Schedule of events

By Industrial Distribution Staff -- Industrial Distribution, 5/1/1999

ID's Charity Golf Tournament

Industrial Distribution will host its 2nd Annual Charity Golf Tournament in conjunction with the 1999 Spring Convention in San Francisco. The tournament will be held at The Presidio Golf Course on Friday, April 30. ASMMA and I.D.A. members who registered for the event will have the opportunity to play a round of golf with their fellow members while also helping a good cause for children. A portion of the proceeds from the tournament will be donated to the Ronald McDonald House in San Francisco.

Ronald McDonald House Charities provides comfort and care to children and their families by supporting Ronald McDonald Houses in communities around the world and by making grants to other not-for-profit organizations whose programs help children. RMHC nationally provides each house seed money, expansion and emergency grants, as well as in-kind goods and services. However, each house relies on the people and businesses in its own community to provide additional funds, goods and services.

The tournament begins at 1:30 p.m., with a cocktail reception immediately following play.

Adding Value

Educational Management Sessions

The educational sessions being held on Saturday and Sunday are aimed at top management of both distributors and manufacturers with some sessions aimed specifically at smaller companies. The sessions are a mix of leading edge industry trends and management practices that are essential for survival in today's changing marketplace.

Saturday, May 1

"Documenting the Value You Add"

The ASMMA/I.D.A. Value Added Promotion Task Force

1 p.m. - 3 p.m.

3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

With the 1999 Spring Convention focused on value added, this session will present the case for documenting and selling the value added by industrial distributors ... not by the outside experts but by the inside experts -- those who are doing it. You'll hear from a customer as to what value added means to him and from manufacturers and distributors who are doing it. Case studies will be presented by:

* GOJO Industries

* B & J Industrial Supply

* Weber Supply Company, Inc.

The ASMMA/I.D.A. workbook, "Documenting the Value You Add," is now on the street, and a number of in-the-field workshops on documenting value added will have been conducted by the time of the convention. This session will offer the industry's leadership a chance to talk about what they are doing regarding value added, while hearing what the experts are doing. Many believe that there is no greater challenge to the industry today than documenting and promoting the value it adds. This workshop will emphasize how that can be done.

"Maintaining the Independent Distribution Channel: It's up to the manufacturer and distributor"

William McCleave, Ph.D., W. R. McCleave & Associates

1 p.m. - 3 p.m.

3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

The definitive work on the independent distributor's future is a study sponsored by I.D.A. and conducted by Dr. William McCleave entitled "The Changing Role of Small Industrial Distributors." The study was released at the 1998 Fall Convention. McCleave will continue his presentation to ASMMA and I.D.A. members as he examines the crucial role independent distributors play for manufacturers in reaching markets that might not otherwise be served. He will focus on steps the distributor and manufacturer must take together to retain the viability of this vital industry channel. McCleave's ground-breaking work is based on in-depth interviews with manufacturers, distributors and end-user customers.

"Mining For Meaning in Your Customer Satisfaction Data"

Dr. Randall Stutman, Communications Research Associates

1 p.m. - 3 p.m.

3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Imagine you've invested time and money in customer research. You've designed a survey and collected data. Now what? Besides counting up the number of satisfied and dissatisfied customers, what can you do with the information you've generated?

This presentation will focus on how to extract as much useful information as possible from customer survey data. Attendees will leave more confident in their ability to:

* Understand what makes some customers more satisfied and loyal than others.

* Identify, based on survey data, where to focus improvement efforts in order to produce the strongest leverage on customer satisfaction and loyalty.

* Analyze and generate strategies from qualitative data (customers' responses to open-ended questions).

* Recognize, based on their information needs and available data, which types of statistical analyses will be appropriate and useful -- without having to understand the mathematical formulas that underlie them!

If you are currently conducting customer research, or are thinking about it, this session will help you identify ways to get the most bang for your research buck.

"Thriving with Reps"

North American Industrial Representatives Association

1 p.m. - 3 p.m.

3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

This will be a program for all manufacturers considering or planning to sell through multiple-line representatives, as well as those using them and seeking improvements.

"Trash to Cash"

Presented by the I.D.A. Warehouse Automation and Inventory Control Task Force

3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Let I.D.A. help you turn your surplus and obsolete inventory to cash. This workshop, facilitated by Jim Beckstein of Mill Supplies, chairman of the I.D.A. Warehouse Automation and Inventory Control Task Force, will show you how to list your surplus and obsolete inventory in the newly improved Surplus Inventory List on the Internet. The session will also reveal how to buy special-order items at reduced costs.

This free service to I.D.A. members provides an opportunity to help change slow-moving inventory into fast, spending cash.

"Using Technology to Focus Your Sales Efforts"

Bruce Merrifield, Ph.D., Merrifield Consulting Group, Inc.

1 p.m. - 3 p.m.

3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Technology investments traditionally have been tools that serve a focused discipline strategy. Without a good strategy, the investments were largely wasted. Today, Internet technology has become the strategy.

This session will explain why the traditional outside and inside selling models for industrial distribution channels are obsolete; what the next models need to become; and ideas for how to get there on time with the least amount of pain and disruption. If you don't have a clear vision of how you will be selling in 2001 and a roadmap for getting there, then this session will be invaluable.

Sunday, May 2

"An Update on Industrial MRO Mergers & Acquisitions"

Adam Fein, Pembroke Consulting

1 p.m. - 3 p.m.

3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

One of the dominant trends shaping the industrial MRO marketplace is consolidation, as evidenced by continuing mergers and acquisitions at both the distributor and manufacturer levels. This subject was visited at the 1998 Fall Convention, and it is so important that it's on the agenda for the Spring Convention as well.

Leading the session will be Dr. Adam J. Fein, president of Pembroke Consulting, Inc., whose Wharton School doctoral dissertation was on consolidation in wholesale distribution.

The session will feature such topics as:

* "The Deal-Making Marketplace: Who is Buying Whom and Why"

* "Understanding What Sellers are Looking For"

* "Focusing on What Buyers are Looking For"

This session will be of interest to manufacturers and distributors who have an interest in the future shape and size of players in the industry.

"Building an Effective Sales Force for the Next Century"

Michael Marks, Indian River Consulting Group, Inc.

1 p.m. - 3 p.m.

3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Sales management will be a critical issue for the next century and this workshop is designed to give participants practical alternatives, other than price, to build a competitive advantage and market position.

The session will show participants a step-by-step approach to building an achievable sales plan, as opposed to emotional statements of goals with little basis in reality. It will focus on the changing roles in the selling function. A series of emerging distributor practices dealing with team selling and specialized roles will be covered.

Session topics:

* Team selling and specialized selling techniques

* Database marketing and electronic order entry

* Teaming up the inside and outside sales force

* The changing roles in the selling function

* Effectively using team selling and specialized selling roles

* Implementing database marketing techniques

* Designing practical performance rewards systems for salespeople

"Developing Your Export Business"

ASMMA Global Trade Committee

1 p.m. - 3 p.m.

3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

ASMMA's Global Trade Committee is sponsoring this session. The goal is to motivate and assist U.S. companies in initiating an export program, or expanding their existing export business.

A presentation on exporting do's and don'ts will be followed by a panel discussion of ASMMA members who will share their experiences and suggestions on global selling and marketing.

"Electronic Commerce For Distributors -- Beyond the Book"

Bruce Merrifield, Merrifield Consulting Group, Inc.

1 p.m. - 3 p.m.

3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

This session is vital for manufacturers who would like to reach more end-users in a more cost effective way and for distributors who would like to be part of both supply chain re-engineering and Internet selling solutions.

Specific topics will include:

* Why both manufacturers and distributors have got to start thinking about creating customized, integrated, value chains starting with the end-user and working backwards, instead of just thinking about how to take cost out of the old supply chain.

* Why continuous replenishment of faster moving, commodity goods between larger, more progressive manufacturers and distributors could happen more quickly than most think.

* Why and how manufacturers should roll out channel extranets for distributors and end-users.

* Why and how new niche products will be taken to market first through the Internet and then through physical distribution channels, if they achieve sufficient volume for local warehouses.

"Manufacturer's Integrated Supply Strategies: What Every Manufacturer, Distributor and Integrator Needs to Know"

Stuart Mechlin, presenter

1 p.m. - 3 p.m.

3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

As a manufacturer, are you trying to figure out how to increase sales while also trying to balance the demands of your existing distribution channels and the integrated supply channel? As an integrator, are you confused about how your manufacturer partner is selling to integrators? As a distributor, do you want help managing your manufacturing vendors better so as to preserve your existing relationship and create new sales opportunities?

This program will address these and other important issues in what has been up to now a relatively unexamined area of this new channel phenomenon we call integrated supply. The role of the manufacturer and their respective strategies and tactics are an equal, but perhaps less talked about, part of reducing costs throughout the supply chain. If end users are adopting integrated supply as a key element in reducing supply chain costs, then all legs of the stool -- end-users, integrators/distributors and manufacturers -- have to work together for mutual success in new and uncharted territory.

"Total Quality Workshop on Performance Measures for the Industry"

Presented by the ASMMA/I.D.A. Total Quality Process Committee

1 p.m. - 3 p.m.

3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

The ASMMA/I.D.A. Total Quality Process Committee has realized that a key component of quality is the business transactions that occur between manufacturers and distributors. With the assistance of performance measurement experts from Arthur Andersen, they have developed a series of key measures that define our industry trading-partner interface. These were initially presented at the Fall Convention and have been fine-tuned since that time.

This session will be a panel presentation on the measures and how they can be implemented to enhance the effectiveness of our channel of distribution.

The measures include:

* On-time shipment

* On-time delivery

* Invoice accuracy

* Order accuracy by line item

* Line item fill rate for standard stock items

* Product non-conformance

The Booth Programs

ASMMA/I.D.A. CONSTRUCTION PRODUCTS SHOWCASE

For the fourth year, the Construction Products Showcase will provide an expanded marketing focus that has been designed to "showcase" construction products. The showcase is a special benefit to manufacturers and distributors for whom the construction products business is particularly important. This feature gives ASMMA and I.D.A. members involved in the construction marketplace -- or those wishing to become more involved -- an opportunity to use the Conference Booth Program as a focal point.

The Construction Products Showcase provides an added dimension and scope without detracting from the convention's primary focus on industrial distribution. Importantly, the showcase enables companies that are looking for opportunities in the construction channel to establish partnerships within the ASMMA/I.D.A. family.

MANUFACTURERS' CONFERENCE BOOTH PROGRAM

Now in its 51st year, the annual Manufacturers' Conference Booth Program continues as the cornerstone of the ASMMA/I.D.A. Spring Convention. The Conference Booth Program has been condensed into one jam-packed day that maximizes the value of this unique opportunity for top-level contact between ASMMA manufacturers and I.D.A. distributors.

The Conference Booth Program will be held from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Monday, May 3. To help participants get the most out of the conference booth sessions, on-site food and beverage service is available at no charge. The program will be held at the George R. Moscone Convention Center, which is in close proximity to the hotel, eliminating the need for shuttle buses.

Since its establishment by ASMMA in 1948, the Conference Booth Program has stressed the importance of communication, cooperation and contact between manufacturers and distributors in building meaningful business relationships. Manufacturers and distributors alike are strongly encouraged to come to the Conference Booth Program with a focused agenda that makes optimal use of the time available to strengthen relationships with their trading partners.

The Conference Booth Program -- now including the Construction Products Showcase -- truly is the "main event" in the industrial distribution industry, where the dynamics of the supplier/distributor relationship take place and where national strategies for joint business success are implemented. It is one event no one in the industrial distribution industry can afford to miss.

Business Forums

Business & Technology Education Forums

(In lieu of the Business and Technology Solutions Showcase which will return at the 2000 ASMMA/I.D.A. Spring Convention in Dallas)

Saturday, May 1

8 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Don't miss this opportunity to participate in a series of education forums designed to allow interchange between you and industry suppliers who can provide solutions on how you can improve your internal operations and service offerings. These education forums, being presented by I.D.A. associate members, will allow you to find ways to use their technology and business services to reduce operating costs and remove redundancies in distribution while developing value added services for your customer base.

The following is a listing of some of the distribution suppliers that will present a Business & Technology Education Forum:

* Access Communication Systems, Inc. -- "Outsourcing of Accounts Receivables Programs"

* Caliper -- "Selecting, Managing, Motivating and Retaining Top Performers"

* Daly & Wolcott -- "Internet Commerce"

* Eclipse, Inc. -- "Sales Force Automation -- A Tool for the 21st Century Salesperson"

* Footlik & Associates -- "Making Your Warehouse An Efficient Marketing Tool"

* ITC Integrated Systems -- "How Tool Management Systems are Used by Manufacturing Customers"

* Incom Supply -- "Benefits of a Stocking Buying/Marketing Group"

* Industrial Market Information -- "Leveraging Data for Increasing Sales Productivity"

* International Business Systems (IBS) -- "Managing the Supply Chain from a Demand Perspective"

* International Quality Coaching, Inc. (IQCI) -- "ISO 9000 -- KISS (Keeping it simple, stupid)"

* Member Services Group, Inc. -- "Demystifying Insurance -- An Examination of Employee Benefit and Property, Liability, and Workers Compensation Insurance"

* NxTrend Technology, Inc. -- "Taking Trend to the Next Level"

* Pathguide Technologies, Inc. -- "Real-time Warehouse Management with Bar Code and RF Data Communications"

* Prelude Systems, Inc. -- "Object Oriented Java and the Future of Computing"

* Profit 21, Inc. -- "How to Turn your Technology Expense into a Competitive Weapon (Think outside the box)"

* QS Solutions, Inc. -- "Electronic Commerce for Smaller Distributors; How to Develop and Implement a Cost Effective Solution"

* Sales Tech Corp. -- "Defining, Refining and Marketing Value Added Services"

* Software Solutions, Inc. -- "Electronic Commerce and Distribution; Evolution not Revolution"

* Systems Design, Inc. -- "Re-engineering the Distributor Through the Use of Technology"

ASMMA Rep-con Manufacturers' Representatives Forum

Endorsed by the North American Industrial Representatives Association

Sunday, May 2

1 p.m. - 5 p.m.

ASMMA REP-CON is an efficient, effective forum that allows invited manufacturers' reps to personally introduce their agencies to top management of manufacturing firms. Now in its 10th year, this Sunday afternoon program provides a special facility and specific time for reps to meet with ASMMA manufacturers who may be looking for representation based on territory, technical expertise, or product specialization. Preceding the official opening at 1 p.m., the REP-CON area will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. for manufacturers' reps wishing to schedule specific appointments. REP-CON is open only to reps who are registered and designated by ASMMA member companies.

ASMMA Anual Breakfast Meeting

Monday, May 3

ASMMA's Annual Breakfast Meeting will be held on Monday morning, May 3, prior to the Manufacturers' Conference Booth Program. This annual meeting provides an opportunity for all members to be updated by the ASMMA leadership on the progress being made within the association and to hear progress reports from various ASMMA committees, as well as the various committees that are shared with I.D.A.

I.D.A. Annual Breakfast

Monday, May 3

At this meeting, I.D.A. members will be updated on the progress of various committee projects that have been underway during the past year. New officers and directors will be introduced, and annual awards including "Distributor of the Year" will be presented.

This is the members' opportunity to hear first-hand what I.D.A. has been "up to" over the past year and to hear plans for the year ahead. The breakfast meeting begins at 7 a.m., prior to the Conference Booth Program.

Y.E.F. Celebrates 10 Years!

Y.E.F. is celebrating 10 years of continual growth with an all-time high of 208 members. In celebration, Y.E.F. is planning an annual raffle with five prizes as well as the awarding of industry executive and college scholarships.

Also being held is the Y.E.F. Golf Tournament. The tournament will take place at The Presidio Golf Course on May 4th following the ASMMA/I.D.A. Spring Convention.

Proceeds from the raffle and golf tournament will be donated to the Young Executive Scholarship Fund to assist with next year's scholarship awards.

I.D.A. Small Distributors Forum, Breakfast -- Lunch Session

Saturday, May 1

8 a.m. - 1 p.m.

(By invitation only)

I.D.A.'s Small Distributor Council is sponsoring a "Convention within a Convention" for members with $5 million and under in sales. This hard-hitting session will begin with a networking breakfast, followed by an educational session on "Access to and Management of Capital and Assets." Dr. Albert Bates, nationally known expert on financial management, will discuss this topic which was identified in the McCleave study as a top concern about smaller distributors, by manufacturers and customers alike.

The energy of the forum will spike higher as Dr. William McCleave leads a fast-paced, interactive panel discussion during the second half of the morning. This session, titled, "Great Expectations Between Manufacturers and Distributors ... and How to Get There," will feature a panel of I.D.A. and ASMMA leaders candidly evaluating each others' strengths, weaknesses and expectations. Audience input will be welcomed as we explore the value added strategic focus distributors and manufacturers seek for long-range success.

The session will end with a luncheon opportunity to discuss the morning's topics among peers, followed by a brief, Small Business Economic Forecast.

I.D.A. Small Distributor Forum Schedule

8 a.m. - 8:45 a.m.

Continental Breakfast

8:45 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.

Session I, "Access to and Management of Capital and Assets" Dr. Albert Bates

10:15 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.

Break

10:30 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Session II, "Great Expectations Between Manufacturers and Distributors and How to Get There" Dr. William McCleave

12 p.m. - 1 p.m.

Lunch -- Small Business Forecast

Schedule

FRIDAY, APRIL 30

1 p.m. - 5 p.m

Convention Registration

SATURDAY, MAY 1

8 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Business & Technology Education Forums

8 a.m. - 1 p.m.

I.D.A. Small Distributor Forum Breakfast --Lunch Session

8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

I.D.A. Board of Directors Meeting

9 a.m. - 12 p.m.

ASMMA Board of Directors Meeting

9 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Convention Registration

11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.

I.D.A. New & Prospective Members' Luncheon

12 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.

ASMMA New & Prospective Members' Luncheon

1 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Education/Management Sessions

6 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Opening Reception

SUNDAY, MAY 2

7 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Convention Registration

8 a.m. - 8:45 a.m.

Interdenominational Chapel Service

9 a.m. - 11 a.m.

Opening Session

11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.

I.D.A. Canadian Members' Luncheon

12 p.m. - 2 p.m.

ASMMA/I.D.A. Past Presidents' Luncheon

1 p.m. - 5 p.m.

ASMMA REP-CON

1 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Education/Management Sessions

5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

YEF Social

MONDAY, MAY 3

7 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Convention Registration*

7 a.m. - 8:15 a.m.

ASMMA Annual Breakfast Meeting

7 a.m. - 8:15 a.m.

I.D.A. Annual Breakfast Meeting

8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Conference Booth Program & Construction Products Showcase*

12 p.m. - 2 p.m.

Conference Booth Luncheon*

* These events will be held at the San Francisco Moscone Convention Center