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Planning to attend this year’s National Expo in St. Louis, Mo.? If the opinions of your more progressive minded colleagues means anything to you, you’ll go. Successful operators make it a point to attend national expos because there are always new products, equipment and technology to see, and there is always a lot to gain from networking with colleagues and suppliers. Not to mention the educational seminars.

All three of these areas, seeing what’s new on the show floor, networking, and educational seminars, are interrelated.

Oftentimes it’s through networking that an attendee hears about something new on the show floor. In many cases, subjects come up during seminars that attendees follow up on with one another while networking.

If you come prepared to learn, you will. At a national expo, you get out what you put in.

Some operators are concerned about the cost of attending the expo. Operators have to scrutinize their expenditures in order to remain profitable. But consider that one cost saving idea learned at expo can easily cover the cost of the trip.

This year’s program contains a wealth of educational opportunities.

If you can make it in a day early, the category management seminar by consultant Brad Bachtelle from noon to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 14 is back by popular demand. This subject is especially important today because many operators are making the mistake of adjusting product mixes based on manufacturer pricing, not customer demand. This is an area where Bachtelle has been outspoken, and operators need to hear his views if they want to compete successfully against the retail competition.

Many operators are reducing their candy facings in favor of more salty snacks. Our State of the Vending Industry Report, published in August, confirmed this. Bachtelle sees this as a good reason for a refresher on category management, which bases product selection on consumer demand, as indicated by previous sales.

Less service? Product mix is key

Dual candy spirals, Bachtelle notes, tend to have less frequent out of stocks than single spirals. Operators should keep this in mind if they are trying to minimize service frequency, which many currently say they are trying to do. In cases where operators plan to reduce service frequency, it is especially important that they make the best use of their facings.