It's Showtime for Technology

When I first started at Convenience Store News 12 years ago, there were two "must" events for our editors to travel to: the NACS Show and NACStech. I must admit, coming from a real estate media background, my first NACStech was a bit overwhelming, but the more I learned about the industry, the more the technology aspect of it made sense to me.

Flash forward to today, and it also makes sense that technology now commands its own space alongside other key c-store categories — like foodservice, candy and snacks — at the annual NACS Show. And it's not a small space, as my tired body can attest at the end of each day, let alone at the end of the whole show.

Next year, technology is also stepping into the spotlight at other notable retail industry events. NATSO recently announced details for the NATSO Connect 2023 event slated for March, and new to the annual show will be dedicated sections for vendors specializing in alternative fuels, technology and innovation.

NATSO represents more than 2,000 travel plazas and truck stops nationwide and, as we reported in the September issue of CSNews, operators of travel centers and truck stops are embracing change to keep America moving.

In addition, EuroShop 2023, billed as "the world's No. 1 retail trade fair," will highlight and feature retail technology among its seven dimensions of the in-store experience when the international retail community and its partners gather in Germany in late February.

There was a time when the IT department stayed behind the scenes, making sure customers got what they wanted, when they wanted it and how they wanted it. Now, the IT department is very much a part of the scene. It’s about time.