The NACS Show 2017 hits record numbers

This year’s NACS Show in Chicago embodied the positive moment the convenience industry undergoes with record attendance numbers and dozens of new products.

Attendance at the 2017 NACS Show surged 7.0% to a record 24,940 attendees from 63 countries, according to figures released today by NACS.

In addition, “buyers” attending the NACS Show (classified as retailers and convenience distributors, including Petroleum Equipment Institute [PEI] registration) grew 3.3% to 8,502.

The NACS Show is the premier event of the year for the convenience and fuel retailing industry in the U.S. It featured four days of general sessions, 60 education sessions and 1,263 exhibiting companies in a record-setting 425,800 net-square-foot expo.

Attendees also could choose from education sessions covering relevant industry topics such as foodservice and food safety, leadership development, marketing, technology and fuels.

At the conclusion of the NACS Show, more than 52,000 pounds of refrigerated and frozen food product were collected by Greater Chicago Food Depository volunteers; the Ronald McDonald House collected 70,000 pounds of shelf-stable goods for use in their local facilities and other charities.

Joe Sheetz, president and CEO of Sheetz Inc., was named the 2017-18 NACS Chairman, and Jay Ard, vice president of national sales, convenience retail, at The Coca-Cola Company, was named 2017–18 chairman of the NACS Supplier Board.

The 2018 NACS Show will take place October 7–10 in Las Vegas at the Las Vegas Convention Center.