As we approach the upcoming NAMA CTW 2026 event taking place in Austin, TX, November 18-19, a few key topics have emerged to pay close attention to:

Move product-oriented sales to consultative conversations

On Wednesday, November 18, Nicole Cramer's opening keynote focuses on building trust and lasting customer relationships that extend beyond a transaction. On Thursday, this message is reinforced in her additional session, Establishing Meaningful Business Relationships Through Knowledge Based Selling.

What operators should take away: Sell outcomes, not products

• Stop leading sales conversations with equipment, coffee brands or product catalogs.
• Understand what the client is trying to accomplish with its workplace experience.
• Sell solutions around employee satisfaction, convenience, productivity and retention.
• Train sales teams to ask better questions and uncover needs before proposing services.
• Build relationships with facilities, HR, procurement and workplace-experience decision-makers—not just the person who manages the breakroom.

How employers use their workplaces is changing

Vending and coffee service operators can step in and consult with business owners to help them plan a meaningful amenity design for employees being asked to return to the office. Whether that is through services and equipment selections, or in advance of layout decisions, your involvement as an expert in customer demand and consumer trends can be a key factor for optimizing in-office environments. Join Rob Gebhardt for his session, "Drivers of Change" to learn more and share ideas with other operators on this topic.

What operators should pay attention to: How refreshment services match with evolving workplace experience expectations

• How employers are using amenities to encourage employees to return to the office.
• Whether breakrooms are becoming more intentional employee-experience destinations.
• Demand for more flexible food, beverage and coffee options.
• The importance of convenience, quality and variety in workplace environments.
• Opportunities to work with clients earlier in the design of new or renovated spaces.

For operators, it means understanding that the client is not simply buying coffee or snacks. The client is investing in an experience for employees.

Potential areas of opportunity include:

• More intentional product assortment and merchandising.
• Refreshment spaces that support different employee needs and work patterns.
• Greater flexibility in service offerings.
• Better communication with clients about usage, preferences and service performance.
• Collaboration with clients on future amenity investments.

How vending operators can achieve growth amidst rising costs

As operators are faced with mounting fuel/delivery, labor and equipment costs, there are still paths to increase sales revenue. Bob Tullio will facilitate this general session. The discussion will also serve as a reminder to attendees that growth is not necessarily measured by the number of new accounts. Better account penetration, improved route density and greater revenue from existing customers can be just as important.

Questions operators should be asking:

• Can existing routes support additional revenue?
• Are current accounts generating enough revenue relative to the labor and equipment they require?
• Can technology improve route planning, inventory management and service efficiency?
• Are there opportunities to increase revenue per location without proportionately increasing operating costs?
• Can existing customer relationships support additional services?

These key themes are just scratching the surface, so make sure to check out the full session list to find themes and topics that are most relevant to you and your business needs!

This CTW session analysis was assisted by AI to scan the schedule and correlate overlapping topics.