National Grocers Association Will Align Fall Event With NACS Show

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Grocers Association (NGA) and NACS, the Association for Convenience & Fuel Retailing, will team up to align NGA's Fall Leadership Meetings with the 2017 NACS Show, which will take place Oct. 17-20 in Chicago.

According to NACS, the strategic partnership brings together leading small format and independent retailers to explore emerging trends in foodservice, consumer packaged goods, retail motor fuels, consumer-facing technologies and best operational practices.

"This partnership furthers the efforts of both organizations to provide its members with convenient, one-stop shopping for new ideas, new connections and new products and services," said NACS President and CEO Henry Armour.

The structural breakdown of the strategic alignment is as follows: NGA will kick off its Fall Leadership meetings with the Trading Partner Business Sessions program from Oct. 16-17, while the NGA Financial Management and Technology Conference workshops will run concurrently with some of the NACS Show education sessions Oct. 18-19.

NGA Fall Leadership retail and wholesaler attendees will have full access to NACS Show education workshops and the expo floor, according to NGA President and CEO Peter J. Larkin.

Armour said of the partnership: "If anything, it reinforces the value of convenience. The NACS Show is successful because it focuses on solutions for a variety of small-format operators, from independents to some of the largest retailers in the world. Our two organizations have very similar education programming, whether sessions on payments, labor productivity or consumer trends. Add to that our 410,000-square-foot expo and it’s a great fit for our combined retailer membership. And for the supplier community, we have just made it more convenient for them to reach key buyers."

Arlington, Va.-based NGA represents independent grocers. It is the third major trade association to partner with the NACS Show, alongside the Petroleum Marketers Association of America, Petroleum Equipment Institute and Conexxus, the stand-along spinoff of the NACS Technology Project.

"We're excited to partner with NACS on this one-of-a-kind experience for independent grocers. The combination of our events provides NGA members the opportunity to see innovative products and solutions and further expand their networks," stated Larkin.

NGA will continue to hold its regularly scheduled programs, the executive added, noting that the 2018 NGA Show will take place Feb. 11-14 at the Mirage Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

One of the 40 largest tradeshows in the United States, the NACS Show is the premier event of the year for the convenience and fuel retailing industry. More than 23,000 attendees from 60-plus countries annually attending the NACS Show, which features four days of general sessions, 50 educational sessions and more than 1,200 exhibiting companies across a 400,000-plus net-square-foot expo floor. 

NACS is headquartered in Alexandria.