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Press Release

NAMA to Unveil “Imagination Way” at The NAMA Show 2022

Interactive Gallery to Focus on Specific Consumer Environments

ARLINGTON, VA — February 1, 2022 — The National Automatic Merchandising Association (NAMA) today announced “Imagination Way,” the newest part of The NAMA Show 2022. An experience in itself, this interactive gallery puts the edgiest emerging technologies and service solutions on display and in the hands of attendees. From self-service kiosks to unattended dining and stores, Imagination Way demonstrates how these innovations may be leveraged in unique consumer environments.

“Imagination Way provides the vision for the future of convenience services, unattended and self-service retailing,” said Carla Balakgie, FASAE, CAE, President & CEO of NAMA. “Imagination Way reflects consumer demand for greater control of retail encounters, more options and flexibility in retail locations, and ubiquitous availability of better-for-you and fresh on-the-go food and beverage options. The result is an inspired look at how consumer interactions with retail are shifting and how the most routine purchases will be made in the near future.”

Imagination Way will showcase products, equipment, best practices, technology and merchandising tactics in real-world retail scenarios. Attendees will be encouraged to put these new solutions to the test while exploring their application in fully functional displays. Experts will help them imagine how new features can be applied to their existing operations, or how operations can be expanded to serve more customers in different venues and channels.

“New technologies make it possible to offer the most relevant retail experience imaginable and open the potential to do so in a more expansive range of frictionless retail experiences in convergent spaces,” said NAMA Board Member Karalynn McDermott, who is an Executive Growth Consultant with Eversys.

The Imagination Way experience focuses on four unique consumer venues, highlighting a broad range of capabilities to meet distinct consumer needs.  NAMA has invited dozens of potential new customers representing these industries to visit Imagination Way and attend The NAMA Show 2022:

  • Transit/Transport Centers
  • Multi-Family/Campus Housing
  • Senior Living/Healthcare
  • Hotel/Lodging and Hospitality

Imagination Way is situated at the entrance to the exhibit hall at The NAMA Show 2022, ensuring every convenience services operator and all of their customers attending the event will engage with leading-edge technologies and service offerings.

The NAMA Show is the largest event for the convenience services industry. The three-day event, happening April 6-8, 2022, at Chicago’s McCormick Place, delivers opportunity and education for operators and professionals in vending, micro market, pantry and coffee, tea and water service industry.

NAMA represents the $34.9 billion U.S. Convenience Services Industry. By providing advocacy, education, and research, NAMA works to promote and protect the industry’s over 160,000 hardworking employees. Through traditional vending and micro markets, office coffee and pantry services, product manufacturing, and small-drop distribution, convenience services meets the needs of over 40 million American consumers daily at work, home, school, and play.

NICOLE TARDIF
Senior Director, Communications & Marketing
[email protected]