United Convenience Buyers (UCB) held its national conference at the Royal Pine Resort on the Gold Coast this week.
Following a day of networking activities, the conference officially kicked off Tuesday afternoon with the Business Building Sessions.
Attendees heard from television personality and voice-over artist Robyn Moore; Vantage Fuels Marketing Manager Haydn Tierney; Facebook Client Partner Phil Bonanno; and Australian big wave surfer Mark Matthews.
That evening, Coca-Cola held a welcome dinner by the pool. Guests enjoyed a buffet meal and were entertained by fireworks, a ventriloquist and a hypnotist.
Getting back to business 
On Wednesday, conference attendees were treated to a morning of presentations.
The session was opened by UCB CEO Darren Park, who pleaded that retailers and suppliers must find trust in each other.
“We are one channel, and together, we’ll rise,” he said. “If you all try and go alone, you won’t survive… It’s about winning together.” 
For the rest of the morning, attendees heard from Dublin-based independent retailer Thomas Ennis; Convenience Measures Australia Director Corinne Barclay; JP Morgan Executive Director, Retail and Consumer Analyst Shaun Cousins; and Australian aerial skier Jacqui Cooper.
Next up, was the trade show which showcased a variety of P&C essentials, including food, beverages, general merchandise and store equipment.
A ‘freaky’ evening
The UCB Gala Dinner, with a ‘Cirque La Freak’ theme, brought the conference to a close. The circus-style evening was full of fireworks, carnival rides, dancers and sword-swallowers.
The 2019 UCB Trade Partner Awards were also presented. The winners were:
- Carbonated Soft Drinks & Sports Drinks – Coca-Cola.
- Energy Drinks – Frucor Suntory.
- Functional Drinks and Water – Asahi Beverages.
- Snacking – The Smith’s Snackfood Company.
- Confectionery – Mondelēz.
- Food Manufacturer – Mrs Mac’s.
- Flavoured Milk & Iced Coffee – Lactalis.
- General Merchandise – Pacific Optics.
- Cigarettes – Philip Morris.
- Communications – Epay Australia.
- Wholesaler/Distributor – The Distributors.
- New Product of the Year – Lion, Dare Triple Espresso.
- Trade Partner of the Year – Coca-Cola Amatil.
- Trade Partner Representative of the Year – Mike Hendle (The Distributors).
- Trade Show Stand of 2019 – Coca-Cola Amatil.
