This month, TKO Graphix attended the 2011 National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) trade show. It was our second year in attendance, so we had an idea what to expect, but it was still amazing. The 2011 show was held October 2nd – 4th , at McCormick’s Place in Chicago, and there were 22,300 attendees from over 58 countries. This year marked the 22nd annual show, which was founded 50 years ago, in 1961.

Today, we take convenience stores for granted. There are 146,000 C-stores in the U.S., with 575 billion in revenue for 2010; however, in 1927, there was only one, and it was located in Dallas, Texas. Joe C. Thompson, an employee of Southland Ice Company, saw an opportunity to market basic food items like bread and milk, both before grocery stores opened, and after they closed. The Ice House was open from 7am to 11pm, so why not offer groceries? They had plenty of ice to cool milk and other perishables. Mr. Thompson eventually bought Southland Ice and founded the 7-Eleven® chain of convenience stores, and they now share NACS membership with 49 of the top 50 convenience stores in the United States.

This year, we made over 200 new connections with attendees and vendors at NACS. We’ve already reached out to a few, and are meeting with folks all over the country. We’re looking forward to next year’s show, which runs October 7th – 10th, in Las Vegas. If you’re attending, please say hello, and let’s connect…