Bourbon-glazed fried chicken with fluffy biscuits, Barbie Jelly Belly and Orange Cream Coke… it was enough to convert any health-food addict into a convenience store connoisseur.
The 2024 NACS Show, a global event for the convenience store industry, brought together over 26,000 attendees to the Las Vegas Convention Center, Oct. 8-10, setting a new record with attendance up 8.5 percent compared to last year and 3.8 percent higher than the previous record in 2018. Some 8,811 attendees were classified as buyers, a 1,447 jump from last year. The 437,500-net-square-foot show floor featured 1,190 exhibitors. Making the NACS Show more convenient was the Cool New Products Preview Room, where attendees could scan QR codes through the NACS Show mobile app for any of the 300 products on display.
While many offerings on display focused on the future of retail with the use of AI and technology, product sampling remained a key part of this show, with brands going all out to impress the retailers with bold flavors, innovative packaging, and engaging retail experiences. EM ditched the diet and set out to try everything “swokey” (sweet and smoky), “swalty” (sweet and salty), and hot honey.
Coca-Cola
Orange Cream Coke and Sprite + Tea were just some of the new flavors on tap at the 5,000-square-foot exhibit, highlighting the company’s brand portfolio and environmental thought leadership. The company partnered with r.World to serve samples in cups that were collected, washed and reused. Recycling efforts took on a game spin through a partnership with Oscar Sort, which showcased its zero-touch, zero-waste station that can increase diversion rates by up to 300 percent. Learning into Gen Z’s appetite for spicy chips, the company also promoted the partnership between Sprite and Takis. Attendees’ favorite sample solution? Mobile ordering kiosks, with orders available for pickup within minutes. Hot honey mocha might just be the next fave. Partner: Czarnowski
Mondelēz International
The snack giant pulled on the stops on whimsy with its 5,000-square-foot exhibit designed to feel fun and playful, just like the snack favorites that it featured. Attendees could have a theme park moment by getting their picture taken with an Oreo Splash installation or on the Oreo swing. Products were organized by concept, such as impulse purchases and purchase bundles. Perhaps a Belvita with your coffee? Pop-up meeting spaces and meeting rooms were available for a deeper dive into analytics and digital solutions. Partner: Derse
Core-Mark International
From ultimate grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato bisque to barbecue and pizza, irresistible smells drove crowds to the 4,000-square-foot exhibit by this fresh and frozen food distributor. It was a lesson in messaging—dynamic overheads, lots of digital signage, and a wall-sized interactive screen to facilitate the service offerings demos—set against clean and modern restaurant-style backdrops. More so, it was a masterclass in efficient and safe cooking at scale and managing lines of hungry attendees. No one here had an analytics conversation on an empty stomach. Partner: Storylink Creative
Jack Link’s
The protein snack maker showed off its new partnership deal with NASCAR and turned its 30-foot by 40-foot exhibit into a racetrack complete with pit row flags and catch fences straight out of Talladega Superspeedway. Sasquatch was posing for pictures from the crowded bleaches. The corner booth was accessible only on one side, capturing the excitement of the race track with a unique traffic flow. Samples were placed on stands fashioned out of tires. And yes, a bloody mary and a meat stick is a hard combo to beat. Partner: Rise Exhibits
C4
On a show floor sweltering from the fryers, C4’s space was literally an ice bar complete with a temperature drop and an interactive ice sculpture. It was a brand message you could feel. The idea was to promote the new cold-activated can design of the C4 Ultimate Energy Drink Frost Collection. At regular temp, the logo and the lines on the can are silver, but when chilled to a perfect drinking temp, they turn blue. The icy-cold vibe of the exhibit did right by the cool tech, and pouring the samples into the ice sculpture to chill made for an engaging and delicious experience. Partner: MC²
Chester’s
The fried chicken brand set up a “walk-through” mimicking the actual store setup, inviting attendees to “fuel up with flavor” sampling its full-sized offerings, including Bourbon bites, biscuits and chicken sandwiches. With their lunch in hand, the next logical place for them to go was the standing tables at the front of the exhibit and have a conversation about franchise partnerships.
At the conclusion of the NACS Show, exhibitors donated thousands of pounds of food to Three Square, a Las Vegas-based food bank.
