Day 1 (8:30 A.M. – 9:30 A.M.)
Looking for new strategies to grow your business in the rapidly changing retail landscape? Don’t miss our first session of the day, a must attend update on your convenience and gas industry. Get the latest information and find out what the future holds for the convenience and gas channel.
Day 1 & 2 (9:30 A.M. – 11:00 A.M.)
You’ve heard it many times: customers love combos. You’ve seen your vendors and distributors offer more, and more frequent combo promotions. But how well do they work? What categories benefit the most from combos? Can they really increase your business? Attend this session to get a fuller understanding of combo promotions, how they work, how they encourage your customers to shop more, how they can grow your average transaction size, and boost your overall sales and profits.
Day 1 & 2 (9:30 A.M. – 11:00 A.M.)
Your business is complicated – you carry thousands and thousands of items, hundreds of categories, and have tens of thousands of dollars tied up in inventory. How do you best manage all these moving parts? If you’re not keeping score, you’re not in the game. What financial numbers should you be looking at regularly in your core categories to help you make better decisions? Attend this session to better understand what to measure, how to make sense of your numbers, manage and grow sales and margins, and improve your return on the money you invest in inventory.
Day 1 & 2 (9:30 A.M. – 11:00 A.M.)
Many of your customers are regulars, visiting your store several times a week to pick up the same items. Is there more you can do to build on the close relationships with your regulars? Let customer service be your competitive advantage. Attend this session to learn how each interaction can be an opportunity to add one or several new items to the transaction, boost sales and profits, and enhance customer loyalty.
Day 1 & 2 (9:30 A.M. – 11:00 A.M.)
This seminar will appeal to all retailers who want to better understand how effective store layouts and merchandising play a role in generating significant increases in store sales. Presented by Hugh Large, The Convenience Guru, this session will cover ways to improve traffic flow throughout the store strategies to generate higher levels of impulse sales, and the importance of the placement and merchandising of the key convenience categories.
Day 1 (11:15 A.M. – 12:00 P.M.)
This seminar will appeal to those retailers who have been considering expanding their offering of grab & go foods as a way to broaden their customer appeal, offset declining sales in core categories, and build their store sales and profits. Presented by Hugh Large, The Convenience Guru, this session will review the “fast food” options available to c-stores, the barriers to success, and what you need to do to succeed in this growing category.
Day 1 (11:15 A.M. – 12:00 P.M.)
Learn to win even bigger in tobacco, your biggest category and key traffic driver to your store. You probably already understand the basics like freshness and availability. However, managing your tobacco category goes beyond the basics. Attend this session to learn what else you can do to win even bigger in this important category.
Day 1 (11:15 A.M. – 12:00 P.M.)
Lottery sales are a very important traffic driver to your store. Attend this interactive session presented by Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation and learn about OLG’s plans for 2012/2013, how to retain your loyal customers, and grow your lottery sales by cultivating new customers.
Food Handler Safety Training – refresher courseClosed.
Day 1 (11:15 A.M. – 12:00 P.M.)
Anyone preparing food in a convenience store should complete this Food Handler Safety Course, a training workshop for individuals who have completed the CCSA Food Handler Safety Training online. This refresher will help prepare the attendees to complete the CCSA FHS final exam, to be held on Day 2 of The Convenience U CARWACS Show – March 21, 2012. Individuals who pass the final exam (75%) will qualify as a certified safe food handler in Ontario.
Industry panelDay 2 (8:30 A.M. – 9:30 A.M.)
The convenience and gas industry is constantly on the move. Whether it’s new government regulations, channel blurring, or emerging trends and opportunities, you’ll want to hear the latest news and views from
those with their fingers on the pulse of the industry. Join Fulcrum Media’s Group Publisher Alan Fogel as he moderates a panel of leading retailers and packaged goods executives discussing the industry’s
burning issues of greatest importance to you.
Crime Stoppers and OCSA staff awarenessDay 2 (11:15 A.M. – 12:00 P.M.)
This seminar will assist anyone working in the convenience-gas channel. Learn from a panel of industry experts ways to protect your business and your employees from theft and harm. Panelists from Crime Stoppers and security firms will give you information on site safety reviews, employee training, community awareness and drive-off safety and reporting. Don’t miss this important session!
Advanced merchandising practices for serious convenience store operatorsDay 2 (11:15 A.M. – 12:00 P.M.)
Likely you’ve attended Convenience U before and have learned thescience behind proper merchandising basics to increase sales. Buthow about real life examples that have increased sales? How can yoursupply and distribution partners help? Attend this panel of industryexperts and hear how you can build your sales by maximizing your instoremerchandising opportunities.
In-store solutions to grow your salesDay 2 (11:15 A.M. – 12:00 P.M.)
Creating a successful in-store experience is about more thanmerchandising, it’s about understanding how customers shop.Suppliers in the convenience channel have invested a great deal of timeand money in improving the in-store experience for customers with thegoal of connecting with customers at the right time and place, breakingthrough the merchandising clutter, and building basket size. Attendthis session and learn from our expert panellists in key categories liketobacco, snacks and confectionery the latest in-store solutions to helpyou increase your sales.
Advancing your carwash businessDay 1 (9:30 A.M. – 12:00 P.M.)
Join Canadian Carwash Association (CCA) suppliers and operatorsfor interactive roundtable discussions on items crucial to carwashbusiness success. As a carwash owner, you need to concern yourselfwith business plans, financial strategies, marketing strategies,communications strategies and insurance, just to name a few. Whileyou need to be a carwash expert, being a specialist in all of these areasat the same time is impossible. If only you could receive focused andspecialized consulting that would address your needs as a carwashowner—preferably for free. Well, you can! During this morning-longsession professionals in each of these areas will come to your tableto give specific information, answer questions and point you in theright direction to develop a strong and vibrant carwash business. Topicleaders will address how to use programs such as WaterSavers, theCCA Wash Volume Report, operator’s insurance, marketing and financeto advance your carwash business
State of the art – equipment, chemicals and payment solutionsDay 2 (9:30 A.M. – 11:00 A.M.)
Wondering what’s in the pipeline in terms of new carwash equipment,upcoming wash chemicals to improve efficiencies, and the latest newsin payment solutions? The CCA “Ask the Pro’s” session will provide anoverview and will also give you the opportunity to ask industry leadersthe questions you want answered the most. This session has been very popular at past shows, so register early to reserve your seat.
Water – a scarce resourceDay 2 (11:15 A.M. – 12:30 P.M.)
All the water that will ever be is, right now. In order to increase profits,carwashes need to use water in smarter ways and be knowledgeable inthe latest reclaim technologies. This session will focus on how to reduceyour costs, improve your green footprint and manage your water useeffectively. Learn from industry insiders’ tips and techniques includingthe WaterSavers® program that will ultimately improve your bottom line.