National Petroleum News (NPN) has been the independent voice of the petroleum industry since 1909 as the opposition to Rockefeller’s Standard Oil. So, motor fuels marketing and retail is not just a sideline for us, it’s our core competency.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/94351
RETAIL BY KEITHREID NACS SHOW HITS RECORD NUMBERS tunities or on the expo floor. As far as investments go, could there be any bet- ter one for your business?" "The NACS Show was a clear suc- A RECORD NUMBER OF BUYERS fueled a 7.2 percent surge in NACS/PEI Show attendance this year, as attendance hit 24,056, the second highest ever, and only 309 short of the record set in 2004. The NACS/PEI Show took place Oct. 7-10 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. It is ranked as one of the 50 largest annual trade shows in the United States. Records abounded at the show this year. The number of buyers (retailers, wholesalers and distributors) was up 17.1 percent to reach 9,764. Both NACS and Petroleum Equipment Institute (PEI) buyer registration increased 17 percent compared to 2011, with NACS buyers hitting a record 8,057—nearly 3 percent more than the previous record set in 2004. PEI buyer registration was 1,707, the third-highest total ever. Attendees came from a record 65 countries and international attendance was a record 2,482 delegates. The trade how featured a 381,050- plus net-square-foot exposition with 1,176 exhibiting companies—of which 200 companies were new to the NACS/ PEI Show. More than 150 companies were waitlisted to for the expo, which 16 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2012 was sold to fire marshal-mandated capacity. Extending the value of the expo to both retailers and exhibitors, the Cool New Products Preview Room featured 306 products, another record. In addition, the show featured three days of general sessions and 53 educa- tional sessions. The educational ses- sions alone drew a cumulative 9,889 attendees, averaging out to nearly 190 attendees per session, the most ever recorded. Reflecting the growing inter- national scope of the NACS/PEI Show, the general sessions were translated into Portuguese, Spanish and Mandarin Chinese, and select educational ses- sions were translated into Portuguese and Spanish. "Our record numbers reaffirm the value that the NACS Show delivers to our industry," said NACS vice chair- man of convention Pat Lewis, partner of Oasis Stop 'N Go LLC, headquar- tered in Twin Falls, Idaho. "The NACS Show is an annual must-attend event for retailers who see attendance as an investment in their businesses. With our theme of 'One idea can change your business,' ideas were everywhere, whether in sessions, networking oppor- cess, with positive stories from across our diverse supplier community about the robust foot traffic throughout the run of the event," said NACS Supplier Board Chairman Lucia Romanello Crater, vice president of retail sales for Cardtronics Inc. "With the opportunity for significant business-building activi- ties with existing clients and leverag- ing new relationships with convenience store prospects, suppliers were clearly able to optimize their NACS experience and deliver a recognized return on their NACS Show investment." On the PEI side, there was an equal appreciation for the turnout and business environment of the show this year. "Attendance was up and the manufacturers seemed pleased with both the amount of traffic and the quality of traffic," said Bob Renkes, executive vice president and general counsel of the Petroleum Equipment Institute. "I think it's fair to say that PEI members' customers by and large—including both retail and commercial—are doing O.K. They are building, they are upgrad- ing, they are buying, they are doing what needs to be done on the envi- ronmental side and what needs to be done on the outside. I think there was something for everybody, and the pleased responses came from just about everybody." The 2013 NACS Show will take place Oct. 12-15 in Atlanta. A variety of new or enhanced prod- ucts were on display at the show. Here are some of the highlights: NPN Magazine n www.npnweb.com OPERATIONS