For the third consecutive year, the NACS Show set an attendance record for its respective host city, following record crowds in Atlanta (2023) and Las Vegas (2024). Overall, 25,136 attendees from 73 countries experienced four days of education and networking at the 2025 NACS Show, which took place Oct. 14-17 in Chicago.
Expo delivers new products, category excitement
Organized around five categories (in-store merchandise, technology, facility operations, fuel equipment and services and foodservice), the 440,000-square-foot expo featured 1,204 exhibitors. This included 184 exhibitors in the New Exhibitor Area and 36 new companies in the Convenience Catalyst section of the Cool New Products Preview Room, which provided retailers with a look at products and services that are relatively new to the convenience channel.
In the Cool New Products Preview Room, attendees scanned QR codes through the NACS Show mobile app for each of the 346 products on display. Overall, there were 11,225 product scans. After three days of product scans, the top 10 most-scanned products were:
- Philadelphia to Go (Kraft Heinz)
- Little Joe novelty automotive air fresheners – Put a Smile in the Air & Ride Happy! (Little Joe Drive Int. USA)
- Self-serve bakery display by Palram 4U (Palram 4U)
- CigarBros vertical-standing humidor system (CigarBros USA Inc.)
- Come Ready Foods’ Ready Protein Bar, Clear Protein Water and Protein Puffs (Come Ready Foods LLC)
- Die-cast pull-back cars 225-count floor display (K&S Wholesale Inc.)
- Skippy Oatmeal Protein Pie and Dippin’ Dots Birthday Cake Protein Donut (Redefine Foods)
- Newco Infinibrew (Newco Enterprises Inc.)
- International trending chocolates displays (Big Ideas Marketing)
- Just the Fun Part Dubai-Style Chocolate Bars (Just the Fun Part)
Also, the NACS Future of Convenience pavilion showcased digital-first solutions developed for retailers to engage customers, protect their business and boost revenue.
Education sessions draw big crowds
The NACS Show’s 48 education sessions, designed by retailers for retailers, had strong attendance counts, averaging more than 220 attendees per session. Two education sessions topped 400 attendees: “Refreshing Your Stores Without Razing and Rebuilding” (431 attendees) and “Economic Trends Shaping the Future of Retail” (403).
Most education sessions will be available for audio and slide recording purchase in the coming weeks.
General sessions highlight the breadth of the industry
Attendees filled the 3,000-seat Arie Crown Theater for four days of NACS Show General Sessions. Seb Terry, creator of the 100things Movement, kicked off the NACS Show on Oct. 14 with a presentation that inspired attendees to dream big. And befitting the theme, he worked with NACS to help two attendees have their personal dreams come true.
The next three days looked at the industry from several angles, starting with a presentation by 2025-26 NACS Chair Annie Gauthier. The day concluded with eight Ideas 2 Go videos that showcased how retailers are reinventing convenience, whether through operational excellence in Tokyo or redefining customer experience in the U.S. via branding or even a hidden speakeasy. These videos will be available online in the coming weeks.
The Oct. 16 general session featuring a panel discussion with Brian Hannasch, former CEO of Alimentation Couche-Tard/Circle K; NACS President and CEO Henry Armour; and Frank Gleeson, former president and CEO of Aramark Northern Europe and incoming NACS president and CEO beginning Jan. 1. The general sessions concluded with a raucous presentation on Oct. 17 by Clerks stars Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes, who talked about their 30-plus-year love affair with convenience stores.
Other business at the NACS Show
The NACS Show is also a business meeting, with a variety of boards and committees convening to advance the industry.
Gauthier, CFO/co-CEO of St. Romain Oil Company LLC (dba Y-Not Stop), was named the 2025-26 NACS Chairman. In addition, Bryan Morrow, VP of brand sales at Chobani & La Colombe, was named the 2025-26 chairman of the NACS Supplier Board.
Lion Place Escobar by FGC Fuels Marketing – located in Belen de Escobar, Buenos Aires, Argentina – received the NACS Convenience Retailer of the Year Award Latin America. Executives of the company were recognized among their convenience retail peers during an Oct. 15 Global Colleagues Reception.
The NACS Foundation awarded its inaugural First Responder of the Year awards to Charles Biery (Newport, Kentucky), Angela Ryan (Rockville, Indiana) and Kevin Umscheid (Wamego/St. George, Kansas) during the Oct. 15 General Session.
At the conclusion of the NACS Show, more than 80 volunteers collected an estimated 100,000 pounds of food that was donated to five local charities as part of NACS Foundation’s launch of its Neighborhood Nourish program.
The 2026 NACS Show will take place Oct. 6-9 in Las Vegas; sign up to be notified when registration opens. NACS also has more than a dozen other meetings planned over the next 12 months.
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