NACS goes green
This past weekend, NACS, the Association for Convenience and Petroleum Retailing had their Chicago tradeshow. 400 vendors showcased their latest products and inventions.
I was invited by my client at Kwik Trip Stores to speak at the conference on Marketing and Merchandising. This was an interesting opportunity since I am not an expert on Convenience stores, but it was an excellent experience to learn about this industry.
Click here to download my presentation
Two of the elements that stood out to me were the Green Toolkit and the “Congreenience Store” created by NACS. This is the first year that smoking was not allowed on their showroom floor and also the first year that eco-friendly was really addressed as an element of importance. Times are changing so fast and this is an industry that impacts a very wide % of people. They have the ability to make big change instantly… and with 20k people at the convention, they certainly had a captive audience.
Here is a quick look at what we saw at the convention:
This fuel pump has Biodiesel, 85% Ethanol and Unleaded all wrapped up into one tight package. This is the wave of the future with alternative energy.
While the shows vendors still lacked healthy options, they had some truly innovative and unique products that were launched. I am looking forward to what comes out next year! This was certainly a weekend to remember.