Educational Sessions

NAC Convention educational programs will offer quality information you can take back to your concessions operation. The cross-pollination of ideas shared among operators of many types of venues, along with their suppliers, can fuel new ideas for your business.

NAC's highly-regarded Concession Manager Certification Program and Executive Concession Manager Certification Program will also be offered prior to the start of the Annual Convention. The certification programs are a separate registration and fee from the convention educational sessions.

What's On the Menu?

NAC educational sessions at the 2010 Annual Convention will encompass all aspects of recreation and leisure-time foodservice operations - a full menu, so to speak.

Sessions will include large group presentations with interactive elements, panel discussions by industry leaders, and small group free-form discussions on issues specific to concession operations. Each NAC Convention, for example, includes Venue Breakout Sessions, our highest-rated sessions each year. These are highly interactive sessions where operators at specific types of venues, such as movie theatres or stadiums/arenas/convention centers engage in an exchange of ideas and information. Sessions are moderated by leading industry operators, and interaction is mandatory!

Convention attendees come from all types of operations – small facilities, large in-house operations and major foodservice contractors. In that diversity is a wealth of knowledge that is specific to food and beverage concessions.

Whatever the format, nowhere else can you find the breadth and depth of information that directly relates to food and beverage operations, all in one location. Along with the stellar presenters at the sessions, the sharing of ideas and information among other operators and suppliers can provide you with ideas on increasing profits and controlling costs.

More information on specific educational sessions for the 2010 Convention will be available soon!

Here’s a sampling of the 2009 NAC Convention educational sessions:

Sunday:

Keynote Presentation:

Beyond Shiny and New: How a Business Implements Social Media
By Chris Brogan

You’ve accepted that social media makes sense. What comes next? Do you have a Facebook policy? Do you want everyone blogging, and if not, who should write the blog? How do you track social media efforts to lead generation, to awareness, to retention? How do you integrate listening tools into your duties? This presentation covers best practices in everything from profile creation to outreach to conversations and community relations.

Chris Brogan educates businesses and organizations on how social software aligns with their strategies. He is president of New Marketing Labs, a social media agency, and home of the Inbound Marketing Summit conferences and Inbound Marketing Bootcamp educational events. He works with large and mid-sized companies to improve online business communications like marketing and PR through the use of social sortware, community platforms and other emerging web and mobile technologies. He has been quoted in publications like The Wall Street Journal, U.S. News & World Report, and Newsweek.

Brogan speaks, blogs, writes articles and makes media of all kinds at www.chrisbrogan.com, a blog in the top 10 of the Advertising Age Power 150 and in the top 100 on Technorati. He is the co-author of the book Trust Agents with Julien Smith. Prior to his roles in the media and events industry, Brogan had over 16 years of telecommunications experience in wireless and landline technologies, including enterprise software and hardware, project management, and applications/solutions engineering experience.

Social Networks –What are They, and What Can They Mean to my Business?
This session will build upon the keynote presentation, discussing ways to incorporate different types of social media into your company plan to increase company visibility, and ultimately improve revenue.

Venue Breakout Sessions
Our highest-rated sessions each year, these are highly interactive sessions where operators at specific types of venues, such as movie theatres or stadiums/arenas/convention centers engage in an exchange of ideas and information. Sessions are moderated by leading industry operators, and interaction is mandatory!

Monday:

The Impact of Promotions in a Down Economy
It is more important than ever to capture concessions revenue from as many customers as possible. This panel session will discuss ways to promote sales through contests, incentives, suggestive selling, new product promotions and other activities to market your products and promote sales.
Panelists: Larry Etter, CCM, Malco Theatres; and Neely Sims, Cinema Scene Marketing

Using Technology to Increase Sales and Lower Costs
Learn how the latest innovations in technology can increase your concessions revenues. From new improvements in POS systems, advances in reporting and inventory control, in-seat ordering, wireless technology, credit card transactions in an age of identity theft, and other cutting-edge technology, this presentation and panel discussion by leading suppliers is sure to improve your knowledge base.
Panelists: Dean Burke, Splyce; Craig Chapin, Allure Global Systems; Kelley Robyler, Big Sky Industries; and Romney Stewart, Texas Digital.

Tuesday:

The Dos and Donts of Concession Renovation
Learn the ins and outs of concessions renovation during this panel presentation. The experiences and perspectives of the operator, consultant/designer, and stand manufacturer/designer will all be presented, and you’ll take away practical tips on making your concessions renovation successful and worth your investment.  Panelists: Terry Conlon, ECM, University of Illinois; Bruce Proctor, ECM, Proctor Companies; Tracy Taraski, Bigelow Companies

Venue Breakout Sessions
The second set of these interactive sessions will again provide operators with the chance to share information and gather new ideas from their peers.