May 9 – 11, the 2023 Retail Technology Conference brought together industry experts, innovators, and enthusiasts to talk about all things from the fueling and retail worlds. The event was a captivating melting pot of knowledge, networking, and inspiration. To provide you a taste of the excitement and valuable insights that were shared, here is what you missed at RTC23:
Inspiring Keynote Speaker Lineup: RTC23 boasted an impressive array of keynote speakers, each bringing unique perspectives and expertise to the table. Renowned thought leaders, successful entrepreneurs, and industry pioneers took the stage, delivering thought-provoking talks and captivating presentations. Here is an overview of the speakers and what they discussed:
- Dan Gingiss – International Keynote Speaker and Customer Experience Coach
- In Dan’s engaging keynote, he taught the audience how customer experience can be their company’s ultimate differentiator, creating a competitive advantage that cannot be copied. All in attendance received a copy of Dan’s book The Experience Maker, and he was gracious enough to sign copies after.
- Chris Whitley – Vice President, Commercial Retail Solutions, Gilbarco Veeder-Root
- Chris shared how Gilbarco Veeder-Root has re-aligned their business into two business units: Retail Solutions and Fueling Solutions. This realignment allows Gilbarco to adapt to the post-EMV Retail Petroleum market, meet the differing needs of retail and fuel customers, and optimize engineering efforts and technologies.
- Karthik Ganapathi – President, Retail Solutions, Gilbarco Veeder-Root
- Karthik took the audience through a look at how convenience store retail is vibrant and growing, how c-stores are evolving to meet the changing consumer needs, and how Gilbarco is constantly listening to their customers in order to improve and adapt their solutions.
- Dave Coombe – President, Fueling Solutions, Gilbarco Veeder-Root
- Dave discussed how the industry is rapidly evolving to a multi-energy future and how Gilbarco is poised to lead the way. He shared noticeable industry trends, and how Gilbarco is on the journey with their customers to tackle Productivity Challenges, Shifting Consumer Preferences and Energy Transition.
- Om Shankar – Co-Founder and General Manager, Juxta
- Om introduced a future-thinking concept turned reality. Juxta breaks the physical boundaries of the c-store to bring convenience closer to the consumer than ever before. Om introduced the Hub®, a 200+ square foot micro-convenience space that uses best-in-class autonomous checkout technology to take fixed labor completely out of the question.
- Dan Harrell – Vice President, Innovation for Retail Solutions, Gilbarco Veeder-Root
- Dan stressed that the need to be digitally agile is more important than ever before. He explained that retailers can simplify their business and maintain digital agility through microservices which are interconnected, flexible, and support both legacy and future architectures.
- Chris Moriarity – Director, Analytics & Innovation, Vontier
- Chris invited the group to examine the way we look at pricing. By creating a true pricing-strategy you can gain predictable influence, and nudge customers towards the best choice, not just the cheapest choice. Strategic pricing is often the key to unlocking any location’s true potential.
In addition to the keynotes, RTC23 also brought us engaging panel and breakout sessions, cutting-edge exhibitions, and great networking opportunities. Breakout topics ranged from branding and Customer Experience to payment innovations as well as a deep dive into the future of microservices. In addition to these informative sessions, RTC23 provided a chance to showcase some of Invenco’s fleet of innovative products for the first time.
At the closing event, dinner at Broussard's, new and existing relationships within the industry were solidified. RTC23 was an unforgettable experience that left those who attended feeling inspired, energized, and armed with fresh perspectives. We are looking forward to next year’s Retail Technology Conference – be sure to stay tuned for dates and location soon!