The annual IFSF conference is, for the first time, taking place virtually, uniting representatives from across the forecourt trading and technology industry online.  The conference takes place the second week of November and will explore the theme of “Enhancing Consumer Experience”, which arguably has never been more relevant than during these exceptional times.  The theme is spearheaded by a much anticipated and highly reputable keynote speaker, Steven Van Belleghem, who will introduce and discuss the many aspects and contributing factors to the consumer experience, and the many factors impacting the interaction between consumer and retailer.  The IFSF is delighted to welcome Steven to head up this year’s programme and will be providing more information about his participation in the coming weeks.

API research and development at the heart of IFSF’s work in 2020 will also command a share of the schedule, with the sub-theme of “Standard APIs Driving Speed to Market” undoubtedly attracting many key decision makers within the industry. The conference will provide the IFSF with a platform to deliver focused and important updates about our work, and how the industry is progressing in standardising processes for speed, efficiency and consistency. John Carrier, IFSF Projects Manager and Ian A Brown, IFSF API Strategy Manager will present recent developments, notably the joint work with Conexxus and our all-new Open Retailing Git repository.

The conference, spanning four days, offers additional flexibility for attendees, with the online schedule being distributed both live and as recordings, ensuring everyone interested in attending can enjoy the programme at their convenience. We are also delighted to be welcoming speakers from Certas Energy Retail Europe, Greg McAuliffe and NACS, Mark Wohltmann offering their valuable insight and updates as part of a wider initiative to maintain collaboration and a progressive outlook in challenging circumstances.

Heather Price, IFSF Chair said “I was so sad that we will not all be able to meet up at our conference this year, but we have worked hard to make the most of this new virtual format to make it better than ever. Hosting the conference on a virtual platform unlocks new opportunities for our colleagues and guests from overseas to actively participate, offering additional insight and new networking opportunities. We have a great line up of inspirational speakers on the subject of Enhancing Consumer Experience, and then some in depth discussions about how our new API environment can allow us to bring these great ideas to market in record time.

We expect to attract a really wide ranging audience enabled by the ability of attendees to login just for the items that are relevant to them. We look forward to meeting up with our technical members as well as their marketing colleagues and senior managers who have an opportunity to not only hear from some industry experts on the fast evolving consumers demands, but also to understand why they need to invest in new API technology to meet these consumer requirements.”