August2021 - 6

EDITOR'S NOTE
The NAMA Show
REJOICE! FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE APRIL 2019, THE
National Automatic Merchandising Association will be holding its flagship
trade show, after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the postponement
of its 2020 run in Nashville. This year-just as the coronavirus
is brought under some control, and as more people are returning to
work-The NAMA Show is back. It will be held from August 18 to 20
in New Orleans, and its timing could not be better.
The trade show takes place at the Ernest N. Morial Convention
Nick Montano
Editor
nmontano
@vendingmarketwatch.com
Follow us at
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@VendingMagazine
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Center, located minutes from the Big Easy's French Quarter and the
Mississippi River. The historic city, known for its festivals, is an apt
setting to celebrate the The NAMA Show's return. And there is more
to cheer. This 2021 show will be combined with NAMA's Coffee Tea &
Water confab, the association's education program for the office coffee
service sector, which during " normal " times took place in the fall.
On the show floor, visitors will see more new offerings than usual
from food and beverage companies, equipment manufacturers and
technology providers, given the two-year hiatus between events. In the
education wing, participants will have access to 30 sessions featuring
more than 70 speakers who will provide insights into and ideas for-
operating in an economy that's been changed by the pandemic.
NAMA's annual trade show is a once-a-year opportunity to see the
NAMA's annual
trade show is
a once-a-year
opportunity to
see the latest
developments
in technology,
products and
marketing for
vending, micro
markets and office
coffee service.
latest developments in technology, products and marketing for vending,
micro markets and OCS. These efforts are driven by innovators' beliefs
in the desires and needs of the market. It will be interesting to witness
the intersection of the industry's vastly improved capabilities and the
changes in consumer behavior that took place after March 2020. The
NAMA Show will help pinpoint where those lines cross.
IN PERSON VS. VIRTUAL
There's enthusiasm for returning to in-person trade shows and client
appointments, but there's also consensus that virtual meetings are here
to stay. In January, FTI Consulting published findings of a survey that
asked 500 company decision-makers in the U.S. and UK about their
trade show plans in 2021. Some 46% said they plan to increase their
show budgets to above pre-pandemic levels. About 27% said they plan
to keep budgets below pre-pandemic levels; among these, 49% indicated
they will do so by reducing the number of events they attend.
Another study, which surveyed trade show exhibitors, found
little eagerness for virtual events. Tradeshow Logic, an events solutions
company, interviewed 343 exhibitors last year and 43% who had
participated in a virtual trade show said they would not do so again.
Some 67% of respondents who had participated in a virtual event said
networking failed to meet their expectations.
We believe there will be a hybrid of in-person and virtual meetings
for the foreseeable future, but nothing beats the real thing. The NAMA
Show is all about networking and building relationships, face to face.
6 Automatic Merchandiser * August 2021
Editorial
Advisory
Board
Joe Hessling
365 Retail
Markets
Josh
Rosenberg
NAMA Board
Chair
John Reilly
Avanti Markets
Anant Agrawal
Cantaloupe
Systems
USA Technologies
Elyssa Steiner
Cantaloupe
Systems
USA Technologies
Carl Moser
Canteen
Corporate
Chuck Reed
Crane Payment
Innovations (CPI)
Cory Hewett
Gimme
Michael Miller
Mondelēz
International
Paresh Patel
PayRange
Jeff Deitchler
Prairie Fire
Coffee
Jim Carbone
Tradecraft
(retired)
Sandy
Thornton
VendEdge
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August2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of August2021
