NAMA OneShow Program Probes Latest Vending Technology And Market Changes

CHICAGO -- The National Automatic Merchandising Association is putting the finishing touches on the program for its upcoming OneShow convention and exposition. Slated for McCormick Place in Chicago from April 13 through 15, the 71st presentation of a NAMA tradeshow is themed "Seize Infinite Possibilities." The preliminary convention and exhibit schedule is as follows:

Tuesday, April 12

Again this year, NAMA is organizing an early-bird educational program for Tuesday, April 12. It offers two choices, each requiring separate registration.

From 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon, Mike Tompkins of Coffee Products Associates (Bloomingdale, IL), will lead a session titled "Coffee 101: the Elements of Coffee." Participation in this program is one of the two prerequisites for attaining NAMA's Certified Coffee Specialist designation. It will be held in Room E353B at McCormick Place's Lakeside Center.

From 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Dr. Gil Harrell, professor of marketing at Michigan State University (E. Lansing), will present an in-depth discussion themed "Path to Profit" in Room E353C. This session will analyze the best current thinking about arriving at sound pricing decisions that build loyalty while improving margins and overall volume.

These advance workshops will be followed by a Women's Industry Network and Emerging Leaders Network function at the Hard Rock Hotel from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, April 13

The formal program gets underway at 8:30 a.m. on April 13. There will be three series of business sessions.

A panel discussion, "Roadmap to Technology: Starting Out, Speeding Up and Scalable Solutions," will be moderated by NAMA endowed-professor emeritus Dr. Michael Kasavana, Michigan State University (E. Lansing). Panelists will include Ryan Harrington, Royal Vending (Portland, OR); Rod Nester, Smith Vending Corp. (Clarinda, IA); and Bradlee Whitson, K&R Vending Services (Bridgeton, NJ). It will be held in Room E353C at McCormick Place Lakeside Center.

At the same time, Brent Budke, senior consumer insights manager at General Mills, will provide an overview of the impact of changing consumer food values in Room E350.

Also at 8:30 a.m., "Critical Issues in 21st-Century Vending" will be the topic for Rick West, founder of mobile research organization Field Agent (Fayetteville, AR) and NAMA vice-president of information services Chip Potter. They'll present in Room E351.

Completing the first round of morning business sessions will be a panel discussion of "Hot New Trends in Cold Coffee," moderated by Angie Day, national OCS/vending sales manager of Gaviña Gourmet Coffee (Vernon, CA). Panelists will include Matt Bachmann and Ben Gordon, cofounders of Wandering Bear Coffee Co. (Long Island City, NY); Scott Maruyama, North American sales representative for Delori International LLC-Ready Draft (Whittier, CA); and Angella Myers-Wijmer, director foodservice, OCS and vending sales at Gaviña Gourmet Coffee. It's scheduled for Room E353B.

The second series of educational events begins at 9:45 a.m. Kasavana will return to Room E353C with a panel session on "What's Trending in Vending, Micromarkets and Refreshment Services." His panelists are Anant Agrawal, Cantaloupe Systems (San Francisco); Glenn Butler, Nayax North America (Hunt Valley, MD); Brendan Kehoe, Crane Merchandising Systems/Streamware (Norwood, MA); Mike Lawlor, USA Technologies Inc. (Malvern, PA); Chris Lilly, Best Vendors/NAMA VDI Task Force (Minneapolis); Paresh Patel, PayRange (Portland, OR); and Randy Smith, LightSpeed Automation (Suwanee, GA).

At the same time, Dr. Cheri Speier-Pero, a professor at Michigan State University (E. Lansing), will present "Let the Data Decide: Using Analytics to Gain a Competitive Edge." Her seminar is set for Room E350.

And NAMA's Chip Potter will facilitate a "small operator" roundtable in Room E363B. It's designed for operators managing up to four routes with fewer than 10 employees, and will explore topics important for profitable growth including technology, micromarkets and route order prekitting, along with general operations and expansion strategies.

The final series of the first day's curriculum kicks off at 11:30 a.m. with a presentation on "Beacons: Signaling a New Era of Precise Operational and Marketing Capability." Presenters are Dan Cath, Google's strategic partnerships and business development head, and Derek Myers, who oversees channel strategy and commercialization at Coca-Cola Co. It will be held in Room E351.

At the same time, Heather Bailey and Jon Hoag of SmithAmundsen (Chicago) will lead an open forum titled "Ask the HR Experts: OSHA Compliance, Labor and More" in Room E353.

Also concurrently, John Healy, Healy Consulting Communications (Chicago), will explore the role of the LinkedIn network in catalyzing social media success. He will present in Room E352.

And a session on nutrition, health and wellness trends will be led by Bill Layden of Foodminds (Chicago) in Room E350.

General Session

The OneShow Opening General Session is set for 1:15 p.m. at the Arie Crown Theater. A highlight will be the presentation of NAMA's Industry Awards, bestowed upon the individuals who best exemplify support of the refreshment services industry through a history of service and leadership. Chosen as Operator of the Year is Scott Meskin, Black Tie Services (Baltimore); named Allied Member of the Year is Art Wittern, U-Select-It (Des Moines, IA). Taking top honors as Industry Person of the Year is Josh Rosenberg, Accent Foods (Bellaire, TX). | SEE STORY

A special event at the general session this year will be a "Swim with the Sharks" competition. ABC-TV "Shark Tank" cast members Lori Greiner and Robert Herjavec will oversee a duel in which hopeful innovators will pitch their industry-related ideas to the "sharks" for the opportunity to win a prize pool. Greiner and Herjavec then will moderate a panel discussion, similar in format to the TV show, hosted by NAMA president and chief executive Carla Balakgie. | READ MORE

The general session will be followed by the official opening of the 2016 exhibits at 3 p.m. They'll be available for viewing until 6:30 p.m.

Thursday, April 14

The agenda on Thursday will lead off with the State Council Breakfast, by invitation only, at 8 a.m. It will be moderated by NAMA senior vice-president of government relations Eric Dell.

At 9:30 a.m., the NAMA annual membership meeting and election to the board of directors will be held in Room E351. The 2016 annual meeting will be followed by a discussion of best practices for health and food safety, moderated by NAMA's Dell. Panelists will include Angelo Bellomo, deputy director for health protection for Los Angeles, and Roger E. Coffman LEHP, food program specialist at Lake County, IL's health department.

The exhibit will reopen at 11 a.m. on Thursday and close at 5 p.m.

Friday, April 15

Friday will be devoted to the exhibit, which will be available for viewing from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Back by popular demand will be the Friday Wrap, featuring an exhibitor raffle and other events.

The National Automatic Merchandising Association was established in 1936, and its first annual convention and trade show took place 10 years later. Information on the 2016 event may be found at namaoneshow.org.