For the first time since 2006, the biggest vending event of the year will come to the Las Vegas Convention Center. The NAMA OneShow has always been the place for operators to assess business needs, learn industry trends and catch up with old friends. In fact, in a 2014 NAMA OneShow attendee survey, 90 percent of operators and other attendees said that attending the NAMA OneShow was valuable for business. This year is no different. This year’s NAMA OneShow, which kicks off from April 22 to 24, will focus even more around the peer-to-peer experience.
During this three day event, attendees will have the opportunity to have their most pressing questions answered during the nearly twenty educational sessions offered. Operators will even have the opportunity to have those questions answered by their friends and colleagues. As LyNae Schleyer, vice president of events at NAMA notes, most educational sessions are led by peers and specialists within the industry. “We’ve always found that that has been of great value for attendees, to hear from experts in the field,” she said.
The twenty educational sessions will be split into three types. The 90-minute Power Sessions will focus on future trends and innovations. “These sessions will look towards ‘what’s next’ in the industry,” said Schleyer. “They will help attendees begin future forward conversations.” One must-see Power Session includes a presentation entitled, Applying C-Store Merchandising, Research and Trends to Your Micro Market Business led by Ludi Marche, associate director of Consumer Insights and Strategy for Food Service at Kraft. Marche will show attendees how to learn from c-store trends and how to use this information to capture the market of the on-the-go consumer.
The Power Sessions will be followed by 60-minute Strategy Sessions that will pinpoint specific strategies attendees can take back to their business and begin implementing right away. Dr. Claudine Kavanaugh, an interdisciplinary scientist in the Office of Foods and Veterinary Medicine at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, will cover vending machine calorie labeling disclosure rules and provide guidance on what the new rules entail.
Finally, the 60-minute Critical Conversation educational session discussions will surround current issues attendees are facing. One Critical Conversation session consists of a small operator roundtable discussion. Vend operators managing no more than 4 routes and fewer than 10 employees are encouraged to attend and discuss the unique challenges and advantages of running a small business. Attendees of this session will hear from industry peers on topics such as technology, micro markets, expansion and pre-kitting and best practices as they determine how to grow their business.
“There is so much value for an attendee coming to the one show. Not only are you exposed to all of these industry, but there is a lot of leadership at the OneShow, and value in the educational package, supplier events and networking,” remarked Schleyer.
See the Schedule of Events on page (XX) to view the dates and times of each session.
