Being Healthy 12 - separating the fat from the fiction

Despite classic British weather (wet and wet!) and Monday motorway madness, a group of motivated, interested and engaged Vending Operators trekked to the architecturally amazing Imperial War Museum in Trafford Park, Manchester for the Being Healthy Conference.  

For those who haven’t to IWM North, it’s located in an area of fabulous urban regeneration, bearing monument to a golden Industrial past whilst embracing re-invention as a business and tourist destination.

Re-invention is also at the heart of 24vend’s passion in getting the Vending Elephants out of the room!  Health and wellbeing are big agenda items however you look at them.  This conference, whilst modest in its ambition, wanted to get the dialogue open, objective and focussed on opportunity, not issue!

For those not there, you missed a fantastic line-up of speakers and some excellent conversation.  Let’s summarise:

TraceyGraham, Abercromby Vending.  This is a fantastic and heartening story of an enlightened business owner identifying an opportunity and, quite literally, making it happen.  With her knowledge of catering, Tracey oversees the creation of food and snacks that can be vended and her brother Thomas makes sure the vending operation runs like a dream.  What is so inspiring is that Abercromby Vending have won the Healthy Living Award in Scotland and are getting really positive attention from the Scottish Government.    Consumers love it and Tracey tells the story of a customer phoning from a Hospital to thank her for the fantastic, tasty and healthy products that they have bought from one of their vending machines.  Word of mouth and don’t we all want that.

ChrisCarter, Selecta UK and Ireland.  Chris told the European story of “positive living” through vending machines.  Selecta in France, Switzerland and the UK offer consumers products that can help make them achieve their healthier lifestyles.  France and Switzerland are very interesting initiatives as they are supported by their respective Ministries of Health; positive Government involvement and a mark of confidence and signposting for the products that meet certain guidelines.  This level of consumer education and information really helps; nutrition is not an easy subject even for the well informed, so anything we can do as responsible vendors to help increase knowledge has to be a good thing.

24vend gave a whistle-stop update on what’s happening in USA.  Believe us when we say, it’s a lot.   Even if it is partly driven through the requirements of Employers to support their staff on the road to better living, the growth of franchises that focus entirely on offering health, healthier and better products in vending machines is something to which we say Bravo!  HUMAN Healthy Vending is winning contracts, placing machines and making available a fantastic choice of products in vending.    Growing as a business, achieving a place in the Forbes 500 fastest growing list, HUMAN Healthy Vending is breaking records and vending stereotypes.  So, to the nay-sayers who don’t believe that health has no business in vending, perhaps it’s time to open your hearts and minds to a different perspective?

LizMorris, Working Families brought hearts and minds to life.  The pre-frontal cortices of the audience were educated and informed about how productivity and vending are both very important in a workplace context.   Savvy employers are learning how cortisol, serotonin, and circadian rhythms can help or hinder productivity.  The programming of humans to enjoy “comfort” foods is at odds with our need to eat to sustain performance.  It was fantastic to have a Neuroscientist put the facts behind the reasons why we crave certain foods in specific situations.  Of course, in moderation, comfort foods can be positive, but more frequent positive eating can make for better living.

Last but not least;

Nathan Kulik joined us to tell the Innocent story.  This was enlightening not just from the perspective that it’s a great story of 3 mates who snowboarded from holiday to global fame and a £43mio business, but also from learning about the strength of the brand and the smoothies and juices that they make.  The 7^th most loved UK company packed full of fresh, responsible, healthy goodness in a vending machine near you.  Inspirational!

The panel session for the presenters was lively and only a little contentious.  We foraged debates around commercial realities in vending, working patterns in UK businesses, the difference in culture across Europe that drive our eating habits as well as Government interventions in nudging consumers to different or better behaviours.  

There was agreement and acknowledgement that Vending Operators can learn from each other, that fresh products need to be handled differently and that consumers will phone to tell you how great your options taste – trust me, if they are telling you, they are probably telling their friends!  What a contrast from the typical image of vending (“stole my money”, “nothing for me” and “last resort”!). 

Probably the most important message from this session (aside from how passionate the vending fraternity is!) was a HUGE shout out to manufacturers to reformulate, create and deliver great tasting healthy and healthier products.  So, to any brands out there not currently in vending, get in touch.  Your vending Operator needs you!

Our plan is to run a similar conference in late Spring 2013.  We’ll build on the fantastic strides already taking place and have taken a personal challenge to find new products to bring for sampling.

Get in touch if you would like more information on this conference or any other product or service that 24vend can offer to help grow your business.

Gillian & Neil 

The times, they are a changin'

Hello!

The times they certainly are "a changin'" and not just as Bob Dylan predicted.  Health is now making headways in the vending vernacular and that's  a good thing, isn't it?

If you haven't already booked your place for Monday's Being Healthy conference in Manchester, there is still time.  You have to be in it to win it and we're a friendly bunch, so why not?  Not curious enough to be part of the conversation?  Too set in your ways to think that you might learn something - tut, tut!  Never too old and never too curious!

It was really great to hear about Gem Vending using QR codes to provide nutritional information to vending consumers - top marks to them for embracing both technology and the consumer.  Nice work!  If you haven't read all about it, head over to Planet Vending and get yourselves in the know

Of course, you'll be very welcome on the day if your plans change!

Get in touch if you want to know how we can help you jog along the journey of health; at least one of us is a REPs qualified fitness instructor so we can grow your vending business and get you fit on the inside at the same time.  Not many in the vending industry that can toot that particular trumpet!!

Any road up!  See you next week at Being Healthy or Vendex

The times, they are a changin'

The Friendly Vending Geeks
Gillian & Neil
24vend

Look up at the Stars

A flood of winter sunshine is gleaming on us as we write today’s news from the pews!  We’ve been busy packing goody bags ahead of next week’s Being Healthy conference.  A few more items to go, but first a cup of tea and a blog!

I wanted to thank and mention those that have helped make our goody bags interesting, different and tasty! 

Coeliac UK (of which I’m Vice Chair) very kindly donated the bags themselves and a quick word for those that may not be aware.  Coeliac disease affects around 1 in 100 people (UK) and is an autoimmune condition.  A lifelong adherence to a strict gluten-free diet is the way that those with the disease (including me!) stay healthy and well.  The charity obviously supports research in medical areas to improve diagnosis amongst other things.  It is also very important that food choices are available, affordably and tasty, particularly out of home – this is an area that I have worked very closely with the Charity in my role as Vice-Chair.  It is relevant to Being Healthy and vending as labelling and choice are paramount.  A coeliac can’t “cheat” on their diet and certainly can’t play roulette (Russian or otherwise) by hoping that the consumer information is right; it has to be!  Food for thought indeed.  A Charity I’m proud to support.

·       Warburtons, British and family owned are tempting us with baked pitta chips.  They also offer gluten free goodies but none available in vending (yet)(a not so subtle hint!).  Lower fat and salt compared to other savoury products, this is an interesting challenge to the regular “top shelf” items!

·       Multiple Marketing, another British based, family owned business, will be supplying a range of products, many of which are “school” compliant.  This is an interesting area for many in vending and often in debate – more about that at the conference (you have to be there to hear it!)

·       OhSoLovesYourTummy are a new player in the market with a fantastic probiotic, low calorie chocolate.  Can’t face a yoghurt drink to provide what your tummy needs, then look on further than this innovative, scientifically proven chocolate.  Mmmm, music to my ears!

·       Innocent smoothies are well known to all but never to be missed!  Supporting Age UK with their knitted hats every winter, they are a great example of companies giving back and making you smile as they do

·       24vend will also be supplying some healthy surprises!  Only those that book their place at the conference will be able to share the mystery!

We also wanted to make a special mention to some new friends of ours Planet Vending.  Friendly (like us!) and taking a fresh look at vending.  They include our blogs and thoughts about vending as well as lots of other useful and important points of view - head over there soon and tell them we sent you!

I’m sure many of you reading this will remember 2012 for great sporting achievements at both the Olympic and Paralympic games.  Stephen Hawking, one of the great scientists and thinkers of our time, gave us a phrase that I would like all of us in vending to take to our hearts  “Look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Be curious”

Why not be curious and join the conversation next week?  You have nothing to lose!  

See you in Manchester on 12^th November

Curiously yours,

The Friendly Vending Geeks @24vend

Healthy Vending; No Oxymoron!

Healthy Vending; No Oxymoron

With just 7 days to go before the BeingHealthy conference in Manchester (#bhealth12), we wanted to give you a (virtual) taste of the afternoon’s agenda.  Food for thought for those in the vending industry who still need persuading that consumers want to eat a range of products, both naughty and nice. No oxymoron, indeed.

We were taken aback at Vending Paris a couple of weeks ago when an industry veteran told us that what we were talking about was “b*ll**ks” (I wont translate for any of my foreign friends – just assume the more polite and usual term of "rubbish"!). Well, my friends, red rags and bulls, red rags and bulls…

We’re not talking about throwing away everything we know and love in vending, we are only suggesting that by offering more choice and products, meeting new and different needs of your consumers, your business can benefit. 

Take a look down the aisle at your nearest supermarket and there is definitely room for more, better for you, healthy, functional, different, unusual and tasty. 

Perhaps, we know the consumers we have so well that it’s very easy to overlook those we don’t?  The vending rejectors, the dieters, the foodies, the worried well… we could go on… you know the saying "familiarity breeds contempt"?

So, what we suggest is that you take only 2 hours from your day (shorter than a round of golf, we’re guessing) and join the conversation… find out how all of this brave new world can be healthy for your business…

Our Amazing presenters; 

Tracey Graham - Abercromby Vending (Scotland)

Sean Kelly - HUMAN Healthy Vending (USA)

Chris Carter - Selecta (UK)

Liz Morris – Working Families

Nathan Kulik – Innocent

Be tempted – Being Healthy on 12^th November at Imperial War Museum, North, Manchester

See you next week!

Gillian & Neil, the friendly vending geeks

24vend

Oranges and Lemons (even though you were promised Apples!)

I know, I know...  nothing for years then 2 blogs in one day!  What can I say?

Whilst this a vending blog, it's a little fruity for a Friday.  Below is the lovely amazing Apple Vending machine (c1930s); no more Steve Jobs than Isaac Newton but it serves a purpose for the next few minutes.

The subject of health and wellbeing is discussed at length every day online and in the real world;  We want to focus on the world of opportunity that health and wellbeing present for vending.  Vending has had its fair share of opposition over the years with bans and restrictions in various guises across many geographies.  Vending trade associations have positioned vending as part of the solution and nothing changes there.  Let's be honest, vending machines are shops and they sell what sells.  Nobody is made to purchase from a vending machine; they just stand their, minding their own business, doing what they do.  The Apple machine below was doing that - just selling you apples.

"Well", I hear you cry, "what's your point?"

My point is that enabling consumer choice, supporting healthy lifestyles and following trends has to be at the core of any vending business.  The vending industry hasn't invested millions in making fantastic cappuccino just because it was fed up of sitting on the beach.  The consumer wanted it and we responded.  Great news and superb innovation.  Extend that thinking to the choices available in a snack machine and perhaps we will start to see a broader range of products for sale?  Sure, some may not like that affordable indulgences such as crisps (chips to my transatlantic friends), chocolate and cherry fizz will still be on sale, but small changes are probably a better way forward to encouraging people to make lifelong changes to their consumption patterns.

Which brings us back to vending apples!  24vend is hosting a conference "Being Healthy" on 12th November at the amazing Imperial War Museum North (Manchester) where we will hear from Vending Operators who are making "healthy" vending work, manufacturers offering new products for sampling and a Workplace expert on how vending fits into driving productivity.  You really should be part of the conversation if you want to get with a trend that doesn't look like it will be going away anytime soon.  Get in touch and be there!

Whatever you're doing, stay well and healthy

The Friendly Vending Geeks @24vend