LAS VEGAS -- Experts in tobacco sales will update attendees on the state of the category at the upcoming NATO Industry Outlook seminar preceding the Tobacco Plus Expo. The seminar will focus on trends ranging from inventory movement to legislative issues. It will be held Jan. 30, in cooperation with the annual conference that formally begins on Jan. 31 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
NATO’s day of educational sessions, sponsored by Altria Group Distribution Co., Richmond, Va., and Swisher International, Darien, Conn., will begin at 12:30 p.m. Jan. 30 with an update on the tobacco industry from an economic perspective. The lead presenter will be Nik Modi, managing director for RBC Capital Markets, New York, where he covers the beverage, household, personal care and tobacco industries. The companies under Modi’s coverage total more than $1 trillion in combined market value.
Following Modi will be Don Burke, senior vice president of Management Science Associates (MSA), Pittsburgh, an information management, statistical analysis and business intelligence firm. Burke has more than 17 years of experience delivering business insights derived from a variety of data sources, including scanner, manufacturer and distributor shipment, and transactional, market-basket information.
The daylong event will conclude with a session on legislative issues conducted by two NATO officials: Tom Briant, the group’s executive director, and Brian Carr, NATO’s deputy executive director. Briant has worked on local, state and federal tobacco issues at the retail, wholesale and manufacturer level since 1989. Carr has previously worked on local and state tobacco issues as government affairs director for the Minnesota Retailers Association, St. Paul, Minn.
Click here for more information about the NATO workshop. For information about the Tobacco Plus Expo, which will run from Jan. 30 through Feb. 1, click here.
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