From the 2025 NAMA Show: Operators weigh in on the show and what they need to do to succeed

As usual, podcast host Bob Tullio worked the 2025 NAMA Show convention floor with a microphone in hand, talking to a wide variety of operators. While they may have come to Las Vegas with different objectives, they all agreed that the show was a fine display of what the industry has to offer.

Tullio admits that after golfing for three days before the show with David “Hollywood” Henchel, Jim “Dutton” Evans and Rick “The Duke” Dutkiewicz, he was exhausted and had less money in his pocket. You can read all about that in Lessons from a pre-NAMA Show 'retreat' with three industry leaders.

As for NAMA show: Record attendance. Huge convention floor. Signs that the industry is moving in the right direction.

At each show, there is always a theme — a defining characteristic of what is being offered. We’ve seen K-cup madness, pod-mania, bean-to-cup brewer fest. But this year, as one operator pointed out, it is all about smart coolers, with ambient temperature, frozen and even hot food add-ons. 2025 is the year of the smart cooler at the NAMA Show, with over 25 varieties on the convention floor.

In this edition of Automatic Merchandiser’s Vending & OCS Nation podcast, Tullio spoke to several operators and some suppliers, asking them about their overall impressions of the show. What blew them away — or at least impressed them? And, finally, five years after the start of the pandemic, what do operators need to do to succeed?

Listen to insights from:

• Erin Moshier, Aramark
• Ricardo Silva, Viva Al
• Louis Baresh, Executive Refreshments
• Tom Bach, Sirness Vending
• Sarah Eigel, Daiohs First Choice
• Jim Evans, Evans Refreshment
• Mike Jamison, New Age Vending
• Adam Hill, Hill Vending Services