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Strategy and culture are among the most important responsibilities for leaders in the workplace as they focus on the never-ending quest to maintain effectiveness. Strategy offers a formal logic for the company’s goals and culture expresses these goals through values and beliefs. A strong company culture instantly reflects the values of a company, its leaders and its employees. What values define your company? What matters most to you and your employees? In this session, retailers will discuss the intense amount of work it takes to develop and maintain an outstanding culture in the convenience store industry and the communities they serve.

Staff scheduling, inventory management, menu analysis, guest satisfaction, profitability, and so much more rest on the shoulders of accurate foodservice forecasting. The importance of understanding the foodservice market is more important than ever as store trips are forecasted to drop and third party delivery services gain more traction. This session will examine how customers currently purchase food, what they are looking for and what the convenience store industry can expect over the next three years.

The National Advisory Group (NAG) has partnered with Bluedot to learn exactly what Americans think about convenience stores and quick-service restaurants (QSR's) today and what drives their behavior, sentiment, and loyalty. These findings will be presented for the first time at NAG and offer a glimpse into the current customer experience, how digital and mobile solutions influence customers, as well as expectations for the convenience stores of the future across key categories such as foodservice, fuel, snacking and tobacco.

The future of convenience stores is being reshaped by the increasing integration of electric vehicles and other alternative fuels. How long it takes for these fueling methods to affect your business depends on where you live. In this session, hear from leading authorities on how your forecourt will evolve over the next five years and what steps you can take now when building new stores to be ready for future changes.

1) Micro Stores, Food Trucks Non-Traditional Locations
2) Human Resources: Attracting Top Talent
3) Tobacco, CBD and Cannabis in C-Stores
4) Foodservice: Diversifying the Menu
5) Leadership for Young Executives
6) Foodservice: What Retail Leaders Are Doing From Apps to Delivery.
7) Growing Loyalty and AI Programs
8) Buying and Selling Stores and Financing Options

A number of next-generation technologies are converging, including loyalty, payments and POS systems. At the intersection, retailers expect a better, differentiated customer experience and returns to the bottom line. These technologies are enabling hyper-personalized customer experiences, seamless payments, mobile ordering, self-checkout, and other benefits. How are c-stores combining these technologies? What are the expectations for increased store operating profit? Our panel of distinguished retailers will answer these questions and more.

All politics are local, and for convenience store operators, that means having a personal relationship with legislators who can enact laws that affect your businesses. These relationships can be complicated and difficult to develop, but they are extremely vital across the convenience store industry. Young leaders should be working on these relationships, but they need advice that’s realistic, granular and nuanced when it comes to making political connections. In this exclusive Young Executives Organization (YEO) workshop, hear what you can do to build political relationships and mentor young leaders who are just beginning to journey into the cut-throat world of politics.

Digital has transformed foodservice, reframing customer expectations at convenience stores, restaurants and beyond. How are c-store retailers maintaining their food base and standing out with digital tools and promotions? Based on custom research fielded for the NAG audience, we will explore how consumers are utilizing digital platforms to engage with c-stores. We’ll uncover ordering and delivery trends as well as the impact on basket size and customer loyalty. Our retailer panel will explore various data points and share insights on how they plan to adapt to customer expectations.

The convenience store industry is seeing a rapid rise in private label branding across all categories. Private labels are often cheaper than national brands, which is a solid selling point as financially strained consumers tighten their purse strings. Two advantages—high availability and low price—have also made private-label products considerably more appealing to consumers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The consumer shift toward private labels also benefits retailers, since these products are typically more profitable for them. Furthermore, high-quality private labels can gain a devoted following and become a powerful driver of customer loyalty. In this session hear from three leading retailers on why they are continuing to develop and expand private label products.

Best practices and a conference wrap up