Day 1 of the NAMA Show focuses on fun, practical takeaways and innovation

The first day of 2025 NAMA Show, held at the Las Vegas Convention Center from May 7-9, included a packed lineup of presentations, awards presentations to key NAMA contributors, an amazement-inducing keynote by mentalist Oz Pearlman and a crowded and inspiring expo hall.

The event kicked off with a slate of presentations early Tuesday morning.

During the general session, outgoing NAMA President Carla Balakgie was honored by the NAMA board. Balakgie will continue working as a consultant, she noted, but her first focus will be volunteer advocacy work for a long-time passion, the Jane Austen Literary Foundation. NAMA has donated in Balakgie’s name in appreciation for her long-time service to the association.

Also during the general session, mentalist Oz Pearlman amazed the audience with his mind-reading performance. During his presentation, Pearlman emphasized that he reads people and not minds, but his perfect recall of otherwise unknowable facts suggests otherwise.

In addition, NAMA recognized key contributors and presented its “of the year” awards throughout the day.

Mark Stein, the now-retired former president of Mark Vend Co., will be recognized as the NAMA Industry Person of the Year. During his acceptance speech, Stein acknowledged the contributions of his family, particularly his brother, in the success of Mark Vend.

The Pepi Companies was awarded the Operator of the Year Award from NAMA. Company leaders David Pemberton, Donnie Pemberton and Shaun Morris accepted the award in Las Vegas. Speaking on behalf of Papi, David Pemberton credited their families and shared his perspective on the essential role that service plays.

On the show floor, attendees packed to see innovative technologies and the latest from long-time suppliers.