Article created for the digital issue of the NATSO Foundation’s magazine
The popular Great Ideas! Workshop returned to NATSO Connect 2024 with truck stop and travel center operators coming together to share ideas and learn from their fellow operators.
A great idea makes things better, and attendees shared their solutions for improving operations.
The Great Ideas! Workshop was generously sponsored by Chester’s Chicken.
Whether you were lucky enough to take part in the Great Ideas! Workshop in Orlando or are learning about it from afar, here are seven takeaways that can get your creative juices flowing.
Here are seven takeaways from the conference:
Convert Underperforming Space: One attendee shared that he had housed a Radio Shack and then various offerings before he noticed a need for more health care in the area. He converted the space into a clinic and filled it with clinicians.
Post Reviews on EV Chargers: Getting fueling customers to come inside the location has always been a priority and now that extends to those who are charging their vehicles. One operator shared how he has placed reviews about the location and its franchise food offerings on the chargers to encourage customers to get out of their cars and take advantage of the location’s amenities.
Highlight Creative Offerings: One operator has made his location a destination with creative soda offerings. He changes out the displays regularly and has sold everything from Mexican Coke and Sprite to the Savannah Banana baseball team’s soda.
Go Local: Local offerings can appeal to travelers as well as those who live in the area. One attendee said he has had success with a selection of local products, including syrups, pickles, honey and root beer.
Get Artsy: Artwork can enhance locations, and one operator said she has invested in murals at several of the company of the locations. The murals are large—one is 15 feet and goes around the store—and they feature nods to the local area.
Share Insights: Customers often want more information about a product, but staff isn’t always available to answer their questions. One operator has positioned monitors near certain products and plays videos to help sell products. The location creates it own videos and draws on videos from vendors, and has used the solution to increase sales.
Provide Easy Access to Power: Solutions and innovations in the retail space continue to advance, and having power easily accessible can make them easier to deploy. One operator shared that his location has placed sockets in the floor in the middle of every other aisle.
In addition to idea sharing, operators heard from Christina Niu, research director at FRANdata, about franchise growth and how operators can attract franchise brands.
Work is underway to plan the Great Ideas! Workshop at NATSO Connect 2025. Be sure to save the date, Feb. 26 – 28, 2025, and plan to attend in Las Vegas next year.
// This article was created for Stop Watch magazine, the magazine of the NATSO Foundation. The NATSO Foundation is the research, education and public outreach subsidiary of NATSO, Inc. The NATSO Foundation provides programs and products to strengthen travel plazas’ ability to meet the traveling public's needs through improved operational performance and business planning. Visit www.natsofoundation.org for more information. (Donate to the NATSO Foundation here.)
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