Record Number of Attendees Gather at the 2024 NACS Show
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A record 26,124 attendees from the convenience store industry gathered for four days of networking, sampling and education at the 2024 NACS Show, which took place Oct. 7-10 in Las Vegas.
The total attendance was 8.5% higher than last year and 3.8% higher than the previous record attendance in 2018, with visitors coming in from 68 different countries. In addition, there were 8,811 attendees classified as buyers, an increase of 1,447 from last year, NACS reported.
The 437,500-square-foot expo featured 1,190 exhibitors, including 157 exhibitors in the New Exhibitor Area, which provided retailers with a unique look at products and services that are relatively new to the convenience channel.
Additionally, the Cool New Products Preview Room allowed attendees to scan QR codes through the NACS Show mobile app for any of the 300 products on display. Overall, there were 12,315 product scans, an 11% increase from last year.
The NACS Future of Convenience pavilion also showcased industry-specific, digital-first solutions developed for retailers to engage customers, protect their business and boost revenue.
Meanwhile, the 52 education sessions showed strong attendance numbers as well, according to the association, with each module averaging more than 230 attendees per session. Three sessions topped out at more than 400 attendees: "Digital and Physical Marketing Strategies for Smaller Retailers" (516), "Crafting Irresistible Promotions for Maximum Impact" (444) and "Global Retail Innovations from Around the World" (414).
The daily general sessions had attendees filling out the Westgate's 3,600-seat Paradise Ballroom to hear guest speakers talk on varied themes of confident leadership, customer experience, the growth of AI technology and the crossover of "high" and "low" food in foodservice offerings. Day Two's general session also saw the debut of the NACS Ideas 2 Go program, which featured seven operators showcasing exceptional retailing.
Finally, membership meetings and a colocated event rounded out the show, with the NACS board electing a new chairman for 2024-2025, and the third annual NACS Food Safety Forum drawing in more than 70 industry leaders to address food safety, foodservice, quality assurance and risk management at the only industry-specific event of its kind for the global convenience retail community.
At the conclusion of the conference, exhibitors donated thousands of pounds of food to Three Square, a Las Vegas-based food bank.
The next NACS Show will be hosted at McCormick Place Convention Center Oct. 14-17, 2025, in Chicago.
Headquartered in Alexandra, NACS, is a leading global trade association dedicated to advancing convenience and fuel retailing, serves as a trusted advisor to more than 1,300 retailer and 1,600 supplier members from more than 50 countries.