Pictured: Graham Kingaby
There was a tremendous buzz surrounding the Vendies, but the truth is, there was another tranche of awards in 2015 that meant just as much to many suppliers to the vending industry – The NIVO Awards. If you’re new in vending’s orbit, (there was a record number of first time exhibitors at AVEX and Vendex North will be the same), you ought to investigate what NIVO could do for you: in years to come, you may become a NIVO Award winner in your own right…
NIVO makes three supplier awards each year and NIVO members cast their votes through an online survey. There’s also a great ‘do’ to go with the awards complete with an enormous Yorkshire lunch with lashings of Yorkshire tea. However, it’s the recognition of NIVO members that adds real value to the prize-giving.
‘You can only really understand what operators need and what makes them tick if you’ve been there, done it and got the T-shirt.’
Most suppliers to NIVO members have never been involved in the operational side of the business and it’s often said that ‘you can only really understand what operators need and what makes them tick if you’ve been there, done it and got the T-shirt.’ That’s where NIVO comes in. Many suppliers present products and services to the team at NIVO before rolling them out to members. That way, suppliers can hone their offers and be sure that they’re not trying to bash a square peg into a round hole.
For an operator to become a NIVO member, apart from some basic setting up costs, it’s effectively free. What’s in it for you? Well, from the suppliers’ point of view, NIVO brings several key advantages to the table. First, it’s a powerful group capable of delivering improved deals for members and not just in terms of cost: it’s also the back-up service incumbent in a product that’s important to operators. NIVO helps suppliers to ensure they understand the needs of the members and that the level of service they propose to provide addresses those needs effectively.
‘Thanks to NIVO, we understand operators’ needs much, much better than we ever did in the past and the same, I’m sure, applies to other suppliers, too’, one anonymous NIVO supplier told PV.
Lots of businesses want to sell to operators but often, particularly if they’re selling consumables, they fail to realise that operators have more complex needs than retailers in other spheres. In fact it’s a lot more complicated than people really understand. On top of all that, NIVO keeps a weather eye on the commercial deals, services; activities and innovations around the marketplace so that members, who are completely focused on running their businesses, don’t have to…
‘Another good thing about NIVO is that it also looks at marketing from a retail perspective’, our source told us. ‘The organisation liaises closely with the brand owners to make sure members are up-to-speed with advertising and promotional activity and sifts the information to get right down to the details that are important to operators.’
Finally, for many members, NIVO is the go-to resource for any vending related questions, such as allergen labeling, gluten-free issues… Anything at all.
Long-standing suppliers to NIVO see it this way: with NIVO membership, brilliant networking comes as ‘standard’. There are a series of roadshows and seminars throughout the year, which bring NIVO and its suppliers within reach of members all over the country. Supply partners help to keep the show on the road and in return, they get a raised profile and priceless opportunities to engage with existing customers and of course, meet new ones.
Graham Kingaby and his team of Michele, Karen and Ben are all dedicated to making NIVO work both for its members and its supply partners, so if yours is one of the many businesses seeking to expand into the vending marketplace, NIVO is as good a place to start as any.
And btw, if you’re not a member, what are you waiting for? Click here for more infomation
