NEWTON, MASS —Cahners Business Information will host an online trade show and conference October 17 and 18.

Called SupplyChainLinkExpo, the event is aimed at professionals throughout the supply chain. The program is being produced by Cahners' Supply Chain/OEM Group, made up of 10 business magazines: Industrial Distribution, Purchasing, Supply Chain Management Review, MSI, Design News, Logistics Management, Modern Materials Handling, Control Engineering, Warehousing Management, and Plant Engineering. The event is also sponsored by Reed Exhibition Companies, a Cahners affiliate and producer of National Manufacturing Week, held each year in Chicago.

The event will feature keynote speeches, roundtable discussions, "Webcast" seminars, and special exhibitions. Over 7,000 people are expected to register for the event, none of whom will have to leave their office to attend.

"We aim to provide all the information and benefits of attending a premiere trade show and conference, but without the hassles of airports, hotels and time away from the office," said Mitch MacDonald, spokesman for the event. "...It truly is a virtual event that will mirror the best of the real world."

The keynote speakers are Thomas Stalkamp, CEO of MSX International and former president of Chrysler Corp., and W. James McNerney, Jr., CEO of 3M Corp. Stalkamp will speak on Wednesday, Oct. 17, and McNerney will address attendees on Thursday, Oct. 18.

INDUSTRIAL DISTRIBUTION will host separate events aimed at distributors during the two-day show. They include a keynote address by Steve Epner, president of BSW Consulting; a roundtable discussion based on ID's recent 55th Annual Survey of Distributor Operations; and a Webcast centered on the National Assn. of Wholesaler-Distributors Facing the Forces of Change report.

Epner's keynote address is titled "e-Business in the Distribution Channel," and will focus on the state of the Internet in distribution today and where it is headed for the future. Epner has spoken to hundreds of American business owners, is widely published, and has been quoted in various business publications, including the Wall Street Journal.

The roundtable discussion will include three panelists: Dr. Bill McCleave, president of W.R. McCleave & Associates; Mark Dancer, a partner with Frank Lynn & Associates; and Jack Keough, editor and associate publisher of INDUSTRIAL DISTRIBUTION. ID's managing editor, Victoria Fraza, will moderate the event, which will examine the findings of the magazine's largest study of distribution management. Nearly 1,100 distributors from around the country participated in the study earlier this year by answering a range of questions about industry conditions and trends. The panelists will interpret the findings of the survey and what they will mean for the future of distribution. The panel will also discuss the use of technology and integrated supply, identify new market sectors, and list distribution's top concerns.

The Webcast is based on NAW's Facing the Forces of Change report. Research for the report was conducted by Philadelphia-based research and consulting firm Pembroke Consulting. The Webcast will address shifting perspectives in the wholesale distribution environment and how companies can prepare for uncertainties in the marketplace. The Webcast will be originally broadcast on October 10 and then repeated during the SupplyChainLinkExpo.

There is no fee to attend the SupplyChainLinkExpo. For more information or to register, go to www.supplychainlinkexpo.com.