The NACS Show was rated in the top 10 among U.S. trade shows in three of the four key categories used by exhibitors to measure audience quality, according to a national survey of the country’s biggest trade shows conducted by Exhibit Surveys Inc. The 2012 survey results were tabulated from more than 30 of the top annual U.S. trade shows and released in April.
Retailer registration and housing is now open for the 2013 NACS Show, a comprehensive event for convenience and fuel retailing professionals. This year’s NACS Show will be held Oct. 12-15 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.
The 2012 NACS Show ranked fourth in the country in terms of total buying plans—the percentage of attendees who anticipate buying within 12 months of a show. NACS’ score of 63 percent was higher than the all-show average of 49 percent.
The NACS Show ranked sixth in the country for net buying influence, also known as “buying power,” which calculates the percentage of attendees who have the power to make or recommend final purchasing decisions. The NACS Show’s score of 92 percent was higher than the all-show average of 84 percent.
In addition, the NACS Show ranked eighth for the amount of hours each attendee spends visiting exhibitions. NACS Show attendees averaged 10.4 hours per person on the expo floor, a 0.5-hour increase over 2011, and higher than the all-show average of 9.1 hours.
Exhibit Surveys defines net buying influence as “the ability to recommend, specify or purchase products or services; it defines total buying plans as “the percentage of visitors planning to buy one or more products or services seen at a show within the following 12 months,” calling it “a strong indicator of what people purchase.”
“The NACS Show’s top-tier ranking over the past decade confirms what our industry has long known: The NACS Show is where retailers and suppliers get together to do business,” said NACS Vice Chairman of Convention Pat Lewis, a partner at Twin Falls, Idaho-based Oasis Stop ’N Go. “Savvy retailers know that the new ideas and products that they find at the NACS Show help them continually thrive and stay ahead of the competition, and the 2013 NACS Show will be no exception.”
At the 2012 NACS Show, a record number of buyers fueled a 7.2 percent surge in attendance, which hit 24,056—the second-highest total ever. The number of buyers (retailers, wholesalers and distributors) was up 17.1 percent to reach 9,764. There were a record 8,057 NACS buyer registrants at the 2012 NACS Show—nearly 3 percent more than the previous record set in 2004. PEI buyer registration was 1,707, the third-highest total ever. Attendees came from a record 65 countries and international attendance was a record 2,482 delegates.
The excitement from the 2012 NACS Show has carried over to 2013, organizers report. Exhibition space for the NACS Show is nearly sold out, which is unprecedented so far in advance of the event.
The 2013 NACS Show will feature a 392,000-net-s.f. exposition with 1,050 exhibiting companies—of which 150-plus are new to the NACS Show. In addition, the show will feature three days of general sessions and 53 educational sessions. The educational sessions in 2012 drew a cumulative 9,889 attendees, averaging nearly 190 attendees per session, the most ever recorded. Reflecting the growing international scope of the NACS Show, the general sessions will be once again translated into Portuguese, Spanish and Mandarin Chinese, and select educational sessions will be translated into Portuguese and Spanish.
NACS has a variety of marketing products and programs for exhibitors that are designed to help exhibitors target the buying power of top retailers, intensify market penetration, launch a new product, strengthen and differentiate their brands and generate traffic to their booths.
Full registration, which includes admission to the general sessions, educational sessions, expo and the welcome reception, is $295 for NACS retailer members and $495 for other retailer attendees. One-day registration also is available ($195 per day for NACS retailer members and $295 per day for other retailers). These “super-saver” rates are available until July 31. Other rates apply for non-exhibiting manufacturers, service providers, brokers and consultants. Exhibitor registration also is now now open. NACS Show attendees can register for the event and secure housing here.
In addition to online registration, the NACS Show website features the latest information about exhibitors, speakers, workshops and networking events.
