Digital delight at Nisa’s first virtual trade show
The first ever virtual Nisa Expo has been hailed a success with record attendance from partners at the annual retailer conference this year.
The event took place on Tuesday 19th and Wednesday 20th October, and due to the ongoing pandemic, was held online for the first time to ensure attendees could participate safely.
Over the course of the conference more than 1,000 users were active on the platform on each of the two days with a total of 8,190 sessions undertaken.
The show comprised 12 main stage sessions including category talks, awards, partner and supplier roundtables and live Q&A events which attracted 2,081 live views and so far, more than 700 views on demand.
In total there were 189 supplier stands receiving a total of 24,629 views and 2,271 video appointments undertaken, with partners and suppliers engaged for a total of 16,790 minutes.
One of the main attractions of the event was the launch of the new store format Nisa Express with virtual tours made available to all attendees prompting a fantastic response from retailers and suppliers alike with 40 enquiries so far made about stores looking to be re-fitted to the latest space-conscious format.
Nisa’s Epositive team demonstrated the latest Evolution Version 2.2 system and new developments - including Picco basket functionality, a self-serve receipt option and till optimisation – which saw 27 new sign ups to the state-of-the-art system.
Nisa’s digital team launched the new Nisa website which consolidates Nisa’s previous stand-alone sites into one single unified website, effectively showcasing each area of the business.
There was a brilliant atmosphere throughout the show, and we have received some fantastic feedback from partners and suppliers alike
Meanwhile, the event saw the launch of the new Fresh Thinking proposition to partners through a series of partner testimonial films and virtual category talks - hosted by the Co-op heads of categories – where partners received guidance and advice on how best to stock their stores across frozen, fruit/veg, fresh meat, ready meals, soft drinks, alcohol and non-food, to better equip them for the future.
An overhaul to Nisa’s Retail Academy was also revealed at the show. The bespoke training facility offers vital support for all Nisa partners’ learning and development needs and now boasts a new eLearning platform delivered in partnership with the Co-op.
Delegates shared their experiences from the two-day virtual event on Twitter using the hashtag #NisaExpo, and engagement with the Nisa Retail Twitter account increased year on year, up by a huge 344% for the week.
Valerie Aston, director at Proudfoot Supermarkets, a Nisa partner with four North Yorkshire based stores, described the expo as a “great business to business event” at which she attended four presentations and 16 appointments on day one followed by another four presentations and a further 22 appointments on day two.
Nisa events manager, Jenny Potts said: “There was a brilliant atmosphere throughout the show, and we have received some fantastic feedback from partners and suppliers alike. Clearly we had to make a lot of changes to the agenda to ensure it was appropriate for a virtual audience, and the brilliant online platform made it possible to focus on additional key areas for retailers which meant we could share even more learning opportunities with them throughout the event.”