OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill. -- The world of convenience retailing is evolving … rapidly. And category managers are constantly seeking that next big idea or unique trend that will take their business to the next level.
At Winsight Events’ Convenience Retailing University, presented by CSP magazine, retailers and suppliers have the opportunity to strategize together on the future of convenience retailing. Hundreds of these creative leaders will converge Feb. 23-25, 2016, at the InterContinental Hotel in Dallas, seeking insight, key trends and data and valuable ideas to implement in their stores.
Registration for this event is now open at ConvenienceRetailing.com.
The educational curriculum at CRU extends the attentive programming for those making buying decisions and executing marketing programs at the store level.
“The ideas and useful information we use and apply to our locations or the way we do business are the reasons we come back to CRU,” said Ed Wazney, director of marketing for Sampson-Bladen Oil.
CRU also brings in leaders from outside the convenience-store industry, presenting thought-provoking philosophies and concepts to not only build your business, but to instill in your personal life.
Confirmed speakers include:
- Howard Behar, former president of Starbucks.
- Thom Blischok, chief retail strategist for Strategy&.
- Eric Chester, award-winning speaker and best-selling author on employee engagement workplace culture and the millennial mindset.
- David Houle, futurist and author.
- James H. Johnson Jr., Ph.D, distinguished professor at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
- Drayton McLane, chairman, McLane Group; former CEO, McLane Co.; and former owner, chairman and CEO of the Houston Astros.
- Major Dan Rooney, founder of Folds of Honor.
- Robert Safian, editor and managing director for Fast Company.
- John West, charitable and community programs at Alon Brands Retail
Retail industry peers and convenience-store suppliers have ample time to network, innovate and engage face-to-face while at CRU. The focal point of the supplier and retailer interface is the C-Store Product Gallery, where attendees can sample new products to resonate with customers while networking and discussing business with top suppliers.
“I enjoy the setting of select manufacturers so you get a better chance to interact and ask questions,” said Bill Ripley, director of marketing at Stop-N-Go of Madison.
The camaraderie of the industry is evident with the charitable giving activities of CARRE, the Charitable Alliance of Restaurant & Retail Executives. At CRU this year, CARRE spotlights the Folds of Honor, an organization that provides educational assistance and other financial support to the spouses and children of military members who have been killed or disabled while on active duty.
“The three days of insights retailers and suppliers receive at CRU is extraordinary,” said Myra Kressner, senior vice president and conference director of Winsight Events. “It is the best place to discuss solutions and opportunities with the c-store industry’s leading visionaries—your peers. As the industry evolves, so does Winsight and CRU; we want every attendee to be inspired, and produce this one-of-a-kind conference to help guide the convenience retailing industry toward the future.”
Registration for the event is available online at ConvenienceRetailing.com. To attend the conference, operators can contact Mark Hatch at mhatch@winsightmedia.com or (480) 337-3419. For sponsorship information, please contact Myra Kressner at mkressner@winsigihtmedia.com or (718) 428-7655.
Oakbrook Terrace, Ill.-based Winsight LLC (formerly CSP Business Media) is a market-dominant business-to-business media and information company specializing in the convenience-retailing, restaurant and noncommercial foodservice industries. Winsight has a media portfolio of four leading publications, including CSP, Restaurant Business, FoodService Director and Convenience Store Products, a suite of digital products including websites, e-newsletters (Restaurant Business Daily and CSP Daily News, among others) and webinars, as well as video products, mobile and tablet apps, custom marketing solutions and the convenience-store retailer intelligence tool, CSPedia.
The Winsight Events group produces six exclusive, large-scale executive-level conferences—Restaurant Leadership Conference, FARE Conference, Outlook Leadership, Convenience Retailing University, FSTEC and MenuDirections—in addition to more than 12 major EduNetworking conferences and advisory meetings. Winsight recently acquired Technomic Inc., the leading provider of primary and secondary market information and advisory services to the food industry.
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