The 2024 National Advisory Group (NAG) Conference, taking place March 10-13 in Tampa Bay, Fla., will host two information exchange sessions focusing on topics that matter most to the c-store industry.
“Our info exchange program is the heartbeat of what makes NAG Convenience and its events so valuable to attendees,” said Allison Dean, executive director for NAG Convenience. “At NAG, we find it imperative to create space for retailers of small, mid-size and family-owned chains to connect with each other around shared experiences — and these info exchange sessions offer exactly that.”
Retail Leader Exchange
The first info exchange session, titled “Retail Leader Exchange,” will take place on March 11, from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
This retailer-only closed-door session will allow retailers to share their concerns and receive input on how to best move through challenges as they arise.
“At the heart of NAG are the information exchanges, where retailers can discuss issues and other concerns,” said Greg Ehrlich, president of Beck Suppliers’ FriendShip Stores. “Each year, we come back with great ideas and new connections that help us drive continuous improvements throughout our company.”
Jeff Carpenter, director of education and training for Cliff’s Local Market, mentioned that he enjoys the info exchange sessions because they allow for deep conversations on important c-store topics.
“Thanks to the mutual openness of other high-performing retailers in attendance, experiential best practices are often shared,” he said. “The Cliff’s support team, myself included, have been fortunate to forge many relationships at NAG that have resulted in great enhancements to our operation.”
Burning Issue Exchange
On March 12, NAG will host the second info exchange session from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.
During this session, suppliers will be able to join retailers in a discussion focusing on different topics important in the c-store industry.
“This info exchange follows the same idea as our burning issue general sessions, where each round table is defined by topic, and attendees can decide which topic they wish to attend,” said Dean.
The topics attendees can choose from include:
- Building relationships with your suppliers to drive inside sales
- Security and risk as a small operator
- Sustainability initiatives post-COVID-19
- Pizza Power Report
- CBD and OTP as an on-ramp to THC
- Activating your community hub
- Winning the customer as trip drivers evolve
Carpenter, for instance, is interested in joining the roundtable focusing on security and risk as a small operator.
“Cliff’s is always interested in being proactive in addressing potential risk and ensuring we’re providing a safe experience for our customers and that our employees also go home without injury,” said Carpenter.
After leaving each info exchange session, attendees will hopefully have gained more insight on topics that matter to them and have made more connections with others.
Attendees can register here
National Advisory Group (NAG) exists solely to help c-store retailers interact with each other, share information and come away with innovative ideas to grow sales and profits. The foundation of NAG remains its world-class Information Exchanges, which allow retailers the opportunity to connect with other non-competing retailers in an intimate setting that is conducive to learning. NAG remains an organization that is fully committed to its members; it promotes relationships, networking, intimacy and most importantly, executable ideas and takeaways.