Special Events (choose 1 of 6)
Every activity within the OL agenda is an opportunity to expand your professional network. Whichever you choose, you'll be surrounded by the convenience industry's best and brightest. Don't miss this opportunity to meet new friends, chat with old ones and, most importantly, have fun. Approximately 8-10 weeks prior to the Conference, guests will receive an invitation to register for the outing of their choice. Please be aware that capacity is limited and excursions will be available on a first-come, first-served basis; pre-registration will be required for each activity. Please note, pre-registration for special events is required. You are also required to check-in for each special event at the special event desk the morning of your selected activity to secure your spot. If you do not check-in at least 10 minutes prior to bus departure time, you forfeit your place to an attendee on the wait list.
Sign up to play golf at the Omni Grove Park Golf Course, where you can build meaningful business relationships while enjoying breathtaking views. Prepare for some light competition and an unforgettable morning.
6:30am - 7:30am: Breakfast, check-in and warmup
7:30am - 7:45am: Cart assignments and rules
8:00am: Tournament begins (Shotgun Start)
12:30pm - 2:00pm: Networking Lunch
The Falls at Dupont State Forest is located between the charming towns of Hendersonville and Brevard. The 10,000-acre Dupont State Forest is home to more than 90 miles of trails, leading adventurous hikers to beautiful waterfalls, tranquil mountain lakes and rushing streams. On this moderate hike, your friendly guides will take you to three of these splendid waterfalls, which were featured in the movies "The Last of the Mohicans" and more recently "The Hunger Games."
7:30am - 7:45am: Check-in and breakfast
7:45am - 8:00am: Bus loading
8:00am: Bus Departure
8:45am - 11:15am: Hike
11:15am: Bus Departure
12:00pm: Arrival to Grove Park Inn
Experience fresh mountain air, breathtaking scenery and an old-fashioned down-home friendliness when you go horseback riding in North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains.
7:30am - 7:45am: Check-in and breakfast
7:45am - 8:00am: Bus loading
8:00am: Bus departure
8:45am - 11:00am: Horseback Riding
11:30am: Bus departure
12:00pm: Arrival to Grove Park Inn
Test your sharpshooting ability and learn from trained instructors during this unique sporting clays clinic at the Biltmore house.
7:45am - 8:15am: Check-in and breakfast
8:15am - 8:30am: Bus loading
8:30am: Bus departure
9:00am - 11:15am: Shooting Clays experience
11:30am: Bus departure
12:00pm: Arrival to Grove Park Inn
Enjoy a refreshing hike as you explore the Biltmore estate's beautiful landscapes, forests and farmlands on the historic east side of the property.
7:45am - 8:15am: Check-in and breakfast
8:15am - 8:30am: Bus loading
8:30am: Bus departure
9:00am - 11:00am: Hike
11:00am - 12:00pm: Free time at Biltmore's Antler Hill Village
12:00pm: Bus departure
12:30pm: Arrival to Grove Park Inn
Sign up to tour the Biltmore house and view the magnificent beauty of the house, gradens and winery. This excursion includes a self-paced, self-guided audio tour of the restored rooms of the Biltmore house, America's largest privately owned residence. Acres of beautiful gardens and a tour of Biltmore's award-winning winery with a free tasting for those 21 and older add to the exceptional charm of this Estate.
7:45am - 8:15am: Check-in and breakfast
8:15am - 8:30am: Bus loading
8:30am: Bus departure
9:00am - 12:15pm: Biltmore Estate Tour
12:15pm: Bus departure
12:45pm: Arrival to Grove Park Inn
General Session
Few competitive advantages endure over time. One that clearly lasts, however, is an organization’s creativity—its ability to embrace constraint and changing contexts and use it to fuel innovation, not stifle it.
In this session, Kellogg Professor and IDEO Business Designer David Schonthal will explore how creativity is inherent in all of us—and that intentionally accessing and harnessing it unlocks durable business advantages for managers and organizations alike. In the process, David will share some foundational principles and techniques for business creativity: specifically, asking the right questions, reframing the world around you, identifying ways to make an impact in times of constraint and mustering the confidence to do something about it.
Certain aspects of your organization may not weather all economic cycles—but your company’s creativity will.
Professor of Innovation & Entrepreneurship / Business Designer
Kellogg School of Management / IDEO
Convenience retail will never be the same after COVID-19. Even after the virus has been defeated and some semblance of normalcy returns, consumers will display new shopping behaviors learned in isolation. Ways in which people travel and meet could change as researchers learn more about the disease.
In this presentation, a panel of some of the industry’s most forward-looking retailers discuss how technology and creative thinking can help bring people and products back together safely, from mobile checkout to a blockchain-powered supply chain and more.
General Session
In this session, we will get to know more about the USO of North Carolina. Founded in 1941, they are the lead organization charged with supporting military servicemen and servicewomen in the state of North Carolina. Eleven percent of U.S. active-duty military forces call North Carolina home. With seven major military installations, North Carolina has the fourth-largest demographic of active- and reserve-duty components in the country.
The USO of North Carolina is an independent 501(C)(3) organization chartered by USO Arlington as a self-sustaining separate operating entity. USO of North Carolina is wholly reliant on funding from private grants, donations, corporate gifts and sponsorships, and fundraisers. It receives no direct funding from the national USO or from the government.
Join us to hear more about this incredible organization and how you can align your brand with this cause.
No one knows what the future holds and despite our best efforts to prepare for the unknown, the future plays out in unexpected ways. All too often, the success and failure of an organization comes down to its ability to manage uncertainty and effectively identify how external—and seemingly unrelated—trends could have significant impacts to one’s business. In this compelling keynote, Sheryl Connelly reveals her secrets for how to think like a futurist, providing audiences with the expertise and strategies necessary for effectively anticipating change. From the 10 mega trends that could change the world as we know it before the year 2050 (which is a lot sooner than it seems), to perspective that will forever change one’s approach to long-term planning and strategy, Connelly delivers the insights necessary for organizations across industry sectors to thrive, innovate and remain relevant.
Corporate Futurist
The Ford Motor Company
The convenience industry’s premier, invitation-only event that you cannot afford to miss.
Request an Invitation