The 2016 NACS (National Association of Convenience Stores) Show drew 23,301 overall attendees, marking the third consecutive year the convenience and fuel retailing industry’s biggest event in the U.S. has topped more than 23,000 attendees.

The NACS Show attracted 8,228 buyers, which are classified as retailers and convenience distributors, including the Petroleum Equipment Institute (PEI) registration.

The last time the NACS Show took place in Atlanta was 2013, when overall attendance reached 22,236 and buyer registration was 7,784.

Although this year’s attendee numbers are not the highest in NACS Show history, they are a record for when the event takes place in Atlanta. The NACS Show rotates between three host cities: Atlanta, Chicago and Las Vegas.

“Each year at the NACS Show, we come together to strengthen our industry, and the strong numbers only tell part of the story of this year’s success,” said NACS 2016-17 Chairman of Rahim Budhwani.

He added, “Great energy and insightful ideas were also found throughout the NACS Show—from standing-room-only general sessions to lively discussions during education sessions and networking events, to the buzz generated at the expo.”.

The event also was impactful in the global convenience and fuel retailing community, attracting 2,134 international attendees representing 67 countries.

The NACS Show expo was its second-largest expo ever at 408,500 square feet, and featured a total of 1,227 exhibitors.

Now in its second year, the New Exhibitor Area featured 193 companies new to the NACS Show.

Technology Edge at the event, in its third year, set a record, with more than 750 industry technology professionals participating in the program’s specialized education sessions on topics ranging from EMV to skimming and data security, as well as the Technology Edge Solutions Center.

The NACS Show featured four days of general sessions headlined by leadership experts and the NACS Ideas 2 Go program, a fast-paced video program of emerging concepts that look at trends in convenience.

Attendees could choose from 60 education sessions on relevant industry topics, such as foodservice, leadership development, marketing, technology and fuels.

The sessions drew a total of 12,123 attendees. Reflecting the growing international opportunities offered at the NACS Show, the general sessions were translated into Portuguese, Spanish and Mandarin Chinese, and select education sessions were translated into Portuguese and Spanish.

At the conclusion of the NACS Show, 114,412 pounds of leftover product from exhibitors was donated to the Atlanta Community Food Bank, which provides meals to local residents in need and will help provide 76,275 meals for greater metro area residents of Atlanta.

The 2017 NACS Show will take place Oct. 17-20 in Chicago at McCormick Place. Highlights from the 2016 NACS Show and information on next year’s event can be found at nacsshow.com.