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DENVER — The National Association of Chain Drug Stores said this weekend’s 2012 NACDS Marketplace Conference will bring top-notch business programming and opportunities to retailers and suppliers in the chain drug industry plus give a glimpse of what’s in store at its new show for next year, the NACDS Total Store Expo.
The Marketplace Conference runs June 23 to 26 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. Providing leaders from the drug, food, mass and specialty retail sectors an industrywide venue to do business, the event draws more than 230 retail companies, and over 145,000 retail outlets and $500 billion in annual buying power are represented at the conference.
The Total Store Expo, a trade show and strategic exchange, is scheduled for Aug. 10 to 13, 2013, in Las Vegas.
"Business opportunities abound at the NACDS Marketplace Conference, and attendees can look forward to those same opportunities and more at the NACDS Total Store Expo," NACDS president and chief executive officer Steve Anderson said in a statement. "NACDS has maintained its commitment to deliver a value-packed NACDS Marketplace Conference in 2012, with returning popular features such as ‘Meet the Market’ and ‘Meet the Retailer,’ while presenting new features such as the Digital Learning Center that will present educational opportunities right on the exhibit hall floor."
Marketplace’s Meet the Market program pairs suppliers and manufacturers with retailers for individual appointments. More than 8,000 appointments are expected during the one-day program.
Another linchpin of Marketplace is the "Meet the Retailer/How to do Business With" program. The sessions give suppliers an opportunity to hear directly from retailers about effective strategies for taking their products to market. This year’s participating companies are 99 Cent Only Stores, the Chain Drug Consortium, Costco Wholesale (Costco Pharmacies), CVS Caremark, Family Dollar Stores, Meijer, Rite Aid, Safeway, Sam’s Club and Walgreens.
A key new feature of the conference is the NACDS Marketplace Digital Learning Center, located just inside the exhibit hall floor near the New Product Showcase. The Digital Learning Center will give retailers and suppliers a grasp of the need to devise and implement a cohesive digital strategy. NACDS will partner with technology provider Inmar, an NACDS associate member, for the interactive educational resource. Seminars, hands-on displays and one-to-one meetings will be available for attendees to further explore digital business opportunities.
"As NACDS looks ahead to its new show, the NACDS Total Store Expo in 2013, innovative educational resources such as the Digital Learning Center will continue to be utilized to help retailers and suppliers see the value and impact of NACDS conferences and meetings in their day-to-day businesses," Anderson stated.
Other conference highlights include the following:
• The Marketplace Conference mobile application offers a tool kit for conference attendees to enhance planning and the overall experience for the Conference. Sponsored by The Emerson Group, the web-based app provides attendees with the schedule of events, alerts, exhibit floor maps, speakers and photos.
• New Product Showcase gives exhibitors a place to have their products prominently displayed in showcases on the floor of the exhibit hall. Participants will also have their products featured on the Marketplace Conference website. A winner will be selected for each product category and announced at the conference on Tuesday, June 26.
• Two educational programs on Monday, June 25, will offer insights on consumer shopping: Navin Gautam of SymphonyIRI Group will present "Inside the Mind of the Shopper: Understanding the Difference in Motivation by Generations," and John Carroll will lead a panel discussion titled "Game-Changing Marketing: Best Practices for a Digital World." Panelists will include John "JD" Doughney of the Coca-Cola Co., Mike Haines of Facebook and Michael La Kier of Coca-Cola.
At the end of the conference on June 26, NACDS will partner with local charitable organizations to donate products from exhibitors. The donation is scheduled for Tuesday, June 26, after the closing of the show, beginning at noon. Collection bins will be placed in the aisles throughout the exhibit floor.
"NACDS looks forward to continuing to showcase the value and opportunities in store for the NACDS Total Store Expo next year," added Anderson. "Next stop: the 2012 NACDS Pharmacy & Technology Conference, which will also be held in Denver, Aug. 25 to 28."
