2025 Preliminary Schedule

Images of the NATSO Connect show in 2023.

Tuesday, February 25th

• 9:00 am-5:00 pm: Exhibitor Move-In

• 6:00pm-9:00 pm: CEO Dinner (private event)

Wednesday, February 26th

• 8 am: Exhibitor Move-In 

• 8 am-noon: NATSO Board of Directors Breakfast & Business Meeting 

• 1:30 pm: Chairman’s Circle Meeting with NATSO Leadership 

• 1:30 pm: NATSO PAC Committee Meeting 

• 2 pm: Kick-Off Speed Networking Reception on Expo Floor 
Moderator: Pamela Hayes, Vice President, Business Development, NATSO
Make new contacts full of ideas to meet your challenges on Wednesday by participating in the NATSO Connect Speed Networking. Bring your business cards and prepare to grow your professional network through facilitated networking.

• 3 pm: Great Ideas! for Travel Centers Workshop
Moderators: Amy Toner, Executive Director, NATSO Foundation; Keith Wade, Owner, KEW Travel Center Consulting
NATSO’s annual Great Ideas! Workshop is dedicated time for truck stop and travel center operators to share great ideas that have helped their business and hear about the great ideas their peers have implemented. Oftentimes, the “great idea” is to be great at the fundamentals. Professional drivers and four-wheel customers expect truck stops and travel centers to be clean, safe and well-merchandised. This year’s Great Ideas Workshop will focus on meeting that expectation with great fundamentals.  First, we’ll hear from a panel of stand-out industry operators on their best practices in fuel retail basics. What are they putting on their end caps? How often do they assess traffic patterns? What tools do they use to improve their fundamentals? After the panel, the session will transition to dedicated table time for operators to reflect on the best practices shared and hear about the great ideas their peers have implemented at their table.  We will end with a lightning round of cheap, simple ways to upgrade your facility from Keith Wade, industry veteran.  The annual NATSO Connect favorite is sure to provide new and fresh ideas. Closed to press.

The Great Ideas! for Travel Centers Workshop is open to truck stop and travel centers and sponsors only.

• 3 pm: Suppliers: What to Know to Win in the Travel Center Industry 

• 4:30 pm: Opening Kick-Off Keynote: NATSO Connect
Stay tuned for details on the NATSO Connect Kick-Off Keynote!

• Evening: New Member Dinner – Private Invitation-Only Event

Thursday, February 27th

• 7 am: NATSO Foundation 5K Fundraiser 
The NATSO Foundation’s 5k Fundraiser is back! The NATSO Foundation 5k Fundraiser is a community-building 5K run or walk that provides a great opportunity to meet up with friends and supporters while also supporting the important work of the NATSO Foundation. The 5k will be on the strip (yes really!) outside of Caesars Palace. Check-in will take place before the event from 6:10am – 6:50am.

• 9 am: Breakfast on the Expo Floor 

• 9:30 am: Government Relations Keynote  
Speakers: David Fialkov, Executive Vice President of Government Affairs, NATSO; Jessica Frend, Senior Policy Advisor, NATSO; LeeAnn Goheen, Senior Director of NATSO’s Government Affairs, NATSO
Hear about the current political environment in Washington and its impact on how the travel center and the off-highway fuel retailing industry advocates.  Join us for a robust discussion of the national political landscape as well as the evolving approach to advocacy in Washington. Plan to attend and learn how operators and vendors can work together to advance our shared advocacy goals.  

• 10:30 am: Expo Hours (with Lunch Buffet at 11:30 am) 

• 12 pm: Electric Trucks and Infrastructure Keynote: Critical Issues Amid Looming Mandates
Moderator: Tiffany Wlazlowski Neuman, Vice President, Public Affairs, NATSO
Panel: Paul Enos, President of the Nevada Trucking Association; International Truck Dealer Scott McCandless, of McCandless Truck Center, Immediate Past Chair of the American Truck Dealers Association

The Environmental Protection Agency’s Phase 3 Greenhouse Gas Rule coupled with California’s Advanced Clean Fleets Rule and the Advanced Clean Truck rule already are having profound effects on motor carriers and truck dealers. The failure of regulators to understand and properly analyze the state of technology, the infrastructure requirements, the fleet’s operational challenges, and the economic burden to comply with new regulations requiring electric trucks is creating significant challenges across a broad spectrum of the industry, all of which will trickle down through the supply chain. The transition to electric heavy-duty trucks is projected to cost $1 trillion dollars. Truck stops and travel centers will need to invest nearly $60 billion to build out a sufficiently dense network of heavy-duty electric refueling locations, according to research. Join us as NATSO Vice President of Public Affairs Tiffany Wlazlowski Neuman moderates a panel that includes Paul Enos, President of the Nevada Trucking Association; International Truck Dealer Scott McCandless, of McCandless Truck Center, Immediate Past Chair of the American Truck Dealers Association; and fleets explore critical issues facing the industry amid these looming mandates.

• 1 pm: Tank Talks 
Moderator: Christine Schoessler, COO, NATSO
Similar in concept to a popular network TV show, sponsors will have the opportunity to pitch their product or idea in front of an audience and live on stage. In each 5-minute presentation, the audience will vote on products or services sure to improve the travel center wallet share.

•2 pm: Expo Hours 

• 5:15 pm-7:30 pm: Exhibitor Move-Out booths 600-605, 704-724

• 5 pm: Government Affairs Committee 

• 7:30 pm: NATSO PAC Party Fundraiser 

Friday, February 28th

• 8:30 am: Breakfast 

• 9 am: NATSO Foundation Top Industry Issues Roundtables
Vendors: Apply here to host a Top Industry Issues Roundtable here.
New! On Friday morning, the NATSO Foundation is offering a new hybrid educational/networking event aimed at connecting vendors with truck stops and travel centers on issues that keep them up at night. Each table will have one vendor host who will lead an exchange of information, ideas and solutions on a Top Industry Issue.

• 10 am: How to Use Design to Meet the Needs of Today’s Travel Center Customer
Speaker: Austin Burns, CEO and president of Paragon Solutions
Today’s travel centers need versatile areas that serve different types of travelers, from professional drivers to families on vacation. In this fast-paced, photo-heavy keynote, Austin Burns, CEO and president of Paragon Solutions, will share examples of best practices in incorporating features such as showers, laundry, play areas, rest areas, quiet zones, and pet-friendly areas. He will also take the audience outside to highlight how to redesign fuel islands to minimize waiting times, free up queues, and provide safe travel center access.

• 10:30 am: 1-on-1 Appointments 

• 12:30 pm: Lunch 

•1 pm: As Trucking Embraces AI to Optimize Routes What Does it Mean for Travel Centers?: Keynote
Automation is becoming more common in the trucking industry as companies see what technology can do to boost performance and efficiency. AI route optimization tools help drivers save time, fuel, and resources by assessing multiple factors when selecting routes, including distance, traffic conditions, delivery windows, and historical data. What does this mean for truck stops and travel centers? Route optimization is a critical aspect of the trucking industry. What will it look like in the coming years as AI rapidly advances?

• 2:15 pm: Technology Forum: Combatting Shrink and Growing Safety with Technology 
Moderator: Christine Schoessler, COO, NATSO
Panelists: NATSO Foundation Technology Steering Council
The Travel Center Technology Forum is designed to facilitate interactive discussions among truck stops and travel center operators regarding their top technology priorities. In 2025, the Tech Forum will explore technology to combat shrink and grow safety.

• 2:15 pm-6:30 pm: Exhibitor Move Out

• 3:15pm: NATSO Foundation Board Meeting