Don’t miss NAMA 2025 May 7-9: Convenience Service Delivered
Elliot Maras has written about vending for over 30 years. An industry-acknowledged expert.
By Elliot Maras
Keeping up with today’s technology-savvy consumer is not for the faint of heart. Anyone in the consumer services industry will attest to that.
But for those in the convenience services industry, the bar is especially high: self-service technology has empowered today’s connected consumer with more tools to manage their everyday tasks.
Hence, forward-thinking self-service operators will be converging on the Las Vegas Convention Center May 7-9 at the NAMA Show 2025, to view the latest equipment, technology, and product offerings on display during breaks between education sessions. Attendees will feast their eyes on state-of-the-art self-service kiosks, robots, holographic touchscreens, and multi-cellular routers. voice interaction modules, identity verification tools and much, much more.
Forward-thinking vending equipment, technology, and product providers, for their part, will have a chance to get feedback from the nation’s most progressive convenience services operators.
A “must attend”
The NAMA show, titled, “Convenience Service Delivered,” is a “must attend” for everyone interested in staying up to date in this rapidly evolving industry.
The vending machines of yesteryear have evolved into automated retailers, not limited to food and beverages. Today’s automated retailers serve any and all types of products, including electronics, apparel, pharmaceuticals and more – catering to growing consumer demand for convenience, accessibility and variety.
As equipment and technology have evolved, convenience service operators have more data than ever before when making business decisions. Operators can better understand how to optimize pricing based on time of day, location, inventory management and route optimization.
At the same time, retail, hospitality and other businesses are seeking to leverage self-service concepts to serve time-pressed consumers better and compensate for less available labor. State-of-the-art technology has also unleashed opportunities for self-service kiosks to play a role in a brand’s last-mile delivery.
Given the challenges of the labor shortage, changing work habits, and inflation, operators are also anxious to find new products to offer their customers.
Education, tours and exhibits
Early show attendees can take in pre-conference education and special tours beginning at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, May 6. These include:
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Category management bootcamp from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. will address understanding pricing elasticity, aligning product selection with your brand and using data to measure success.
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The UNLV Black Fire Innovation Lab Tour from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. will focus on how UNLV’s tech innovation improves convenience services.
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The Caesars Palace Food & Retail Operations Tour from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. will demonstrate how the resort’s logistics feed thousands of guests daily and how unattended retail can boost the guest experience.
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The Pepsi Equipment Certification Center Tour from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. will offer an inside look at how equipment is refurbished and prepped for employment.
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The Allegiant Stadium Tour from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. will demonstrate how the new home of the Las Vegas Raiders will build customer loyalty and deliver exceptional experience to fans.
This year’s show will once again feature the interactive “Imagination Way” gallery that greets attendees on the way to the main trade show floor. The Imagination Way exhibits demonstrate how innovations can be leveraged in unique consumer environments, such as hospitality, health care, transit centers, multi-family/campus housing and senior living centers.
“Imagination Way” will be open from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday.
“Imagination Way” exhibits scheduled to date include:
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365 Retail Markets
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Aeti Global
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Aramark Refreshments
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brd BOT
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Crave Robotics
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DFY Vending
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Kitchenless
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PayRange
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Vendi Bean
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VenHub
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Vistar
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Vivreau
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Warehouse-13.
The main Expo Hall will be open from 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, following education sessions from 8 a.m. to 11:50 a.m.; from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday following education sessions from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.; and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday following a Small Operator Roundtable Breakfast from 7:30a.m. to 9 a.m.
Exhibitors include:
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365 Retail Markets
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CPI – Crane Payment Innovations
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ID Tech
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Dr Pepper
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Mondelez
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PAX
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Zhilai
Education sessions on Wednesday and Thursday will offer a variety of topics including technology, business management, leadership training, salesmanship and operations management. Attendees will be able to choose from as many as five simultaneous morning and afternoon sessions.
Friday includes two morning sessions following the Small Operator Roundtable Breakfast.