The Industry’s Homecoming

In a market defined by unrelenting change, the NACS Show provides a crash course on what’s happening now.

Please Note: SSCS’s booth number for the NACS show is #3454.

Every profession has at least one defining event during the course of the calendar year, and for the convenience store and fuel retailing business, it’s the NACS Show. Next week approximately 25,000 industry professionals will descend upon McCormick Place in Chicago to find out what’s happening now in the industry, and what to expect coming down the road. They’ll display and demonstrate their products, check out the latest available products and services from others, attend seminars, and mingle: with customers, vendors, established partners, old friends, and new ones. To a certain extent, it’s the place to be seen for the trade.

“A lot of time you’re doing business with someone all year, communicating by phone, and maybe NACS is the first chance you have to meet them face to face,” says one seasoned SSCS sales representative. “That kind of personal contact deepens connections and primes the pump for business opportunities that, frankly, are unique to the NACS Show environment. It’s kind of a homecoming that way.”

SSCS is a long-time supporter of NACS—the Association for Convenience and Fuel Retailing—which is the organization behind the show. The knowledge NACS shares with the industry, the information they curate for it, and the representation they provide on its behalf at the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government contribute to the strength of the industry. That’s good for everyone, and you’ll find aspects of each one of those characteristics at the show.

In fact, the first interview this blog ever published was with Gray Taylor, the Executive Director of Conexxus, an organization that grew out of NACS to resolve technological challenges and facilitate innovation for members. The technological focus of the NACS Show is one of its most exciting aspects: seeing what new technologies are coming down the line and how they will increase efficiency and profitability never gets old. SSCS representation has been attending for years. Past banners we’ve produced to publicize our participation in the show garnish this post.

The reputation of the NACS show certainly precedes it, as indicated by the comments of one of our newest sales reps, who will be attending his first show next week. “When sales colleagues describe the NACS Show to me, a sense of excitement usually underpins their comments,” he says. “I definitely get the sense that it’s a real ‘lights, camera, action’ kind of deal. Frankly, it’s hard to conceive how massive 1,200 booths spread across 410,000 square feet must really be, but the concept certainly commands your attention. With consumer tastes and preferences driving industry trends, I can’t wait to see what kind of new and innovative offerings this industry has in store and to see what all the buzz is about!”

SSCS will be at the NACS Show for its duration. Please stop by and visit booth #3454!