It's the 2011 NACS State of the Industry Summit,the only event that drills into the convenience store channel's total performance in the previous year, and the only one that tackles the hottest issues of the day. And that means hearing the latest about volatile energy markets, threats to swipe-fee reform and access to capital, as well as updates in [image-nocss] emerging consumer trends and category insights.
"Our program digs into every major issue we have faced over the last three years and will provide attendees with a detailed analysis of what they should take into account to grow sales in 2011 and beyond," said NACS vice chairman of research and State of the Industry Summit chairman Fran Duskiewicz (pictured), senior executive vice president of Nice N Easy Grocery Shoppes Inc., Canastota, N.Y.
The April 5 to 7 event will take place at the InterContinental O'Hare Hotel in Chicago. The deadline to receive the Summit hotel rate discount is Sunday, March 13; the deadline for attendee registration is Friday, March 25.
"The increase to a record 146,341 stores showed that our industry was turning around and demonstrating significant strength going into 2011. The question is how can we continue that momentum despite the current fuels volatility and other economic uncertainty," said Duskiewicz.
General session speakers will include Walter Zimmermann, chief technical analyst at United Energy, who will give a comprehensive market forecast; David Nelson, president of Study Groups, who will examine the overall U.S. economy; and Tom Kloza of OPIS, who will give an in-depth look at the current state of the motor fuels market.
In addition to the general sessions, the State of the Industry Summit will include breakout sessions that focus on key categories--such as foodservice--as well as networking opportunities with leading industry retailers and NACS supplier member companies.
Registration is free for NACS retailers whosubmit data for the confidential NACS State of the Industry of 2010 Data Surveys. Contributing retailers also will receive a free copy of the NACS State of the Industry Report (a $249 value for NACS members and $749 value for nonmembers) containing the most comprehensive financial and operational metrics and analysis NACS State of the Industry products and events.
Retailers can register for the event here.
NACS supplier members can register for the summit here.CSP Information Group, Oak Brook, Ill., serves as the exclusive media partner for the NACS State of the Industry Summit and will publish the State of the Industry Handbook in May. For information on advertising, contact Jim Bursch at (630) 528-9224 or jbursch@cspnet.com.
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