2010 Session Details

The Canadian Convenience Industry Achievement Awards recognizes young Canadian convenience store innovators who promote new ideas and information in a competitive environment. Four retailers and four manufacturers will be selected to make presentations. The winners from each category will represent Canada at the GCIAA contest in Atlanta during the October 2010 NACS Convention.

The CCSA will conduct a workshop describing the new training courses available to all members at no cost. Join the CCSA and learn how you and your staff can be trained and certified on We Expect ID, WHMIS, Safe Habits and Safe People, and other courses important to the day-to-day operation of your business.

Join executives from the industry’s leading categories for an interactive discussion on the key aspects affecting your stores’ sales. Hear questions from real retailers about the challenges and opportunities they faced in their stores and find out from the experts what they need to do to grow their category sales.

Tick tock, tick tock, the countdown to the compliance deadline is on. How do you choose between upgrading your current pumps and investing in a new system? Attend this interactive panel to learn about the relevant costs and benefits of each option and what you need to do to prepare for the change.

A foodservice offering in your store is a great way to add incremental profits. Are you taking advantage of this growing opportunity? Attend this panel and learn from other retailers and foodservice experts how to start and operate a foodservice program in your store; how to satisfy the needs of your customers; and hear about the foodservice trends guaranteed to help you grow your bottom line.

Want to be at the forefront of the car wash industry? Join industry insiders as they discuss the key trends, issues and challenges facing car wash businesses today. Learn where the industry is going and what you can do to keep ahead of the competition.

Retailers hoping to grow a prosperous business can’t continue to rely exclusively on the traditional top categories. Your future success depends on your ability to innovate and offer exciting new products to your shoppers, while aggressively promoting and focusing on making them destination categories. How can you develop a strong consumer base that will choose your store to shop for healthy snacks, beverages and breakfast options? Attend this session to see how real c-store owners turned their small businesses into growing and profitable categories.

Kickstart your morning with this high profile and popular industry panel. Get the answers to your critical questions from key executives from different packaged goods companies as well as leading retailers.

This seminar is intended to appeal to those retailers who are unhappy with their current store and have been thinking about renovating, but are not sure where to start, what to do, or if a renovation makes sense for them. Presented by Hugh Large, “The Convenience Guru,” this session will cover the issues you need to think about before starting the project, help identify the decisions you need to make, clarify what you are trying to accomplish, and review the costs involved and the potential payback.

We did the research and now you can reap the rewards! Find out how you compare with your competitors. What factors are hurting your site’s profitability? What upgrades are operators looking at in 2010? Don’t miss the only car wash education session in Canada that will provide answers to these and other questions.

This seminar is a must-attend for those retailers who have been operating their store for some time and are struggling to maximize their store’s potential for sales and profit growth. Presented by Hugh Large, “The Convenience Guru,” this session will review where the convenience business is today and where it’s going; it will help you understand how you can better manage and track your store’s performance; and how you can better manage your assortment and improve your merchandising to keep your store current and flourishing.

In this panel, moderated by Your Convenience Manager Group Publisher Alan Fogel, you will learn firsthand how retailers in your communities have challenged aggressive tobacco enforcement and won. This panel features an expert lawyer who will advise you of your obligations under vicarious liability and the rights of your employees during these inspections. It is time to ensure you understand the consequences of ignoring tobacco charges and the fines your employees and family members are subject to under the Smoke Free Act.

Start your day right by attending this keynote presentation, followed by an industry update by Dave Bryans, president of the Canadian and Ontario Convenience Stores Associations. This is your chance to hear about the latest industry news, burning issues and what the future holds for your c-gas business.

You want to grow your large categories such as tobacco, beverages, confectionery, and lottery but don’t know how, whom to depend on to help, or what to ask for. What are the key trends in these categories; what should you do to maximize your potential for growth and profit; and how can you best work with suppliers and others to get you the results you desire? Attend this session to understand best practices in working with distributors, manufacturers/vendors, and others in the c-retail community to leverage current trends and grow these categories.

Learn about new practices and how incorporating them can save the environment and your business. Hear from industry professionals on bylaw updates and recent compliance measures.

From HR to PR, find and make connections that work. Join us for this interactive session with CCA’s guest speaker on how to build effective relationships to benefit your business and increase profitability.

Attend this session presented by Imperial Tobacco Company Ltd. to learn how to successfully manage the tobacco category in your store. Discover what you can do to train your staff, retain and grow your sales even in today’s challenging market.

Do you carry and promote the right products for your shoppers or the new shoppers you hope to attract? Canadians are aging, more immigration means different needs, health and wellness continue to be a priority, and the way consumers shop, how they pay and their expectations are all changing. How can you influence these new shoppers to shop more often at your store and buy more tobacco, lottery, kids’ candy, and confectionery? Attend this session to better understand these new shoppers, trends, and ways to leverage these important categories to increase your sales.

Attend this session presented by OLG to discover how you can grow your sales in the lottery category. Learn about the latest opportunities and updates within instant and online gaming sectors. This is your chance to speak with the category experts face-to-face and find out how you can overcome the challenges faced by the industry and c-gas retailers.