OneShow: a bonanza of savings and more!

At this year’s National Automatic Merchandising Association (NAMA) OneShow, operators will have a number of money-making opportunities. From thousands of dollars in random cash giveaways each day on the show floor to exclusive deals from OneShow exhibitors, attendees will have opportunities to pocket cash during the OneShow, April 27 to 29 at McCormick Place North in Chicago.

For the first time ever, $12,000 in cash prizes will be given away to operators attending the OneShow. Thanks to a prize donation from G&J Marketing, each day, twice a day, $2,000 in cash will be handed out to an operator who is on the show floor. In addition, dozens of exhibitors have created OneShow-only specials so that operators who sign orders at the show can enjoy extra savings on the same products and services they always need to purchase to effectively run their businesses.

Drum Café kicks things off

Once at the show, the fun begins with the Drum Café where attendees will gather at Center Stage at 2 p.m. on Wednesday to collect their drum and help kick off this year’s show. The Drum Café team will lead everyone in a spirited, team-building session that will energize, spark creativity and send attendees away with renewed enthusiasm and motivation.

Also on Wednesday, attendees won’t want to miss the “Federal legislation updates: How is the federal government impacting your vending or coffee service company?” program. It will look at the many new federal regulations enacted in the past year that affect vending and OCS, including health care legislation and calorie disclosure requirements, among others.

This first-of-its-kind program begins with “How can vending operators effectively comply with FDA-required calorie disclosures?” followed by “What impact do the new ADA regulations have on the types of vending machine I can place in locations?” and wraps up with “Economic incentives, tax increases, tax breaks and credits…What can be done to help vending and coffee companies grow and prosper?”

Representatives from federal agencies have been invited to participate and clarify these issues, discuss their impact on business, and suggest what NAMA can do on members’ behalf. These three sessions will help operators understand the requirements of these regulations. Attendees interested in the impact of health care legislation will also want to attend “The impact of health care reform” on Wednesday.

A host of new sessions

One of the new sessions, “Focusing your business strategy on growth opportunities,” led by Dr. Mark L. Frigo, Center for Strategy, Execution and Valuation at the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business at DePaul University, will be held on Wednesday. Dr. Frigo will offer easy-to-use-tools for developing profitable growth opportunities to increase company value. He is the author of the book, “DRIVEN,” and has experience as an advisor to CEOs for Inc. 500 and Fortune 500 companies. Each company attending Dr. Frigo’s session will receive a copy of his how-to book.

In addition, the “Vending/Coffee Service 101” program is back by popular demand and will be delivered on Friday by Vic Pemberton, president of Pepi Food Service, Bainbridge, Ga., and NAMA’s 2007 Vending Operator of the Year.

Wednesday is also the day to learn about new technology at “Innovations in vending technology and the benefits of cashless,” moderated by NAMA Industry Leader of the Year and Endowed Professor Dr. Michael Kasavana, NCE5. This fast-paced series of presentations will cover everything surrounding the latest technologies designed to advance the vending industry, including the progress being made on the Vending Data Interchange Standard.