ALEXANDRIA, Va. — After last year’s NACS virtual Crack the Code Experience served as a placeholder for the annual NACS Show during pandemic-driven meeting limits, the convenience-store industry’s trade association will bring retailers, suppliers and others together in Chicago beginning Tuesday, Oct. 5.
The 2021 NACS Show will be held Oct. 5-8 at McCormick Place in Chicago, offering “the brightest ideas and innovative products with the best in the industry, safely,” NACS said.
This year’s NACS Show will include 420,000 square feet of exposition space, featuring more than 1,200 exhibitors across six categories, NACS said. These categories include:
- Facility Development & Store Operations
- Food Equipment & Foodservice Programs
- Fuel Equipment & Services
- Merchandise
- Candy & Snacks
- Technology
Click here for a complete list of exhibitors.
Several familiar elements of the show will return, including a new exhibitor area, a Cool New Products preview room, general session speakers each day of the show and a full slate of educational workshops.
New additions will include:
- An inaugural NACS IDEA Conference embracing Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Awareness. This live, industrywide conversation will take place in Chicago on Oct. 4, a day before the main show kicks off.
- Two other preconference options include a Multi-Unit Leadership training session led by author Jim Sullivan. The NACS Advanced Category Management Certification program is a pre-conference add-on. Registration for both sessions is limited to 50 participants.
Throughout the week, NACS will implement and enforce safety protocols, which may include, mask mandates as required by local government agencies and enhanced cleaning and sanitization. The association also encourages and recommends all attendees to be vaccinated against COVID-19, it said.
Watch CSPDailyNews.com during the next two weeks for show updates and reports.
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