Record-breaking attendance says it all–and this one’s for the history books. M-PACT 2013 brought together nearly 4,500 energy and convenience professionals from across the Midwest for three exciting days of innovation and inspiration. As the industry’s premier regional tradeshow, M-PACT combined thought-provoking educational sessions with top-notch networking opportunities so attendees left for home with ideas to improve their bottom line.
The idea-swapping event encouraged retailers to rethink their business structure and discover new ways to stay competitive in today’s dynamic business environment. From the future of fuels to foodservice innovations, there’s no doubt attendees got the expertise to fuel their mind from the most successful and talked about educational sessions.
Researchers project convenience store foodservice to grow by 2.5% over each of the next two years. Retailers now know that foodservice can deliver new, time-starved customers inside the store and become convenience stores’ most profitable category. Leading retail expert John Matthews, Gary Cat Enterprises, shared his insight with attendees in his recently released session How to Develop a Winning Foodservice Strategy. Retailers learned how to differentiate their store operationally, improve their foodservice marketing strategy and reduce the competition’s shelf life.
Big changes are coming within the tobacco inspection landscape. Data shows cigarettes and OTP represent 40% of in-store sales. Retailers must remain vigilant about compliance or risk sales in this key category going up in smoke. The National Association of Tobacco Outlets’ Tom Briant prepared attendees for the all-new tobacco compliance inspections in the session Get Prepared! All-New Tobacco Stings Coming to C-Stores.
Staying Prepared
Convenience retailers are accustomed to change. Small business owners know 2014 brings many unhealthy surprises with the Affordable Care Act’s implementation. Leading reform expert Tim Luy, Federated Insurance, navigated attendees through the twists and turns of healthcare reform in the session The State of Healthcare. In a special, interactive Q&A workshop, retailers explored ways to deal with rising healthcare costs with practical steps any business can take.
Knowledge is power, but there is more to a show than hard-driving educational sessions. ESPN College GameDay’s Lee Corso shared his keen insight on what it takes to rise to the top. Talk about attendees receiving some food for thought. Corso recapped his storied career over lunch.
“You win with character, not characters – that ‘s’ makes a big difference.” Corso shared that the importance of winning with the right people in the right way outweighs the importance of winning without honesty, loyalty, and character – how you do things matters.
Corso’s bold opinions and daring predictions may be the most anticipated in sports television, but his genuine character and candid humor left the audience with a fresh outlook on life and what it means to be a true leader.
M-PACT 2013 featured over 500 exhibits displaying the newest technology, services, and products for the energy and convenience industry, including car washes, food and beverage items, novelties, storage tanks, pumps and more.
Hosted by industry trade groups from Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio, M-PACT’s scorecard suggests this show’s on the fast-track for continued success. Mark your calendar for M-PACT 2014, April 1-3 at the Indiana Convention Center.
To learn more, visit www.m-pact.org.