Technology/Services

NACS Show® 2019: General Sessions and Education Forums

Fresh ideas and inspiration
Photograph by Scott Mitchell

ATLANTA — The 2019 NACS Show's general sessions will spotlight dynamic speakers with fresh ideas and inspiration to help retailers navigate and compete in today’s disruptive and fast-moving marketplace.

Educational sessions cover multiple aspects of the convenience industry. All sessions will be held in the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.

This list was provided courtesy of NACS and was current as of Sept. 9. The most complete listing, including session descriptions, speakers and updates, can be found at nacsshow.com.

Tuesday, Oct. 1

Educational Sessions
10:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m.

  • Small Operator Workshop: How to Hire in a Tough Labor Market

12-1 p.m.

  • Category Management 101
  • Curbing Food Waste: Effectively Managing Your Inventory
  • Gaining Control of Data and Supply Chain Visibility with GS1 Standards
  • How to Measure Promotion Effectiveness and ROI
  • Managing Corrosion: Expand the Life Span of Your Fuel Equipment
  • Navigating the Labor Landscape
  • Oh Shift! How to Change Your Life With One Little Letter

1-3:15 p.m.

  • Small Operator Workshop: Customers Don’t Purchase in the Back Office: Bringing Customers Through the Front Door
  • Small Operator Workshop: Understanding Store Economics

1:15-2:15 p.m.

  • Department Synergy Through Brand Vision
  • Evolving Your Tobacco Category
  • Exploring the Store of the Future
  • How to Stay Open Before, During and After a Disaster
  • Preparing for the Workforce of the Future
  • Successfully Retailing Biofuels

1:15-3:30 p.m.

  • Food Safety Roundtables: Protecting Public Health and Your Brand

2:30-3:30 p.m.

  • Adding Gaming Terminals to Your Stores: Demystifying the Process
  • Be Seen, Be Heard: Optimizing Your Media Budget
  • Data Security Beyond PCI: Securing the Enterprise
  • Stop the Leakage: Where Are Your Sales Going?
  • Taking Your Customer Loyalty Strategy Mobile
  • Tapping into Unconventional Labor Pools
  • The Frictionless Journey

3:45-5 p.m.

General Session: Jim Knight

NACS will begin the 2019 NACS Show with Jim Knight, a business training and development veteran who regularly speaks to organizational culture, world-class service, building rock star teams, employee branding and engagement, performance management and training best practices. He is the former senior director of training and development for Hard Rock Cafe.

5:30-7 p.m.

  • NACS Show Kickoff Party at Mercedes-Benz Stadium

Wednesday, Oct. 2

7-8 a.m.

  • Annual Interfaith Prayer Meeting

Educational Sessions
8-9 a.m.

  • Cannabis, Marijuana, CBD: The Practical and Legal Outlook
  • Convenience Matters Live: The Real Rock Stars of Convenience
  • Factors of Fuel Demand Destruction
  • HR Professional to HR Marketers
  • IT as a Strategic Partner
  • NACS Leadership for Success Project Report Out (Part 1)
  • Retail Under Attack: The Importance of Tobacco Training
  • EMV: Can You Afford Not to Upgrade?

8-10:15 a.m.

  • Small Operator Workshop: Consistent Coaching, Mentoring and Training
  • Small Operator Workshop: Just in Time Vs. Just in Case Inventory Management 

8:30–10 a.m.

  • C-Store Success: A Practical Guide to Sell Your Product, Service or Equipment to Convenience Stores

9:15–10:15 a.m.

  • Aging UST Systems: What You Need to Know (PEI session)
  • CBD, Hemp, Edibles: What Retailers Need to Know About This New Category
  • Combating Costs With Strong Facilities Maintenance/Management
  • Marketing Basics for Operations Staff
  • NACS Leadership for Success Project Report Out (Part 2)
  • Sprinting to Digital Transformation: Using Conexxus’ API Initiative to Compete in the Digital Economy
  • Super Session: Reimagining Mobility 2020-2030

10:30-11:30 a.m.

  • The Future of Fueling: Mobile, Electric, Infrastructure & the Convenience Economy (PEI session)

10:30-11:45 a.m.

General Session: Frank Gleeson and Robyn Benincasa

As he reaches the end of his term as chairman of NACS, Frank Gleeson, president of Aramark Northern Europe, based in Dublin, will discuss his year at the helm of the association.

Then, Robyn Benincasa will take the general session audience on a fast-paced multimedia adventure that imparts the mindset that allows teams to adapt, overcome and win as one against all odds, especially when the stakes are high, the goals are audacious and constant change is the only thing your team can count on (aside from one another). Benincasa is a world champion Adventure Racer, award-winning motivational speaker, three-time Guinness World Record kayaker, San Diego firefighter, 10-time Ironman triathlete, New York Times bestselling author, proud owner of two bionic metal hips, and the founder and CEO of the 501c3 Project Athena Foundation, which helps survivors live an adventurous dream as part of their recovery.

11:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

  • Show floor open

Thursday, Oct. 3

Educational Sessions

8-9 a.m.

  • Build Your Brand Strategy
  • Cold Vault: Trends and Takeaways
  • Employee Coaching: The Value of Checking In
  • EVs: Shifting From Fuel Provider to Energy Provider
  • Leveraging Niche Brands to Grow Your Center Store Sales
  • Negotiate Your Way to Better Relationships and Solutions
  • Rigged Against Retailers: The Broken Payments Card System and Hope for Change
  • The NACS/Conexxus Technology Road Map: 2019 Update

8-10:15 a.m.

  • Small Operator Workshop: Not Just Another ‘Promotion’ Promotion
  • Small Operator Workshop: One Way or Another, We’re Going to Get You: Managing Store Shrink

9:15-10:15 a.m.

  • Culture: Make Your Workplace a Great Place to Work
  • Digitize the Impulse
  • First to Market: Getting New Product on Your Shelves
  • Making Money With Food Trucks
  • Super Session: The Good Jobs Strategy

10-11:30 a.m.

  • Artificial Intelligence, Amazon Business & the Future of Distribution (PEI session)
  • New Tools for New Rules for New Fuels: Meeting Compatibility Requirements (PEI session)
  • Safety Focus on Four (PEI session)

10:30-11:45 a.m.

General Session: Henry Armour and Ideas 2 Go

Led by NACS President and CEO Henry Armour, Ideas 2 Go will showcase emerging concepts that redefine convenience. This fast-paced video tour will feature some of the most creative and potentially profitable ideas in the convenience and fuel retailing industry.

11:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

  • Show floor open

Friday, Oct. 4

8:30-9:30 a.m.

General Session: Julie Jackowski and Daymond John

The final general session of the NACS Show will welcome new NACS Chairwoman Julie Jackowski, senior vice president-corporate general counsel and secretary of Casey's General Stores, Ankeny, Iowa.

Then welcome Daymond John, a pioneer in the fashion industry, a regular on ABC’s “Shark Tank,” multiple New York Times bestselling author, branding guru and highly sought-after motivational speaker. In 2013, President Barack Obama appointed John, a Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship, a position focused on promoting the power and importance of entrepreneurship on a global scale. His presentation will reinforce the positive culture and “can-do” attitude necessary for continued success in the c-store industry.

9 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

  • Show floor open

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