Trading Tech Secrets
Last week was a whirlwind. From sunup to sundown, I — like the more than 26,000 other attendees of the 2024 NACS Show — braved the 100-degree-plus heat to get as much out of the annual industry gathering as I possibly could.
There were many highlights: the education sessions that spanned all facets of convenience store operations; the electric expo floor (shoutout to those exhibitors that had retailers on hand to talk about the real-life, practical aspects of a product — a trend I hope grows in the coming years); and running into old friends in random places.
[Read more: C-store Operators Champion Technology Buy-In at All Levels]
For me, a high point was the Convenience Store News Technology Leadership Roundtable & Awards Dinner. As executives from across the country gather for the annual NACS Show, we like to bring together a group of technology leaders for an intimate, interactive night filled with conversations on all things tech. This year, the group heard from Nouria Energy Corp.'s Meg Rice, director of marketing, as she talked about the Worcester, Mass.-based company's technology journey as it wraps up year six of its new branding efforts.
Rice joined Nouria in August 2023, so her fresh take on the complexities of the c-store tech space was interesting, and her insights on aligning marketing efforts with the technology piece of the puzzle were refreshing.
The night also included a roundtable discussion — a quite lively one this year — about hot topics in retail technology. From pinless debit to self-checkout to converting fuel customers to in-store shoppers, attendees had their opinions and were willing to share.
To top off the night, we at CSNews had the honor of recognizing the Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc./Circle K tech team for the many strides the organization has made in technology. They received our Technology Leader of the Year award.
It was a great night to see old friends, meet new ones and learn from the best in the space.
