badge in the mail and need to pick-up a badge holder and lanyard, please go to one of our badge holder pick-up locations Tuesday, October 20 through Friday, October 23. These areas are open daily starting at 7:00 a.m. and are conveniently located at the following:

Entrance to the Las Vegas Convention Center (near the shuttle bus drop off)subject to change based on weather
Information booth located in the Grand Concourse
Registration area, Central Hall
Las Vegas Hilton – Hilton Center

Attendees who registered after September 18 or did not receive their badge in advance, will need to pick up their badge materials on site at NACS Registration at the Las Vegas Convention Center during the following hours:

Tuesday, October 20: 7:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday, October 21: 7:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Thursday, October 22: 7:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Friday, October 23: 7:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Personal identification will be required at registration check-in.

Posted at 6:58 PM by czuazua | Category: NACS Show | Email this Post | Comments (0)

10/13/2009

Are You Ready?

The NACS Show kicks off October 20, and we want to make sure you get the most out of the industry’s most comprehensive event. Be sure to follow what’s happening next week as NACS covers the event from all angles:

NACS Daily e-newsletter and the onsite NACS Show Daily — the only official Show Daily
Twitter
Facebook
NACS TV
LinkedIn

A bit of history: Las Vegas is one of the three cities in a rotation to host the NACS Show. Here is some info on previous NACS Shows in Las Vegas:

1966: Only five years after its founding, NACS visits Las Vegas, drawing 700 attendees.
1970: The NACS Show returns, and is the first NACS Show to hit attendance of 1,000.
1975: Two years earlier, NACS introduced cabana exhibits, and begins to hold exhibitions every three years. Even without exhibits, the Show continued to grow, drawing 1,821 attendees.
1983: The last NACS Show in Las Vegas without an exhibition still draws 2,883 attendees.
1988: The first NACS Show to draw more than 10,000 attendees — 11,469 people see a staggering 169,700 square feet of exhibits.
1996: Attendance reaches 16,100 while the exhibition continues to expand, topping 200,000 square feet for the first time (229,000 square feet).
2001: Just six weeks after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, NACS Show attendance is slightly less than expected, but it still brings together more than 21,000 attendees and 1,000 exhibitors.
2004: The total attendance of 24,365 is a new high. And on the Show floor, the total number of exhibitors (1,428) and total exhibition space (378,000 net square feet) are records.
2005: Originally scheduled for New Orleans in October, the NACS Show is moved to Las Vegas after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Planning that normally takes a year is compressed to under three months, and more than 22,000 attendees turn out for the November 15 to 18 Show.
2006: The NACS Show returns to Las Vegas for a third straight year.
2009: That history is about to be written – don’t miss out!

Posted at 1:29 PM by czuazua | Category: NACS Events; NACS Show | Email this Post | Comments (0)

10/6/2009

The Power of Perez

For all of you skeptics out there, never underestimate the power of a blogger.

Popular gossip and celebrity blogger Perez Hilton linked to a Sept. 22 NACS Daily story (“Subway Set to Overtake McDonald’s in Store Count”) and attracted about 2,100 of his readers to NACS Online. (For those not familiar with Hilton’s Web site, it’s ranked among the top 500 most trafficked sites in the world.)

Good to know that a convenience and petroleum retailing e-newsletter can attract a little bit of attention outside its immediate channel of trade.

On that note, if you don’t subscribe to NACS Daily, you should – it’s free! (And so is Hilton’s blog.)