NACS/PEI Show Sees Record Attendance
By Brenda Johnstone
This past month, I had the privilege, again, of attending the NACS/PEI show in Chicago, which welcomed 25,136 attendees from 73 countries, an attendance record for the host city. Another great event with many new exhibitors, and I caught up with the many friends I met in previous years
The show this year boasted two huge halls filled with the products and services every convenience store and retail petroleum site needs. Whether you offer full-service fueling or a full kitchen, this show had it all.
A “not to be missed” section, as every year, was the Cool New Products Preview Room with 346 new products on display.
The education sessions always draw large crowds with the average session welcoming more than 220 attendees. If you missed these sessions, NACS will offer audio and slide recordings in the coming weeks for a fee. For two-and-a-half days, we walked and talked, sampled and made our way up and down the many aisles, checking out the new wares of the trade.
The top session that I attend every year is the IDEAS TO GO session where Jeff Lenard and his team present the best of the best convenience stores from across the United States and this year, a look at retailing in Japan. The IDEAS TO GO session is the beginning of the show for me, and my favorite.
This year, I didn’t see the “one” product offered by many; instead, I saw products with updated versions and improvements, such as the OPW 71SO Segmented Overfill Valve, DSE commercial dispenser tops, reconnectable swivel breakaway, and so much more. Leading in offering efficiency was the OPW new 71SO Segmented Overfill Valve, which, by dividing the drop tube into four interlocking sections, allows for more compact packaging and easier transport while simplifying storage and shipping.
OPW Wash Solutions ICS introduced its newest payment terminal technology – the wash cloud portal – and so much more to enable operators to stay on top of daily operations with the click of a mouse, leveraging the system’s Smart 360 networking capabilities.
The one category I noticed again this year was protein with protein popcorn, protein snacks, protein drinks, and protein supplements. It seems to me that the generations of convenience customers are asking for better-quality food and drink, healthier options, and more of them. Don’t misconstrue these comments, there were many of the “regular” convenience store treats available, from the ever-popular Krispy Chicken, at which there were line-ups of attendees continually every day, waiting for that oh so delightful Krispy Chicken sandwich, or thigh and biscuit. There were baked goods in abundance along with energy drinks, energy shots and more.
One product really stood out: DEFENT Fentanyl Test Kit. This is a one-use, single fentanyl tester device. This product, in my opinion, is something that all convenience stores, retail petroleum and carwash sites might consider offering. Defence Diagnostics Inc. test kit featuring the most sensitive test strip on the market, an innovative, anonymous reporting system, and all the components needed to conduct accurate tests with consistent results.
Other products that stood out were sustainable and reusable, such as those from Lotus Sustainables. The products they were displaying were reusable shopping bags that could be branded. Their website boasts almost four billion plastic bags eliminated. They offer a wide selection of bags, from small handheld to cooler bags, trolley bags, produce bags, and more. They’re beautiful and functional, and let’s face it, the sooner we can eliminate plastics, the better off we’ll all be.
All in all, the NACS/PEI show did not disappoint. From petroleum to technology to carwash to great snacking options and foodservice to beverages and signage.
