By Joe Vonder Haar, iSEE Store Innovations LLC

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Often the best solutions are hidden in plain sight. With more than 24,000 people walking the NACS Show floor and more than 1,000 vendors displaying products, services and ways to sell more stuff, even those of us without attention deficit disorder can quickly be overwhelmed and lose focus. From a supplier perspective, finding ways to cut through the clutter and announce your products’ presence with authority at NACS Show is the key to a great launch and a great NACS Show.

The NACS Show offers a multitude of opportunities for exhibiting suppliers to promote their wares. Interestingly, the one area where product promotion is not allowed has proven to be the best value and delivery vehicle for introducing new products. “Let the product be the star” could be the mantra for the Cool New Products Preview Room where retailers get the opportunity to view, scan their information and vote for the best products.

The CNP Preview Room has been the launching point for all iSEE products since the company’s 2010 inception. Investing our resources there provides great impact for iSEE’s business proposition by allowing us to focus toward a specific launch date and to demonstrate innovation to the influential audience of retailers attending the NACS Show. Driving significant traffic to the iSEE booth at the show and generating hot leads sent post-show is a great side benefit! Most importantly, the CNP Preview Room exposes iSEE products directly to retailers who are the ultimate final word on the value of the innovation we create. If retailers see the value, we know we have hit our target.

Our 2013 CNP Preview Room entry, the iSEE IceLight Cooler, was voted as the number one Cool New Product (out of 280-plus products) by retailers at last year’s NACS Show. That’s a big win for a small company! Now, not only has iSEE made it a mission to introduce a new innovation every year in the CNP Preview Room, but we have the added goal of successfully defending our #1 product spot for another year.

For retailers, your time in the CNP Preview Room ensures that you see the best innovation at the show and get addtional information, minus the marketing hype and sales pitch. For suppliers, you get to put your new product, based on merit, up against the best in the world.  So bring on the competition, I’ll see you in Las Vegas!  

The deadline to reserve space in the Cool New Products Preview Room is August 12, and space is filling fast! For more information, visit the NACS Show website.

Joe Vonder Haar is managing partner, iSEE Store Innovations LLC in St. Louis, Missouri, and is the chair-elect of the NACS Supplier Board.