Info Exchange
Burning Issues Exchange
Round Table Discussions
Burning Issues are the topics that are impacting your business everyday with such urgency you cannot afford to overlook them. In the Burning Issue Exchange all attendees, including industry suppliers, will look more closely at one Burning Issue together. Attendees can expect to walk away from this session with new perspective on how the issue is pervasive throughout the industry.
New in 2025, we’ve added additional time for Burning Issue Exchange round tables to allow each attendee the option to attend 4 of our 8 topics.
- Topics 1 – 4 will take place at 11:00am on Monday and Tuesday,
- Topics 5 – 8 will take place at 2:15pm on Monday and Tuesday.
Curate your own round table topic agenda to ensure your experience is robust and tailored to you.
Suggested Round Table Planning
For individuals looking to stay ahead of liability exposure across infrastructure and regulations, consider pairing 1. Tobacco Evolution and 7. Food Safety on one day with 4. Risk & Security and 6. Digitalization on the other day.
For individuals wanting a high level on future trends, consider pairing 2. Trip Drivers / Customer Evolution with 6. Digitalization on one day with 3. Employees and 5. M&A/ Business Development on the other day.
- Tobacco Evolution: Addressing industry challenges like regulatory changes, customer trends, and product diversification in the tobacco category.
- Trip Drivers & Customer Evolution: Exploring shifts in customer motivations, shopping habits, and preferences to enhance store visits and optimize sales strategies.
- Employees: Staffing, Training, and Benefits: Discussing strategies for attracting and retaining talent, innovative training, and competitive benefits for creating a strong workforce.
- Risk & Security: Examining strategies to mitigate risks, enhance security, and prepare for potential crises, both in cybersecurity and physical safety.
- Mergers & Acquisitions / Business Development: Evaluating the opportunities and challenges of mergers, acquisitions, partnerships, and business development for growth and sustainability.
- Digitalization: Investigating the role of technology in convenience retail, focusing on tools like mobile payments, loyalty programs, and other digital innovations.
- Food Safety: Ensuring high standards in food safety through compliance, practices, and emerging trends, while minimizing risk.
- Loyalty: Designing and optimizing customer loyalty programs to drive repeat business, enhance engagement, and maximize customer retention.