Cheyenne International at NACS Show 2023
The Cheyenne International team has wrapped up another NACS Show! This year’s four-day conference and trade show took place at the Georgia World Congress Center in the bustling city of Atlanta where thousands of convenience store industry members joined together for a week of networking, inspiring educational sessions, and collaboration. Working within the convenience industry, it’s a rare opportunity for buyers and sellers to be able to come together at such a large magnitude, and with 2023 marking the 30th anniversary of the NACS Show, innovative exhibitors went all out to celebrate the occasion. From tiki bars to racecars, DJ parties and more, exhibitors lit up their booths to meet with hundreds of companies and thousands of colleagues to share the newest innovations in convenience. At the Cheyenne International booth, our golf simulator attracted new and familiar faces as we offered retail attendees a chance to take a swing at our Closest to the Pin contest for a chance to win $1,000, along with exclusive show deals for our distributor customers. While there were some un-fore-getable swings and out-of-range shots (thank goodness we brought wiffle balls!), Brian Post at Enmarket Convenience Stores took home the trophy with a drive that beat out the rest of the competition at 6.8ft from the pin. Well played, Brian, and good game to all who stopped by our booth!
The Expo, which includes a multitude of exhibit halls and a new exhibitor area, also hosted a Cool New Products Preview Room where retailers could see and scan more than 280 of the newest products ready for c-store shelves. With our recent rebranding, Aura Cigarettes was a hot commodity on the showcase shelf in the CNP Preview Room as our new packaging turned heads in the In-Store Merchandising category. Cheyenne International was also well represented at the Convenience Store News Top Women in Convenience (TWIC) Awards Gala where our National Account Manager, Gina Simmons, was recognized for her leadership, strategic accomplishments, exceptional contributions, and exemplary performance throughout her career in convenience. Gina was recognized along with 85 other honorees in front of a sold-out crowd of 450 attendees. Keynote speaker Ina Strand, Chief People Officer at Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc./Circle K (ACT), spoke to the power of the TWIC program, noting that it was a mere decade ago that women’s contributions to the convenience store industry were going unnoticed. Now on her second win, Gina exemplifies that there’s power in numbers and strength in collaboration. You can read more about the 2023 TWIC class by checking out this article here.
As we wrap up another year of NACS, we’re reminded that working in the convenience retail business provides us with a unique and extraordinary opportunity to interact with thousands of people each and every day. When competition takes a backseat, it’s critical that we recognize we must work together and collaborate to push the policies that benefit the industry and the customers we serve in order to have the greatest impact. If we didn’t shake hands with you this year, we hope to see you at the 2024 NACS Show! The future is bright and we look forward to all that the convenience industry will accomplish in the year to come.
