Avanti Markets held its fourth annual Operator Meeting in San Antonio, TX on December 1st through the 3rd. This year’s meeting achieved new attendance records from the previous year with over 230 attendees throughout the two-day conference. We heard from several Operators that this was the best Avanti event ever. “Attending the Operators Meeting is a great opportunity to share ideas with other likeminded industry leaders. No matter how many Markets others are operating, there is always something to be learned from different approaches to the business. The Operators Meeting is another way to build the Avanti Markets community and build the industry as a whole,” said Mike Pearce, Ace Vending.
The meeting was broken out into two main education session days. The first day consisted of operators being divided up by their number of current markets in the field, and day two allowed them to sit in education sessions based on their role within their company. For example, sales and marketing was in group one, market managers or supervisors made up group two, and the owners/presidents were in group three. “I found this meeting to be a boon of knowledge, where operators shared real data in the interest of helping others grow,” said Oliver Almalel, Markets Manager at Gourmet Coffee Service.
The meeting also consisted of an Operator Trade Show with 33 supplier table top displays. This provided the opportunity for suppliers to talk one-on-one with operators about their micro market product lines. “I have to say it was one of the best shows I have attended in a long time! Great interaction with the Avanti team and operators,” said Bob Board, National Distribution Development Manager for The Kraft Heinz Company.
This year Avanti provided suppliers an opportunity to gain knowledge of micro markets today, future implications/improvements and ways to maximize functionalities of the kiosks to create product lift and sales lift for the operator. A large part of the content for all sessions came from the Avanti Market Inc. team including guest speakers Paul Tullio from Gourmet Coffee Services, Mike Pearce from Ace Vending and Jim Belisle from Continental Services. Eric Dell, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs for NAMA also appeared to share on micro market regulations and advocacy efforts affecting suppliers and operators.
The most exciting news to come from the meeting was when Avanti announced a new program that offers a Lifetime Guarantee for all kiosks. Jim Brinton, CEO stated “I have always said that as Avanti reaches some scale we would be giving back to those Operators that have helped us reach those milestones. I feel that one of the biggest concerns for Operators has been not knowing the lifespan of a Kiosk since this equipment is new to them, and what those unknown costs would be to maintain or replace that Kiosk. A lifetime warrantee just removed that question and certainly will let our Operator family sleep better at night,” Ray Leydecker, Vice President of Operations at Mcliff Coffee and Vending, said. “In particular I’m very pleased about the new Lifetime Kiosk Warranty; it’s nice to have a partner that is looking out for the operators.”
The meeting ended with a raffle of equipment sponsored by vendors of Avanti Markets. One of the most exciting items was an Executive Kiosk that was sponsored by Slabb Kiosks, Inc. Other vendors that donated items for the raffle were MEI Group, Genesis Décor, Minus Forty Technologies, Mobile Merchandiser, and Premier Wireless. Each year the meeting concludes with awards handed out to operators to recognize individuals for specific categories. The Awards and honorary winners are as follows Coffee Spotlight Recognition awarded to PGI Services/Specialized Markets; Micro Market Legislative Advocate awarded to both Advantage Food & Beverage and Continental Vending; New 2015 Operator Spotlight awarded to Jackson Brothers of the South; Operator of the Year awarded to Continental Services; Growth Performer of the Year awarded to Monumental Vending; Customer Appreciation awarded to Canteen of Coastal California. “We want to thank all of our operators and suppliers for their continued support in making our annual meeting a success to all that attended,” said Brinton.
Founded in 2009, Avanti Markets is the leader in the Micro Market industry. Avanti’s platform provides operators with a leading-edge micro market transaction system that leverages real time data to help support operational efficiencies. Avanti’s back end software integrates promotions and inventory management tools to control the flow of goods, pre-kitting systems that will drive operational efficiencies for route drivers, and data warehousing infrastructure to help operators understand their micro market business. The Avanti advantage creates a micro market experience that let’s the consumers determine how they interact and the operator increase revenues through every transaction. Visit Avanti Markets on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn orwww.AvantiMarkets.com.
