The NACS Show returns to Las Vegas this fall, where more than 24,000 industry players will converge to network, explore new products on the 430,000-square-foot expo floor and have some fun, too.

But the NACS Show isn’t just a place to network and check out the coolest new products—it also gives you the opportunity to ignite your learning with 50 Education Sessions designed by your industry peers.

This year, attendees can expect a robust lineup of sessions, trainings and interactive workshops that address a variety of industry hot topics and issues, ranging from the ins and outs of category management to developing loyalty to frontline labor solutions and more. Be sure to check out NACSShow.com for updates.

Category Management

Emerging Trends in the Tobacco Industry

In this session shaped for category managers and operations professionals, we’ll explore how retailers have adapted their back bar with insights into the unique challenges of managing stores in areas affected by tobacco flavor bans. Learn more about the complexities of maintaining a consistent category assortment across diverse locations, as well as how to sustain profitability in the face of regulatory challenges.

Essential Do’s and Don’ts in Category Management

Unlock the keys to successful category management by attending this session designed for new category managers and marketers. Learn the top three do’s and don’ts that can make or break your company’s strategy, from leveraging data to staying ahead of industry trends and optimizing product assortment. Don’t miss this opportunity to elevate your category management skills and drive in-store sales.

Expanding the Power of Private Label

Private-label products offer a unique opportunity for differentiation and building brand loyalty. Hear retailers discuss the latest trends in private label, consumer insights and success stories. Whether you’re a retailer looking to enhance your private-label strategy or a supplier seeking to collaborate with retailers, this session will help you unlock the full potential of private-label programs. 

Pack Bev Blueprint: Optimizing Space, Trends, Pricing and Promotions

This comprehensive deep dive into the packaged beverages category will start with current research and trends, followed by initiatives and tactics from multiple retailers to energize the category and increase sales. Through this quick ignite format, participants will gain actionable ideas to fine-tune their product assortments, capitalize on trends and implement effective pricing and promotion strategies.  

Rx for Winning the Drug Channel Shopper

As consumer shopping patterns continue to evolve, it’s essential for retailers to adapt and enhance their offerings to meet the diverse needs of their customers. Designed for retailers in merchandising and operations roles, this session will uncover the key trends, consumer insights and practices that are shaping the drug store landscape that can be translated to convenience. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to gain a competitive edge and unlock the secrets to winning over health, beauty and pharmacy customers. 

Strategies for Boosting Your Alcohol Category Performance

As consumer preferences change for beer, wine and spirits, knowing how to navigate emerging opportunities is essential for continued success. Join us for a masterclass session on how industry experts identify key trends and create actionable tactics that help their businesses navigate this evolving landscape. Session speakers will offer insights on driving success in this competitive market. Both retailers and suppliers will find value in the knowledge and insights shared for thriving in these key categories. 

Sweet Success: Maximizing Candy Sales for C-Store Shoppers

Candy is a top 10 in-store category. We’ll uncover the latest research and metrics to help guide your candy aisle with a focus on patterns and demand, generational insights, seasonal engagement, technology and social media. This session is geared towards candy retail buyers and distributors, confectionery manufacturers and brokers with clients in confectionery.   

Winning Against Dollar and Discount Stores

Explore tactics to differentiate your offerings, enhance customer experiences and drive profitability in the face of fierce competition. Whether you’re a small retailer or a major chain, discover how to stand out among your dollar and discount store competitors, attract customers and achieve sustainable growth. With practical insights and real-world examples, this session equips you with the tools to emerge victorious.

Customer Experience

Accelerating Growth Through Strategic Partnerships

Although pricing and supply chain issues have created challenges for retailers and suppliers, the foundation of success remains rooted in shared objectives, trust, transparency and open communication. Nurturing these relationships ensures future success through collaboration and adaptability. Designed specifically for those embedded in retailer-vendor relations, this session has actionable strategies for navigating turbulent waters and ensuring a stronger and enduring partnership.

Global Retail Innovations from Around the World

This session traverses continents to uncover pioneering strategies, unique ideas, disruptive technologies and visionary concepts that are transforming the global convenience retail landscape. From store design to digital experiences, we’ll share examples of the latest trends and emerging retail concepts to help guide your company and how you can apply them.

Spilling the Tea on Gen Z

Join us as we discuss the unique characteristics, preferences, values and behaviors of Gen Z (those born between the late 1990s and 2014). We’ll explore effective hiring practices, workplace engagement strategies and innovative marketing techniques tailored to this diverse and digitally savvy generation. Whether you’re seeking to attract top Gen Z talent or capture this demographic’s attention at stores, this session offers tips to help you succeed. 

Foodservice

Foodservice Failures That Lead to Innovation

Embark on a journey through innovation in the foodservice industry, uncovering the stories behind transformative successes and the lessons learned from failures. This session is made to order for foodservice professionals seeking insights into how innovation impacts customer loyalty, shopper perception and the bottom line.

Innovating Your Foodservice With Equipment and Packaging

Discover the newest trends retailers and QSRs are adopting, from cutting-edge equipment to innovative packaging solutions that enhance convenience and efficiency. Explore topics such as to-go and curbside, and effective hot and cold merchandising techniques that optimize customer satisfaction. 

Protecting Consumers and Your Brand With Food Safety Basics

Two retail leaders will share the common violations and key data necessary to help protect customers, your teams and your brand. During this session, designed for those in food safety, foodservice, risk management and quality assurance roles, learn firsthand from both a multi- and single-operator as they provide insights on preparing for inspections and navigating the larger regulatory landscape. Don’t miss this opportunity to enhance your understanding of food safety risks and compliance.  

Sustainable Practices in Controlling Food Service Waste

Through innovative and sustainable practices, we can significantly reduce the environmental impact of food service operations while benefiting the bottom line. This session is for store owners, store managers and operation managers and other loss prevention experts vested in controlling dollars lost through food programs.  

Transforming Your Menu Like a Restaurant

We all know food is the future of convenience, but how do we scale our menus to meet the needs of diverse customers? Hear from restauranteur Stafford Shurden on the hundreds of convenience stores he has visited and reviewed, and what it has taught him about food menus. Designed for those in foodservice or operations, Shurden will share the good and the bad when it comes to the stores he has seen in our industry, and what you can do to elevate your menu.

Winning the Dinner Daypart

According to Food Genius, 80% of Americans don’t know what they are having for dinner by 4:00 p.m. They also don’t particularly enjoy making dinner, which is an opportunity for convenience retailers to grow their food business and gain a bigger share of the dinner daypart. In this fast-paced session, explore strategies and tactics to attract and retain customers during the evening, transforming c-stores as a destination for dinner. Designed for retailers aspiring to grow their dinner daypart business, attendees will explore consumer insights and market trends shaping dinner habits. 

Fuels

Charging Your Profits With EVs

As demand for EV chargers expands, how do retailers make money on their infrastructure investment? Designed for those working in fuels, finance and overall operational strategy, this session will address the current business prospects of EV charging and equip operators to be more knowledgeable in their strategy to develop their alternative fuels business. 

Determining Your Fuel Mix

As the transportation market and related legislation undergo rapid changes, fuel retailers need to anticipate the evolving needs of their customers and adapt accordingly. This session, designed for retailers in fuel operations, will focus on identifying strategies and positioning that will enable retailers to serve their customers’ mobility needs successfully through fuel, without complicating the marketplace.  

FMN Fuel Marketers of the Year

Join us for a conversation with the large format and small format fuel retailers of the year. These esteemed retailers were selected by our Fuels Market News Advisory Board for their strength and prominence in fuels retailing throughout a turbulent year. Listen to how they navigate current challenges and hear about their plan for navigating the future of fuels.

Watts Ahead for EV Charging

Join this session, designed for those in fuels and operations, to discuss the realities of consumer adoption of EVs and the implications on the demand for chargers. The panelist will help retailers demystify hype versus reality and identify the early adoption signals that improve charger site selection and timing. 

Government Relations

Election Update

Join political analyst Jim Ellis and the NACS government relations team for an in-depth preview of the 2024 elections. This session will cover key federal House and Senate races, gubernatorial contests and the presidential election. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights into how the elections might shape the future legislative and regulatory landscape for your business.

HR and Labor

Reigniting Passion in Disengaged Employees

It’s essential to recognize when employees are disengaged and take proactive steps to reignite their motivation and commitment. Attend this session to discover how to recognize the signs of disengagement and tap into your employees’ strengths and motivations to boost performance.  

Retaining Your Frontline Through Manager Development

This session is purpose-built for business owners, HR professionals and operations staff, and will explore the link between frontline staff retention and effective manager development. The speakers will discuss strategies and practices for nurturing and empowering store managers to become effective leaders and mentors. From leadership training and skill development, to fostering a culture of recognition and support, attendees will gain actionable insights to enhance manager capabilities and drive employee engagement. 

Revamping Training and Development Strategies for C-Stores

Join us for a compelling case study that showcases a retailer’s innovative training program that encompasses seamless onboarding, operational accountability and tangible results in turnover reduction and employee retention. Our speaker will unveil this cutting-edge approach, which is tailored to the evolving needs of the convenience industry. This session is designed for those in HR and operations.   

Top 10 Essential Skills for Recruiting in 2025 and Beyond

Frontline jobs in a convenience store are complex. As the recruitment landscape continues to evolve, staying ahead requires a comprehensive understanding of the skills and competencies that are most valuable in today’s competitive job market. Whether you’re a seasoned recruiter or new to the field, join us for actionable insights that can help you drive success in talent acquisition.  

Marketing

Building Brand Trust Through Effective Crisis Management

Savvy retailers leverage storytelling to reinforce integrity, cultivate trust and foster loyalty during turbulent times. Learn from an industry leader who is an expert at crisis management as they share how to navigate challenges with grace and fortitude. Hear real-life examples and learn to strengthen your brand’s resilience and trust within the community. This session is designed for owners, operators, marketers and those who communicate their organization’s brand story.  

Crafting Irresistible Promotions for Maximum Impact

Through real-world examples of successes and failures, gain visibility into what drives maximum impact for promotions. Dive into actionable metrics and how-to’s, empowering you to create messages that captivate your audience. Whether you’re a marketer, category manager or business owner, this session will equip you with strategies to stand out in today’s competitive retail landscape. 

Digital and Physical Marketing Strategies for Smaller Retailers

From leveraging digital platforms to mastering traditional methods, discover how to attract and retain customers both online and offline. Gain practical insights and actionable tips to boost your visibility and sales in today’s competitive retail landscape. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to enhance your existing marketing efforts, this session will provide the tools you need to thrive.  

Harnessing the Power of Retail Media in the Convenience Store Industry

In an era where retail media is set to exceed $100 billion by 2027, convenience store chains are uniquely positioned to capitalize on this booming market. Their dense store networks and high purchase frequency make them ideal for leveraging retail media to drive value for consumers, advertisers and their own economics. Join us for an insightful session on the rapid growth and potential of retail media, featuring a dynamic panel with leading retailers from various-sized chains. We will explore how c-stores can focus on first-party data, create valuable advertising inventory and build robust retail media strategies. Learn how to transform your convenience store chain into a retail media powerhouse, attracting new revenue streams and enhancing customer engagement.

Loyalty Isn’t an App, It’s an Outcome

This session, designed with marketing professionals in mind, will challenge conventional notions of loyalty and unveil strategies to cultivate genuine customer loyalty beyond transactional interactions. In today’s crowded marketplace, simply offering a loyalty program or app isn’t enough to build lasting customer connections. Our speakers will explore the deeper drivers of loyalty, including personalized experiences, exceptional service and emotional engagement.  

The Future of Loyalty

From traditional scratch cards to today’s digital, multi-platform initiatives, we’ll delve into the transformative journey of retail loyalty programs. Gain insights into crafting authentic loyalty experiences that go beyond discounts and rebates, ensuring your brand stands out in a competitive landscape. Discover innovative strategies for maximizing customer engagement and loyalty in the modern retail era.

Unlocking Executive and Enterprise Value with Generative AI

In this marquee session, we will discuss the purpose of generative AI in achieving value capture and value creation for your organizations. We will update you on the latest outcomes that generative AI has achieved, provide the most common use cases we’ve seen in action from generative checkout, generative pricing, and the automation of some roles and large system automations that are changing organizations completely. Led by an expert in AI from Kellogg School of Management, this session is designed for executives to leverage a process to transform their organizations and unlock value with AI, and defines the basics of AI and showcases practical applications. Join us to unlock AI’s potential for your organizations.

Operations

Breaking Down the Latest State of the Industry Data

In this data-driven session, attendees will gain an extensive analysis of top performance metrics gleaned from proprietary NACS State of the Industry data. This session will deliver a comparative assessment of the industry’s financial health, operational efficiency and overall effectiveness, as well as opportunities for improvement. By leveraging NACS data, attendees will walk away with a deeper understanding of how to make informed strategic decisions and propel their companies toward greater success. 

Creating a Safe Store Environment for Employees and Guests

In this session, convenience retail loss prevention and risk experts will share strategies that they have successfully implemented to address safety concerns in their stores and on their forecourts. From doing what you can to control the store environment, working with law enforcement and the greater community and prioritizing risks, the two retail experts will provide multiple ideas to make small and big changes that can affect your bottom line, as well as customer experience and employee culture in your stores. 

How Inflation Is Changing Consumer Shopping Habits

As consumers try to stretch their dollars and meet their shopping wants and needs, understanding the trade-offs being made is essential. Led by an industry expert, this session will provide actionable insights for retailers and suppliers who are looking for guidance in understanding and adapting to the new consumer mindset in an inflationary environment. Don’t miss this opportunity to stay ahead of the curve and learn how to thrive in an ever-changing retail landscape, whether you are a retailer or a supplier.

Improving Synergy Between Merchandising and Operations

Seamless coordination between merchandising and operations is essential for driving profitability and delivering exceptional customer experiences. In this “Newlywed Game” style session, three retailers will team up—merchandising vs operations to see where they are aligned and where more work is needed. From inventory management to store layout and customer engagement strategies, this session will deliver unique perspectives on organizational success.

Learning From Your Peers: Common Pitfalls in Remodels and New Builds

Can drive-thrus help with sales? Do you need dedicated parking for mobile orders? How much space should you dedicate for cooler doors? What about touchless bathrooms? The lessons learned from others can help ensure your construction dollars and business disruptions are worth it. This session is designed for store owners and operations managers.  

Strategies for Increasing Workforce Efficiency and Retention

Utilizing technology to reduce administrative tasks, offering comprehensive training and fostering a supportive workplace culture can help ensure that employees remain engaged and committed, despite the allure of similar jobs with similar pay. This session is tailored for professionals in operations, HR, c-suite or managerial roles who are looking for new strategies for retaining talent and optimizing workforce performance.

Supplier

Convenience Connect

Convenience Connect is an opportunity for our newest NACS supplier members to meet and learn from our most influential convenience retailers. During this 90-minute roundtable, retailers representing a range of store sizes will host small groups of new suppliers to discuss industry topics relevant to their stores. Groups will rotate every 15 minutes to hear perspectives from other retailers. At the end of the second rotation, participants will continue informal conversations over light refreshments. Learn what’s top-of-mind for your customers and how you can help them improve their businesses.  

Professional Development

Connect for Success: The Steps to Influence

This workshop is designed for those who want to enhance their communication skills with persuasive and positive methods. Attendees will gain insights on active listening, building rapport and emotional EQ. Attendees will also learn how to employ perspective variance and third-party intermediaries. We’ll cap this session with the incredible story of how retired FBI Special Agent Kyle Vowinkel persuaded the Boston Marathon bomber to surrender. 

Ideas in Action: Solutions From the Front Line

The NACS Leadership for Success Program brings the brightest industry supervisors together to develop their personal leadership skills and become better leaders. For the past five months, the participants have been working on reducing turnover, increasing employee engagement and developing store managers by creating plans, setting goals and tracking their progress. They are ready to share the results! Hear what worked (and what didn’t) as they sought to develop and strengthen their teams.  

Women in Convenience: Navigating Leadership Paths and Driving Success

Decades of studies show that having women in leadership positions helps increase productivity, enhance collaboration, inspire organizational dedication and improve fairness. If you are looking to advance your career—or support the development of leadership diversity in your organization—don’t miss this session with female industry leaders who will share strategies for navigating leadership paths, overcoming obstacles and leveraging unique strengths to drive success.  

Technology

AI for Everyone

From automating repetitive tasks to augmenting human capabilities, artificial intelligence has the potential to transform the convenience industry and the way we work and interact with technology. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or exploring the world of AI, this session will provide valuable insights on how AI can be harnessed to drive innovation and efficiency in your organization.

A New Dimension in Barcodes? Preparing for Sunrise 2027

The current UPC barcode is going away. Are your systems and stores ready for this next industry transformation to the new 2D GS1 Digital link? Learn how these new capabilities will transform consumer engagement, enable new retailer use cases across the supply chain and enhance digital product data. Don’t miss this exciting and informative session presented by PepsiCo and GS1 that will prepare retailers for the Sunrise 2027 timeline and leverage these new capabilities across their organizations. 

Cyberattacks Are Not a Matter of If, but When

With cyberattacks becoming increasingly sophisticated and pervasive, it’s important to safeguard your organization’s assets and reputation. This session, designed for IT, operations and c-suite professionals, will provide insights into proactive measures, incident response strategies and the latest cybersecurity technologies. Don’t wait until it’s too late—stay ahead of the curve and protect your business from cyber adversaries. 

The NACS/Conexxus Technology Roadmap

Drawing from extensive research beyond the industry’s confines, the NACS/Conexxus Technology Roadmap outlines the technological and cultural shifts that will shape the retail landscape. From cutting-edge innovations to cultural evolutions, the roadmap will help you navigate and thrive in the ever-changing technological terrain. Don’t miss this opportunity to prepare today for the future.

Convenience Store Feud: A Game Show Experience

Think you know what the survey said? We asked 100 people about convenience retail to create a fun and interactive game show experience. You can watch or play along as attendees guess how consumers responded to a variety of questions about the industry. You’ll learn, laugh and potentially walk away as the winner in this fun look at what consumers think about our industry.