WASHINGTON — With summer just around the corner, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores is helping members be well-prepared for the 2017 NACDS Total Store Expo.

NACDS on Wednesday spotlighted its menu of resources and tools to help Total Store Expo attendees identify and contact business partners, schedule and plan out meetings, boost visibility throughout the event, and make the most of insights and information from programs at the conference, which runs Aug. 19 to 22 in San Diego.

“One of NACDS’ top priorities right now is to convey the message that preparation is essential for effectiveness at the NACDS Total Store Expo,” president and chief executive officer Steve Anderson said in a statement. “We also want attendees to know about the tools we have built to help them succeed — including convenient online resources, step-by-step webinars, and the commitment of longtime NACDS members and staff to provide one-on-one advice to first-time and newer attendees.”

Total Store Expo attendees can access NACDS resources for the conference through the following links: Resources for Exhibitors, Resources for Retailers, and Participating Companies. The latter link is available only to those who register for the Expo and includes enhanced search capabilities that enable exhibitors to identify buyers relevant to their product categories.

NACDS said that on Tuesday company representatives sketching out their Total Store Expo plans took part in an “Exhibitor Tools, Tips and Tricks” webinar that showcased available resources. The webinar will be held again on June 29 at 2 p.m. ET.

In addition, exhibitors and retailers have been notified about other webinars: “Exhibitor Dashboard and Appointment Planner” on June 14 and July 12, “Retailer Online Appointment Planner” on June 15 and July 24; and “Show Logistics: From Set Up to Teardown” on June 21.

“When you visit the NACDS Total Store Expo website, you will find incredibly helpful resources that are easy to find,” Anderson noted. “I really want to call to attendees’ attention the NACDS Guide to Success, which was crafted for and by the industry through the NACDS Retail Advisory Board, which helps to craft NACDS’ events and programming. This guide includes helpful advice, and it really sets the tone for the NACDS Total Store Expo by emphasizing how crucial it is to plan ahead.”

Other online resources for the 2017 Total Store Expo include an exhibitor dashboard that can serve as a company’s planning portal, a collaborative meeting agenda that helps establish goals for business partner meetings, videos that describe logistical details, opportunities to raise a company’s visibility and find unique products through the Product Showcase, and the Made in USA and Supplier Diversity programs.

At the recent NACDS Annual Meeting, Dan Salemi, group vice president of pharmacy services at Albertsons, told NACDS-TV that the Total Store Expo provides an excellent follow-up opportunity. “We use the TSE to follow up and see how we did with all of our planning,” he said. (See video above.)