The NACS Crack the Code Experience is a five-week digital experience and curated marketplace connecting convenience retail buyers and sellers from around the globe. Running November 2 through December 4, 2020, with continued access through December 31, 2020. The experience will feature 24/7 access to forward-looking ideas and insights, plus innovative new-to-channel products and strategic connections.
Replace months of face-to-face meetings, connect with product representatives and learn from fellow leaders in more than 50 education sessions designed to spark ideas you can implement today and answer the questions that have been plaguing you about the future of your business in these tumultuous times.
Best of all: You can explore the experience on your time and at your leisure. The Crack the Code Experience is open 24/7 (like many of you!) so you can get what you want, when you want it.
Discover New Trends and Ideas with 50+ Education Sessions
The Crack the Code Experience will feature more than 50 content-rich education sessions loaded with insights and new ideas. Large or small, one store or 500+ stores, operators of all sizes can find relevant solutions at any one of our education sessions. And new this year: Suppliers can also attend education sessions, which offer valuable insights and an insider’s perspective on the needs of their retailers’ customers.
Searchable by keyword, track or day, the educational opportunities offered during the five weeks of the experience ensure you have the tools you need to grow personally and professionally. Some hot topics include:
- Cannabis in the Age of COVID
- How to Succeed in the EV Market
- Understanding Dayparts
- Preventing and Deterring Theft
- Age Verification in the Digital Age
- Navigating the Current Labor Landscape
Explore all the session topics at www.convenience.org/crackthecode.
You won’t need to be online every day to catch all the learnings, but you will be able to explore the education offerings in three unique formats, based on your schedule:
- LIVE: The session will launch for the first time. During these live launches you will be able to experience the content and chat with peers—including the session speakers who will be answering your questions.
- ENCORE: Each Friday, sessions will be played identically as they were when launched LIVE, at a second scheduled time, where you can chat with and experience the content with other attendees.
- ON DEMAND: Within a week of the LIVE and ENCORE sessions, session recordings will be made available to all attendees to view any time they like through December 31. You will also have access to a few extra on-demand sessions from previous NACS events.
Find New Products with the Interactive Cool New Products Showroom
NACS is putting the Cool New Products Room you love to see at the NACS Show front and center in the Crack the Code Experience. These showcases are filled with just-debuted products and organized in the same product categories you’re used to seeing in person. You can “favorite” your top products within each category, and those favorites will be used to determine the Top 10 Cool New Products each week.
The Interactive Cool New Products Showroom, located on the main landing page of the Crack the Code Experience, is a must-see resource for buyers to locate the newest industry innovations. Once you enter the Amazon-like showroom, navigate the space by familiar tradeshow product categories: Facility Operations, Foodservice, Fuel Equipment & Services, Merchandise, Candy & Snacks, Technology and CBD—or drill down even further by searching by keyword.
You can live chat with suppliers, request samples and view demos. Create a “wish list” and share with the category managers on your team.
On the exhibitor side, suppliers will receive their leads from the Cool New Products Showroom in real time giving them the opportunity to follow up in a timely manner.
Explore Hundreds of Showrooms
As a retailer, you need to have your finger on the pulse of new products and trends for your convenience stores. But are enough suppliers coming to see you right now?
The NACS Crack the Code Experience now puts new connections at your fingertips. During designated expo hours (see sidebar on page 32), explore hundreds of showrooms from big-name brands and new exhibitors, enabled with appointment setting, chat functions, request for quotes and samples, virtual demos and more. Everything you need to deliver new products to your customers will be available at the click of a button.
If you’re exploring the showcases after hours, you can simply leave a message and a sales representative will get back to you.
Weekly Spotlights Keep You Coming Back
The Crack the Code Experience dives deep into important topics for the convenience industry. Specifically, Spotlight Sessions “spotlight” five weekly themes and will debut at 2:30 p.m. EST on the dates indicated below. More than a dozen Spotlight Sessions will explore challenges and opportunities related to pressing industry issues and topics and will connect with myriad elements of the Crack the Code Experience that week. These sessions, led by inspiring thought leaders, will have you thinking critically and strategically.
You won't believe who is joining us this year! Speakers and special guests can be found at www.convenience.org/crackthecode.
November 2-6
Disruption/Navigating Chaos
The pandemic has affected every aspect of physical and digital retailing. Short-term, many retailers adapted their business models to deliver more convenience and new technologies, while also exploring the long-term opportunities. This week’s content highlights how industry thought leaders in the convenience and fuel retailing space can thrive during chaotic times and reinvent themselves to better absorb future impacts more efficiently and sustainably.
November 9-13
World-Class Ideas
The future of convenience is global, and as more operators seek ways to innovate their offers and exceed consumer demand, these ideas and evolving trends from around the world are transforming the traditional convenience model. This week we’ll hear from global retail industry leaders on how they continue to redefine and evolve the concept of convenience with best-in-class ideas that respond to constantly changing consumer behaviors and need states.
November 16-20
Essential Strategies for Essential Businesses
As essential businesses, convenience retailers are staying ahead of the curve on a variety of issues to provide much-needed products and service for their employees, customers and community.
November 23-27
Cultivating a Community Hub
The convenience retailing industry, which contributes more than $1 billion a year to community groups, has a positive impact on local communities by providing jobs, growing the economy and supporting charitable initiatives. This week’s content takes a deep dive into how the industry’s giving spirit is even more important in today’s climate and why it’s essential for retailers to tell their story and connect their values and brands with their community.
November 30 – December 4
The Future of the Industry
Scenario planning and strategic plans help convenience retailers of all sizes prepare for disruption, whether it’s a global pandemic or a new form of competition that seeks to redefine convenience. This week will wrap the Crack the Code Experience with high-level insights from top retail leaders who have decades of experience leading global and domestic convenience retail companies that are constantly improving their processes and performance.