National Automatic Merchandising Association (NAMA)

NAMA National Expo Breaks 2003 Attendance Figures

Show Reigns Vending, Coffee and Foodservices Show as Industry's Top

Chicago, IL. - November 2 - Final attendance records for the

Dan Mathews NAMA Sr. VP,br. and COO

National Automatic Merchandising Association (NAMA) National Expo show several hundred more industry professionals attended this year's Expo over last year, NAMA Sr. VP and COO Dan Mathews announced today. During the three day event 5,300 attendees traveled from all parts of the globe to visit the show.

Attendance figures also indicate that more than 800 operating companies were represented at the show, and approximately 1100 of the total attendees were presidents, owners, CEOs or purchasing managers/ buyers. Thanks to these thousands of show attendees and the 286 exhibitors who turned out for the special show attractions and packed educational sessions the event continues to be the most important vending, coffee and food services show in the world.

In discussing this year's Expo NAMA Sr. VP and COO Dan Mathews said, “We are thrilled to see so many industry executives taking advantage of all the resources available at the show. This year we had an especially strong response from the international community, along with representatives from a variety of colleges and universities, which helps everyone because the messages taken back and implemented either in another country or in the classroom help push our industry forward.”

Mathews was referring to an unusually large international contingent including representatives from Australia, China, Russia, Japan, Poland, Canada, Europe and Brazil. In addition, several university professors were on hand as well to learn more about the industry so they could apply the knowledge back in the classroom. Universities as diverse as Washington State and Purdue to Michigan State and the University of Chicago attended, to name just a few.

At the show, the Leaders Forum and new show format were very well received. During the Leaders Forum, industry leaders shared their insights about the industry with attendees. Said Forum Moderator and NAMA President & CEO Richard M. Geerdes, “We appreciate the wisdom and input from our industry's most experienced and knowledgeable leaders. Their advice and perspective is unparalleled in the industry, and we were delighted to offer such a valuable learning opportunity to our members.” Panel participants included Craig H. Hoskins, Vice President, Vend & OCS Sales, Vistar; Douglas C. Huffer, President, Dixie-Narco, Inc.; Robert C. Maurer, President/CEO, The Standard Companies, Inc.; James H. Terry, Vice President, National Sales, Coca-Cola North America and Richard L. Wyckoff, President, Refreshment Services, ARAMARK Corporation.

In other show events:

• The VENDTec Center and Pavilion were sold-out. Together the VENDTec Pavilion and Center helped operators better evaluate the competitive advantages, revenue enhancement and productivity improvement opportunities for each option by hearing first hand from presenters. The VENDTec Center and Pavilion will also help push the industry forward because operators who understand new technology are more likely to use it.
  
  
• NAMA officially unveiled the Balance for Life Campaign designed to correct the misperception about vending's role in obesity and communicate to parents, teachers, students and legislators the importance of nutrition education and being physically active. The program is planned to kick-off nationally at a Chicago school in November and will feature Lynn Swann, professional football star and Chairman of President Bush's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.
  
  
• Media coverage of the show was exceptional, with an article in the Chicago Sun Times and more than 251 stories about the Expo airing on television stations across the country. Of those stories, 184 included a description of NAMA's Balance for Life campaign, and many reported that the `highlight' of the show was the wide array of “healthy” products. In fact, overall media criticism of the vending industry has toned down considerably since the industry began working to improve the image of vending.
  
  
• The Foodservice Pavilion was popular and again featured live cooking demonstrations, merchandising tips and recipe ideas. According to Vending Times, vending operators conduct more than $10 billion annually in on-site foodservice business transactions. NAMA's internal figures show that that 44 percent of vending operators run on-site foodservice, catering and/or commissary operations.
  In discussing the Foodservice Pavilion Mathews said, “Since foodservice represents a significant source of revenue for many of our industry's members, the Pavilion is an important tool that helps operators do one-stop shopping. They can see vending, coffee service and foodservice all at once and get new ideas for running their businesses better.”

• The highly popular pre-Expo Quality Coffee Certification Program was sold out once again, as 65 program attendees graduated to Coffee Masters, certified to brew the best coffee possible. This year's class was the largest to date, and in nine years the program has graduated 400 coffee service members as certified to brew the best coffee possible.
  According to VP of Membership & Coffee Services Dean Gilland, the OCS Pavilion was exceptionally popular as well, Said Gilland, “This year's Pavilion was bigger than ever with exhibitors displaying the newest technology and products in the industry. It's really exciting to see the enthusiasm and excitement within the coffee services community on the Pavilion show floor.”

• The Expo's education program featured a host of new offerings and was more popular than ever. The educational sessions are particularly valuable because they are led by some of the industry's best known and most experienced professionals. This year's streamlined schedule made it easier than ever for members to choose the sessions that most interested them, either from the Food Service, Coffee Service or General Management categories.
  
  
• Thousands of dollars were raised at the Fifth Annual Silent Auction to benefit the NAMA Foundation and The Make-A-Wish Foundation^® of the Illinois. Auction receipts totaled $27,023 thanks to the hundreds of gifts that poured in from across the country as industry leaders sent in donations to support this important fundraising program;
  
  
• At the highly anticipated Industry Awards Ceremony, Randy Parks, NCE, owner and founder of ProStar Services was named the NAMA Industry Person of the Year; James Nelson, national sales manager of the vending and office coffee markets of Everpure, was named OCS Allied Member of the Year; Con Foley is president and chief executive officer of Gold Cup Coffee Service was named OCS Savoie Silver Service Award Winner; David Gellman founder of Gellman Associates was named Vending Allied Member of the Year, and Dominic Finelli of Custom Vending was named Golden Coin Operator of the Year. The awards were presented at a lavish and elegant awards banquet Friday evening, and the gracious acceptance speeches brought tears to award winners and attendees alike.

Concluded Mathews, “Expo attendees continue to tell us how valuable the shows are to them and this year's National Expo is no exception. But we're already hard at work planning the Spring Expo April 7-8 in Las Vegas with Educational sessions April 6-9 to make sure it delivers the powerful benefits and value our members have come to expect, and we'll look forward to seeing everyone there.”