NACS Show 2015 Breaks Attendance Records
LAS VEGAS — Attendance at the 2015 NACS Show set a record, with the number of registered attendees coming in at 24,392. The annual event also drew a record number of international attendees from a record number of countries.
According to NACS, the Association for Convenience & Fuel Retailing, 9,038 of this year's NACS Show attendees were classified as buyers.
The total number of registered attendees, which includes Petroleum Equipment Institute (PEI) buyer registration, was 3.3 percent higher than last year and topped the previous attendance record set in 2004.
This year's event also attracted a record 2,490 international attendees representing 73 countries, showcasing the event’s importance to the success of the global convenience and fuel retailing industry.
The 2015 NACS Show took place Oct. 11-14 at the Las Vegas Convention Center and is one of the 40 largest trade shows in the United States. The size of the NACS Show expo increased 2 percent vs. 2014, with 1,264 exhibiting companies. The record-setting 412,600-net-square-foot expo also featured 228 companies new to the show, of which 154 were part of the expo’s New Exhibitor Area.
In addition, the Cool New Products Preview Room showcased 311 products and services new to the convenience store industry. More than 1,800 visitors to the Preview Room averaged 16 product scans per person and 29,890 total product scans.
Coupled with the expo floor, the show featured four days of general sessions for the first time, and 62 educational sessions drew a total of 12,309 attendees, averaging 198 attendees per session.
Reflecting the growing international opportunities offered at the event, the general sessions were translated into Portuguese, Spanish and Mandarin Chinese, and select educational sessions were translated into Portuguese and Spanish.
At the conclusion of the NACS Show, approximately 42 tons of leftover product from exhibitors was donated to the Three Square Food Bank, which provides food to southern Nevada residents in need.
"The NACS Show is truly the event of the year for the convenience store industry," said 2015-16 NACS Chairman Jack Kofdarali. "Our industry is full of entrepreneurs and innovators who come to the NACS Show year after year to find that one idea that can change their business, turn a profit and make their customers excited to shop their stores. No other event provides knowledge, education, networking and new products like the NACS Show."
The 2016 NACS Show will take place Oct. 18–21 in Atlanta at the Georgia World Congress Center.