By Maggie Gioia | Marketing Coordinator
National Convenience Distributors held their summer trade show yesterday at Harrah’s Resort and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The event marked Century Distributors’ — NCD’s Mid-Atlantic Division — trade show debut with the NCD family.
Festivities began on Wednesday with a poolside cocktail party that welcomed NCD customers and employees.
“The venue for the pool party was amazing. [It was] a great way to casually meet and greet and thank our customers in a relaxed and unique setting. It was the perfect way to set the positive momentum for yesterday’s main Event,” said Marty Glick, NCD’s executive vice president of divisional sales.
Thursday’s casino-themed show featured 164 vendors showcasing innovative products, leading demonstrations and offering exclusive, competitive deals to customers.
“[It was] a great trade show. I was very impressed by the amount of vendors, how organized and smoothly it went and the nice people I met from NCD,” said a Mid-Atlantic Division customer.
With over 1,500 retailers in attendance, NCD’s procurement, sales, merchandising, foodservice and technology teams guided customers through the show, helping to inform attendees, create connections and strengthen the relationships between all those involved.
“Every team member, vendor partner and valued customer that I interacted with, only had positive things to say about the show,” said Glick. “The traffic flow was steady throughout the show and the wide aisles created a free and easy open environment for our customers to engage with our vendor partners.”
The hallmark of NCD’s trade show — the 1,600 square foot mock convenience store — was at the center of it all, highlighting product placement techniques, new items and inspiration for customer stores. The c-store even touted a refreshed lineup of Uncle Ed’s Pantry grab n’ go candies and their timeless trail mixes. Uncle Ed’s Pantry — one of NCD’s many proprietary brands — continues to be one of NCD’s most successful programs.
“Century was thrilled to be a part of our first live trade show with NCD,” said Debbie Robins, managing director of NCD’s Mid-Atlantic Division. “Our customers were able to see the opportunities that will be available to them in the months to come. Mighty Chicken, bean to cup Island Coffee, plus Uncle Ed’s nuts just to name a few. The trade show floor was bustling with excitement and filled with energy.”
Century Distributors’ presence at the show helped to tie it all together.
“The positive energy that our newest family members from Century and their customers brought with them was intoxicating. Their energy, their smiles, and their razor focus to learn more about the NCD family and what we have to offer will pay dividends for many years to come,” said Glick.
This “energy” is what has retailers betting on NCD — a four-of-a-kind winning combination.
