The invitation-only NACS Leadership Forum convenes retailers and suppliers to explore future-focused issues relevant to the convenience industry. It’s a powerful catalyst to align leaders, develop solutions to problems, explore new strategies, and fuel collaboration.
This year, discover strategic solutions that will supercharge your business post-pandemic. World-class speakers explore how the world around us has changed and how you can ride the way of innovation to evolve and emerge stronger than ever.
Safe and engaging networking opportunities with attendees live and in person in Kansas City—where NACS was founded 60 years ago!—help you learn more from each other in two days than you’ve learned in the last two months.
If you would like to receive an invitation for next year’s event, visit our registration tab for more information.
The NACS Leadership Forum is a world-class event that brings together established leaders from the convenience and fuel retailing industry to explore high-impact and meaningful approaches to business in a dynamic setting.
All sessions and events for the 2021 NACS Leadership Forum will take place at the Loews Kansas City. Why Kansas City? Sixty years ago this year, NACS was founded in this vibrant location.
The schedule at a glance is listed below, and will be updated as speakers are added.
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11:00 am – 5:30 pm
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Registration Open
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1:00 pm – 4:55 pm
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Top-to-Top Business Appointments (by invitation only)
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5:00 pm – 6:30 pm
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General Session
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6:15 pm – 6:30 pm
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Master of Convenience Awards Presentation
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6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
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NACS Welcome Reception
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Evening
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Open Evening for Dinner
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8:00 am – 5:00 pm
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Registration
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8:15 am – 9:00 am
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Networking Breakfast
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9:00 am – 10:00 am
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The environment:
Soren Kaplan, award-winning author of Leapfrogging and The Invisible Advantage, an Affiliated Professor at the Center for Effective Organizations at USC’s Marshall School of Business, and the Founder of InnovationPoint and upBOARD.
Innovate or Die! Create a Culture of Innovation for Sustainable Success
The arrival of COVID-19 one year ago required retailers to quickly innovate in order to address new threats in their environments. The challenge now becomes creating a culture that promotes an entrepreneurial spirit and sustainable value creation at all levels across all functions of an organization. Kaplan will discuss strategies for creating a culture of innovation within your organization and harnessing our experiences from the last year to develop a sustainable roadmap for the future—innovating new products and services, improving the customer experience, and building digital muscle.
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10:00 am – 10:30 am
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Break
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10:30 am – 11:30 am
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The c-store industry:
Lori Stillman, NACS Vice President of Research
Realigning to the New Consumer Definition of Convenience
The transformative impact of the 2020 retail landscape has forever changed how consumers will engage with brands, stores and experiences. Shoppers have been forced into new routines, many of which will have lasting effects on how they define convenience. C-store retailers and suppliers will need to rethink the ways they connect with and win the loyalty of shoppers, creating both challenges and opportunities for us all. Leveraging new NACS research and insights, Stillman will help reframe this new convenience consumer and unlock new strategies for delivering growth in this next normal.
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11:30 am – 12:00 pm
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Kevin Smartt, CEO of KwikChek/TXB and 2020-2021 NACS Chairman
From Carded to Cardless: The Future of Age Verification Is Here
The ability to responsibly sell legal, age-restricted products—today and in the future—is critically important to your business. Checking ID should be simple, safe and reliable. It should also speedup the checkout process, shut down sales to minors and protect people’s privacy. NACS is excited to unveil a free, universal digital age verification system to unlock a better experience on both sides of the transaction: TruAgeTM. From online to curbside to delivery to in-store sales, TruAgeTM is the one proof-of-age solution for all points of sale. Smartt will share with attendees how the revolutionary system operates, and the digital commerce opportunities that it opens up for convenience retail (from last mile delivery to integration with existing loyalty apps). Save your seat and learn how you can be the first to join our national effort to make age-restricted products more reliable, secure and convenient.
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12:00 pm – 1:15 pm
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Lunch
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1:15 pm – 2:30 pm
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The leader:
Andy Ellwood, executive coach; former startup operator, leading partnerships and sales for companies acquired by Google (Waze) and Facebook (Gowalla); cofounder of Basket.
Leaders Innovate While Others Hesitate
There has never been a bigger opportunity for leaders to lead and innovate their way into a future they and their teams can be proud of. When chaos feels like the new status quo, leaders find ways to move forward with confidence and take calculated risks—while others wait to see what happens next. This interactive session with serial entrepreneur and executive coach Andy Ellwood will unlock new ideas that you can implement immediately to ensure you and your team come out of these wild times better than ever and don't “return to normal” but create a level of excellence as the new normal going forward.
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2:30 pm – 4:30 pm
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Afternoon Networking
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3:30 pm – 5:25 pm
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Top-to-Top Business Appointments (by invitation only)
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6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
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NACS 60th Anniversary Reception
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Evening
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Open Evening for Dinner
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8:00 am – 11:00 am
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Registration
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8:15 am – 9:00 am
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Networking Breakfast
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9:00 am – 11:00 am
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The customer experience:
Joseph A. Michelli, Ph.D., is an author and organizational consultant who transfers his knowledge of exceptional business practices in ways that develop joyful, productive workplaces with a focus on customer experience. He is a bestselling author, and his latest book is Stronger Through Adversity: World-Class Leaders Share Pandemic-Tested Lessons on Thriving During the Toughest Challenges. Other titles include The Airbnb Way, Leading The Starbucks Way and The Zappos Experience
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Interested in being invited to the 2021 event? The NACS Leadership Forum is by invitation only, and predominantly top executives (CEOs, COOs and Vice Presidents) of successful convenience retailing companies operating 50+ stores. If you fit these criteria and would like to be considered during the selection process, please sign up below.
The Leadership Forum is an exclusive event made available to our Hunter Club supplier members. Hunter Club Gold members are eligible to register up to four (4) company representatives, Hunter Club Silver two (2) and Hunter Club Bronze one (1). The registration fee for Hunter Club members is $6,000 per person. Additional Hunter Club company personnel over and above their allotment will be $7,500 per person. NACS reserves the right to limit the number of additional registrations in order to maintain an appropriate balance between retailers and suppliers.
Registration is open to non-Hunter Club companies based on availability, and they are limited to one (1) participant at $10,000.
Please contact Nat Keller for more information.
All Leadership Forum events and accommodations will take place at:
Loews Kansas City
1515 Wyandotte St
Kansas City, MO 64108
For Invited Retail Attendees: Hotel accommodations will be made by NACS as part of your registration process. Invited Retail Attendees will have their first night stay covered directly by NACS as part of the registration.
New in 2021, travel reimbursements are no longer available for retailer attendees.One complimentary hotel night accommodation still provided.
Supplier Attendees: Supplier attendance is limited to Hunter Club Member companies. For more information on how to participate please contact Nat Keller, nkeller@convenience.org
More information on Kansas City, MO