NAMAs 2015 OneShow Attracts 4600-Plus Vending Professionals To Las Vegas

ONESHOW BIZ:NAMA chief Carla Balakgie plays host to King of Late Night Jay Leno following his standup shtick to a packed audience during opening general session.

Held from April 22 to 24 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, the OneShow exhibit area measured 70,000 square feet, 3% larger than the prior year's show floor. NAMA said it was the largest OneShow in terms floor space. NAMA also reported 75 first-time exhibitors and 250 total, as well as 4,600-plus registered participants.

Themed "The Industry's ExPeerience of the Year," the OneShow's educational lineup, exhibit floor and networking events were structured to enable operators to interact with and learn from their industry peers, hear from segment experts, and evaluate new tools and resources. NAMA president and chief executive Carla Balakgie and NAMA chairman Pete Tullio of World Wide Vending (Van Nuys, CA) teamed up to deliver the convention's opening address during the general session on April 22.

They identified the association's most pressing priorities for the year ahead as "playing offense" on the legislative front and helping operators harness technology to drive growth in their businesses. Among the vending industry's legislative victories is a two-year compliance window for the FDA's calorie-labeling rule, announced in November. Restaurants have only one year.

"We met with elected officials and they listened and got to know our business and our efforts paid off," Tullio said.

Tullio informed showgoers that NAMA will hold its first "Fly In" on Capitol Hill, July 21-22, and urged all industry members to participate and meet with their elected officials to discuss the issues most important to their businesses and the industry at large.

POWER OF PARTNERSHIPS:Alliance for a Healthier Generation chief Howell Wechsler, who headlined OneShow opening session, praises Fit Pick healthy vending program.

NAMA approved new directors at its annual membership meeting on April 23. Serving three-year terms expiring in June 2018 are Vic Pemberton, Pepi Cos. (Dothan, AL); Larry Atnip, Atnip Co.; Nicholas Gacos, Colorado Associates (Jersey City, NJ); Joseph Hessling, 365 Retail Markets; Josh Rosenberg, Accent Food Services (Pflugerville, TX); John Seeberger, Burdette Beckmann Inc.; Cliff Whitehead, Flowers Foods; and Earl Williams, Dole Packaged Foods.

Howard Chapman of Royal Cup Coffee (Birmingham, AL) will succeed Tullio as NAMA chairman.

The keynote speaker at the general session was Julie Seitz, director of Workplace 2020 for Coca-Cola Co. She told vending operators how they can be more relevant by updating the services they offer to clients whose workplace environments are changing dramatically.

The 18-year Coca-Cola veteran has led complex, large-scale initiatives, the latest of which is Workplace 2020, an ambitious mission to reimagine and revitalize Coke's Atlanta headquarters campus and define the future of the company's global work environment. The vision is a "uniquely Coca-Cola" workplace that is connected and productive, and inspires collaboration, creativity, innovation, optimism and action.

Seitz offered suggestions for using an operating company's own workplace to its competitive advantage, particularly by attracting and retaining a growing "millennial" workforce. Vending operators also can leverage the engaging visual ideas, experiences and trends Seitz presented to educate their clients on the ways in which vending and other refreshment services fit into today's evolving workplace.

Howell Wechsler, chief executive of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, was also a featured speaker at the OneShow general session. The alliance, founded by the American Heart Association and the Clinton Foundation, works with schools, businesses, community organizations, healthcare professionals and families to build healthier environments for children.

Wechsler's theme was "The Power of Partnerships," emphasizing the role the vending industry has played and can continue to improve upon to further the alliance's mission of providing consumers access to healthier options.

NAMA reviewed three brand new studies during an early-bird session on April 21. The association released its "NAMA 2014 Census of the Refreshment Services Industry," based on data provided by Technomic (Chicago); an update to the ongoing micromarket consumer and transactional research conducted by Bachtelle & Associates (Tustin, CA); and "Defining the Refreshment Services Experience of the Future," with data from Heart+Mind Strategies (Reston, VA).

Technomic's findings suggest better-for-you snacks, fresh foods, technology and premium coffee are driving vending and refreshment services trends. Its report shows micromarkets are leading the growth of the refreshment services channel. With 9,000 micromarkets in 2014 in workplaces, hospitals, hotels and universities, growth is expected to reach 35,000 locations by 2017, a 300% increase.

LEADING THE WAY:Pete Tullio (r.), outgoing chairman of the National Automatic Merchandising Association, is pictured with chairman-elect Howard Chapman.

Heart+Mind conducted a consumer research study for NAMA of the growing influence of "millennials," and reviewed its findings at the Triple Play seminar, sharing with operators current consumer workplace trends that they can leverage to revitalize the refreshment services experience, along with realistic, target-driven strategies to engage millennials in the coffee service, vending and micromarket segments.

OneShow's wide-ranging educational program that began on the opening day delved into the industry's hot-button topics, including technology, nutrition and workplace consumer trends. Among the highlights was "Supercharge Your Micromarket: Food Trends, Consumer Insights and Winning Strategies," presented by Ludivine Marche, Kraft's associate director of consumer insights and strategy for foodservice, and Jack Li, managing director of research firm Datassential. They examined how c-stores and restaurants, among other food venues, are winning the modern consumer and how vending and micromarket operators can learn from their strategies.

Nicola Morris, managing director of 24, Compass Group's UK vending micromarket business, provided an international perspective on consumer engagement at the self-checkout stores. She shed light on how to understand customers, define the relationship between social engagement and buying behavior and the importance of creating a micromarket brand.

NAMA marketing vice-president Roni Moore unveiled a forum for users of the association's Fit Pick healthy vending program. Club Fit Pick membership enrollment is free to operators and other program users, including manufacturers of compliant products and themed machines. It will eventually include an online element at fitpick.org, where users can ask questions and suggest answers.

Following Moore's Fit Pick update, registered dietician and best-selling author David Grotto explored how product innovation, merchandising and marketing should be aligned with modern eating behaviors to meet consumer demand for better-for-you snack offerings.

Rounding out OneShow's education was several networking events, including a Tuesday night reception that united NAMA's Women's Industry Network group and Emerging Leaders Network and a Thursday evening reception and NAMA Foundation live auction outside the show floor.

As Vending Times goes to press, NAMA had not announced dates and a location for its 2016 OneShow; look for updates at namaoneshow.org. However, the association has scheduled its next three Coffee Tea and Water conferences. They take place in Washington, DC, Nov. 2-4, 2015; Nashville, Nov. 8-9, 2016; and Grapevine, TX, Nov. 6-8, 2017. Visit coffeeteaandwater.org.