CSNews' Convenience Foodservice Exchange Event Adds Beverages

ROSEMONT, Ill. — Convenience Store News' Convenience Foodservice Exchange event, which debuted last year, is returning in 2017 with an expanded and enhanced focus.  

Now titled the Convenience Foodservice & Beverage Exchange (CFBE), the second-annual event will be held Sept. 12-13 at the Donald E. Stephens Conference Center & Ballroom in the Chicago area. CFBE is the only conference and networking event that focuses solely on the foodservice and beverage categories at convenience stores.

CFBE will provide a forum for retailers and their suppliers and distributor partners to exchange actionable information, insights and data that will lead to increased sales and shopper engagement. The event will feature general sessions, separate concurrent foodservice and beverage educational tracks, and targeted discussion groups, as well as pre-arranged Boardroom Briefings between select retailers and leading suppliers.

Attendees will include convenience store retailers with responsibilities including brand management, consumer and shopper insights, merchandising, marketing and management of the following product categories:

• Foodservice: prepared foods, made-to-order, grab-and-go
• Packaged Beverages: carbonated soft drinks, energy drinks, juices, iced teas, dairy drinks, and other nonalcoholic cold vault drinks
• Alcoholic Beverages: beer and malt beverages, wine and other alcoholic drinks
• Hot Dispensed Beverages: coffee, espresso, tea, hot chocolate, and other hot specialty drinks
• Cold and Frozen Dispensed Beverages: carbonated and noncarbonated, milkshakes, smoothies, frozen yogurt, etc.

Educational sessions at this year’s Convenience Foodservice & Beverage Exchange will focus on: developing strategies to overcome negative consumer perceptions about c-store food; the importance of beverage selection in building foodservice sales; prioritizing food safety procedures; finding and retaining a well-trained and passionate staff; and developing a foodservice culture.

Additional educational session topics will include the latest soft drink and alcoholic beverage trends, new products around health and wellness, ethnic preferences, and innovations like cold brew coffee.

Click here to watch a recap of last year’s inaugural event, which included renowned food industry speakers such as Master Chef Rick Bayless and Supermarket Guru Phil Lempert, and research companies such as Carbonview Research and Nielsen.

For more information on the 2017 Convenience Foodservice & Beverage Exchange or to request an invitation, contact Convenience Store News Editorial Director Don Longo at [email protected]. Travel assistance is available for qualified retailers.

Sponsorships are also available for this exclusive, exciting event. For more information on sponsorships, contact Brand Director Ron Lowy at [email protected] or (330) 840-9557.