OneShow: keep in the loop on a fast changing market

This year’s National Automatic Merchandising Association (NAMA) OneShow at the Venetian Resort and Sands Convention Center in Las Vegas offers vending and coffee service operators a wealth of opportunities to learn about new technology, take advantage of social media, and better understand emerging trends. This year’s event features some of the strong educational components of previous years, along with some new features.

Attendees will find vending equipment, vending products, self checkout micro markets, coffee service, tea, water and foodservice exhibitors all on display under one roof.

Blue Man Group performance

On the entertainment front, this year’s event raises the bar with hot acts, including the popular entertainment sensation, “Blue Man Group.” The group has morphed into a pop culture phenomenon, and will present a specially-designed show for NAMA that features a unique mix of comedy, music and multimedia theatrics. They are also hosting a post-performance meet-and-greet session.

Another top-notch appearance at the OneShow is Flip Flippen, the New York Times bestselling author of “The Flip Side: Break Free of the Behaviors That Hold You Back.” His presentation will help listeners “flip” their negative thoughts and behaviors to achieve dramatic improvements in performance, leadership, trust and productivity. Flippen, a psychotherapist and business coach who has worked with businesses, organizations and individuals all over the world, believes if we can identify our own personal constraint types, we can overcome them once and for all.

Flippen will present the top 10 “killer constraints” that most of us are confronted with every day – in ourselves, our bosses and our families. He will explain how to “flip” negative attitudes into positive action with the “Flip Side,” a life-changing approach.

There are several powerful education sessions planned.

“Consumer Engagement Through Social Media” will be presented on Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. by consultant Dan Avenick. Working with some of the industry’s leading experts, this session is designed to help business owners understand how to make social media work for them. The panel, including a corporate recruiting specialist who uses social media to hire new employees along with a social media expert from Coca-Cola Co., will share tips operators can use to engage their customers through this increasing medium.

“Innovations In Intelligent Vending” by Intel Corp.’s director retail segment marketing, Chris O’Malley, will share a non-technical background of computing developments. This leads to Intel’s vision for intelligent vending — a securely managed, seamlessly connected network of vending machines, remote monitoring, electronic payments, digital signage, consumer analytics and a host of new applications designed to significantly alter the vending landscape.

Other education programs include:

• Developing a focused growth strategy: a blueprint for driving profitable growth.
• Cold beverage trends and strategic insights.
• Self checkout: how to capitalize on the new trend.
• Understanding technology’s impact on your business.
• Identifying and hiring ideal route drivers: what are the common traits.

Coffee, tea and water symposium

For coffee, tea and water service providers, the Coffee & Water Service Operator Symposium will help address issues unique to this market segment. The two-part symposium will begin with roundtable breakouts, tailored to company size and tenure, to ensure that resources match individual needs. The second half features a panel of industry experts who will share first-hand insights to help attendees benefit from their experience and share in the secrets of their success.

Prior to the show, preliminary events on Tuesday, April 24 include the Quality Coffee Certification Program from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Supervisor Development Program from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and a special coaching seminar from business author Jeb Blount from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.