Futurist Doug Stephens to deliver opening keynote at the 2025 Convenience U CARWACS Show
The Convenience Store News Canada team is pleased to be curating two mornings of exciting conference content for the upcoming Convenience U CARWACS Show—Canada’s largest and best-attended convenience, gas and car wash event—on March 4-5, 2025, at the International Centre in Toronto.
This two-morning conference is designed to provide valuable content and expert insight to help leaders and operators position their businesses for success. The content will include marquee keynotes, an exclusive preview of the 2025 C-store IQ National Shopper Study, as well as engaging expert advice, research and panels covering everything from beverage alcohol to AI and consumer insights. Check out the agenda preview here!
REDEFINING CONVENIENCE FOR THE NEW AGE OF RETAIL: In a world where practically anything we desire can be on our doorstep with a few taps on a smartphone, "convenience" has been forever redefined. For convenience operators this demands a corresponding shift in strategy. Strategy that moves beyond the table stakes of traditional convenience offerings to provide a deeper, more valued and purpose-driven experience for consumers. Join Retail Futurist and Fortune 100 business advisor Doug Stephens as he shares the secrets to building competitive dominance and radical customer loyalty.
Why attend?
Stephens will show you how to identify and take advantage of these trends, preparing your business to enter a “narrow but crucial window of opportunity for brands with courage.” His savvy, dynamic, and highly engaging insights will teach you how to recognize patterns, see the big picture, and lean into the creativity that has never been more essential than right now. Stephens is one of the world’s leading retail and consumer futurists, and a top global retail influencer. His work has influenced the most widely known international retailers, agencies, and brands in the world, including Walmart, Google, Estée Lauder, BMW, Disney, and LVMH. Doug helps these organizations understand how trends in demographics, global economics, AI, and media are constantly altering the relationship between consumers and brands. In a world where consumers are now empowered with technology—becoming experts in their own right—we must learn from consumers to ensure that we look forward, not backward, when it comes to innovative retail strategies. Stephens/ insights will leave you entertained, enlightened, and inspired to put his wisdom into action.
His books have always been at the cutting edge of what comes next and what we need to know now to succeed tomorrow. His first two books Retail Revival (2013) and Reengineering Retail (2017) accurately predicted the transformation of retail in the post-digital world. His latest release is Resurrecting Retail: The Future of Business in a Post-Pandemic World (2021) is even more timely and is an essential road map for how the retail industry will transform in the aftermath of the pandemic and how retail and consumer behaviors have changed forever. Doug details how consumers deal with crisis, how to succeed in an unstable marketplace, and how to determine which habits formed during the pandemic are here to stay. Resurrecting Retail “clears the fog around a post-pandemic retail landscape, and shines a spotlight on resilient retailers who will find a way to thrive in it” (Harley Finkelstein, president of Shopify).
Prior to founding his global consulting, Stephens spent more than 20 years in retail, holding senior international leadership roles. He sits on multiple corporate and academic advisory boards. His unique perspectives on retail, business, and consumer behavior have been featured in the New York Times, TechCrunch, the BBC, and Fast Company. As a retail and consumer expert, Doug’s views and insights have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Chicago Tribune, Fortune, Business Insider, and Business of Fashion.
More highlights
Future Leaders in Convenience + Car Wash Awards: Be there when the industry comes together to celebrate the FLICC winners during a presentation on Day Two of the C-store IQ Conference. More info here.
Industry Dinner: Join your peers on March 4th at 5:00 p.m. for a cocktail reception, followed by dinner at 5:30 p.m. This year, we are honoured to present Suzanne Gardiner, General Manager Commercial Operations - Canada, The Mark Anthony Group as the keynote speaker. Tickets on sale now.
Car Wash Education: Dan Kelly, president and CEO, will be the keynote for an exciting and informative morning of insights and sessions presented by the Canadian Carwash Association on Tuesday March 4, 2025.
Beer Garden: Sample products while connecting with suppliers, from major breweries to local craft brewers, and age-verification solution providers.
Sip Lounge: New in 2025! Meet wine and RTD beverage suppliers from across Canada to sample products and discuss opportunities.
Trade Show: Find everything you need to run your business, from the latest snacks to technology and more. This is a unique opportunity to meet with key vendors, suppliers and experts all under one roof from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. both days. Check out the exhibitors!
Join thousands of industry leaders, decision makers, key manufacturers, vendors, and suppliers from Canada and across North America. This is your annual opportunity to meet in-person and hear firsthand about the latest products, services, technologies and insights that will help you prepare your business for the challenges and opportunities ahead.