From October 6-9, the 2026 NACS Show in Las Vegas welcomed 25,572 participants from 74 nations, marking a 400-person increase over the previous year and securing its place as the second-largest event in the show’s history. For the third year in a row, attendance surpassed 25,000 visitors.
The expo spanned 442,600 net square feet, hosting 1,090 exhibitors, with 173 featured in the New Exhibitor Area. These exhibitors were categorized into five groups: in-store merchandise, technology, facility operations, fuel equipment and services, and foodservice.
Leadership Changes and 2030 Vision
Lonnie McQuirter, operations director at 36 Lyn Refuel Station in Minneapolis, was appointed 2026-27 NACS chairman, taking over from Annie Gauthier, CFO and co-CEO of St. Romain Oil Company. Kevin LeMoyne, SVP of customer leadership at The Coca-Cola Company, was named 2026-27 chairman of the NACS Supplier Board.
During the October 7 general session, McQuirter emphasized, “We’re not just conducting transactions, we’re cultivating relationships”, highlighting the industry’s community impact.
On October 8, NACS President and CEO Frank Gleeson unveiled Advancing Convenience 2030, a strategic plan approved earlier by the NACS board. Gleeson noted, “We are shifting NACS from being the leading trade association to the platform that powers convenience and fuel retailing”.
Key Sessions and Product Highlights
The October 8 session concluded with Ideas 2 Go videos, showcasing retail innovations in convenience, particularly in food, and a special feature on the June opening of Dolly Parton’s travel center.
In the Cool New Products Preview Room, attendees scanned 342 products over 9,000 times.
The NACS Foundation honored three First Responder of the Year recipients from 600+ nominations: Karen Shepherd of Pattonsburg, Missouri; Carl Nielsen of Fremont, Nebraska; and Sgt. Ryan Sheridan with K9 Dembe from Charlottesville, Virginia.
At the event’s end, the NACS Foundation, Vontier, and Foodrecovery.org collected 95,000 pounds of surplus food through the Neighborhood Nourish program, with 100+ volunteers distributing it to five Las Vegas charities.
NACS retail members operate over 400,000 stores across 50+ countries, including 45,000 in the U.S. The U.S. convenience store sector, with nearly 152,000 stores, processes 160 million daily transactions and generated $818 billion in 2025 sales.
The show’s 56 educational sessions attracted 11,438 attendees, averaging 230+ per session, with six sessions exceeding 400 participants. The NACS Foundation also awarded 18 scholarships to support industry professionals. The 2027 NACS Show is set for October 5-8 at Atlanta’s Georgia World Congress Center.