Vice President of Marketing, Membership & Industry Affairs, American Wholesale Marketers Association.

Registration is now underway for the 2006 REAL DEAL EXPO, March 15-17 at the Las Vegas Hilton Pavilion, sponsored by the American Wholesale Marketers Association (AWMA) and co-sponsored by Snack Food Association (SFA). The REAL DEAL EXPO Website is now live and ready for business at www.realdealexpo.com.

This annual event is the only show for warehouse-distributed snack foods, confections, foodservice, and other convenience products.

“This is a show for distributors/retailers and buyers,” noted Chris Clark, SFA vice president of operations and membership. “We partnered with AWMA to provide our members and snack food manufacturers with a different opportunity to meet buyers from different channels. We think this is a valuable opportunity.”

The REAL DEAL experience offers representatives from all segments of the convenience industry a chance to network, conduct business, gain valuable industry knowledge, and see the latest convenience products on the market.

In addition to entertainment opportunities in Las Vegas, the Las Vegas Hilton is undergoing a multi-million construction and renovation enhancement project following its purchase by Resorts International. The project will be completed in time for the REAL DEAL EXPO in March.

The EXPO is the focal point of the annual convention of the AWMA—for almost 65 years, the premier meeting place for distributors and their partners. Highlights include:

• Numerous show-only deals

• Cash and prize giveaways

• Business sessions on Thursday and Friday before the show floor opens

• Two receptions, great for networking

The REAL DEAL EXPO is a great way for buyers to view the latest products designed for C-stores, make purchases and get special deals. From confections, snack foods, novelties and tobacco to automotive, HBC and foodservice, rows and rows of C-store-specific items make the REAL DEAL EXPO a “must-attend” event. The hours are from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on March 16, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on March 17.

The average convenience distributor carries 5,500 stock-keeping units (SKUs,) and the EXPO is the perfect way to view products and take advantage of deals offered only at the EXPO. Show-only deals are so important to buyer attendees that we make every effort to let buyers know about every exhibitor who runs a show deal.

Special advance notices and onsite promotion, including mention in Distribution Channels magazine, in the show-deal guide before the EXPO begins, in the EXPO program guide, and on the REAL DEAL EXPO website, alerts everyone to the show deals that will be available.

At the 2006 EXPO, show deals will be managed by the show management software company, ShowRight. The ShowRight program is being offered free of charge to REAL DEAL EXPO exhibitors and buyers. For more information, contact AWMA at (800) 482-2962.Educational sessions

The 2006 EXPO sessions will feature Hall of Fame baseball legend Johnny Bench. He will discuss “The Vowels of Success,” which features easy-to-remember motivational tips and lessons learned through hard work and teamwork. Following his presentation, Bench will be in EXPO Resource Central to greet attendees

Other speakers include Bonnie Herzog, managing director with Smith Barney, who will talk about the state of the tobacco industry.

SFA President and CEO Jim McCarthy will discuss the snack food industry during an enlightening session. McCarthy’s presentation, “The Evolution of Snacking in an Ever-Changing World,” is sure to be of interest to both AWMA and SFA members. Finally Kit Dietz, president of Dietz Consulting, will discuss bringing value to the U.S. convenience store industry. Dietz, along with Bob Gatty, of Gatty Edits, is conducting a study over the next few months for AWMA and will review the initial findings at the EXPO. To keep updated on the EXPO and the EXPO schedule, visit www.realdealexpo.com

For More InformationFor companies that have not signed up yet to exhibit, or are interested in exhibiting, contact Nathan Wills at J. Spargo & Associates, at (703) 679-3991, or at nwills@jspargo.com