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RESTON, Va. -- The National Grocers Association here said it will introduce a series of interactive pavilions at its national convention next February to take the place of the traditional vendor exhibit area.
Booth shows have been a feature of NGA's annual convention since the association was created in 1982 through the merger of two industry groups. One of them, the National American Retail Grocers of the U.S., had been offering a trade show at its annual gathering since the early 1950s.
The convention -- which NGA is calling a Supermarket Strategy Showcase, or S3 -- will also set aside time for manufacturers and retailers to meet in strategic business dialogues, NGA told SN last week.
NGA's convention is scheduled for Feb. 11 to 14 at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas.
According to Tom Zaucha, president and chief executive officer, "NGA is all about cultivating business relationships, and the new convention format reflects our commitment to deliver value to our members. As a result, convention sponsors will be able to communicate with our audience -- at the convention, before and after the convention, and throughout the year -- through a series of interactive tools we are developing."
The primary tool, Zaucha told SN, will be a series of interactive demonstrations in the convention's pavilion area that will encompass re-creations of sections of retail stores, geared to seven marketing and operations issues: center store; whole-health solutions; fresh and prepared foods; specialty and ethnic foods; fuel-center solutions; applied technology and fixtures; and operational services.
"In the months ahead,...