Vending systems conference and awards

The Automatic Vending Association (AVA) is set to hold a conference and awards evening at the Palace Hotel, Manchester, UK, on 26 June. AVA has represented the vending industry in the UK for 80 years and has 200 companies in its membership.

The topic of discussion for this year’s AGM is “The Future of Cash & Payment Systems.” A debate will be headed by industry guest speakers Adam Lawrence, chief executive of the Royal Mint, David Hensley, head of cash services at the Payment Council, Paul Theobald, managing director of M.E.I UK International, Nick Mackie, senior product manager at Visa Europe and Steve Alton, managing director leisure from Vianet plc.

Discussions around advances in technology, the development of payment systems, the future of card payments for the industry and how to best use all of these changes to increase sales and profitability will be covered at the AGM.

Jonathan Hilder, CEO at the AVA, says: “This is set to be one of our largest and most well attended events yet, serving as an exciting precursor to next year’s AVEX 2015 exhibition which sees us return to Manchester, the event’s traditional home.

“The AGM, conference and awards not only gives us the chance to debate important issues facing our industry at the moment, it also offers the opportunity to celebrate our most talented and innovative people. With more than 462,000 refreshment vending machines in the UK today, the vending industry is, as ever, an integral and essential part of our society.”