Newport Beach, Calif.—Despite the down economy, more than 120 members of the NorthAmerican Industrial Representatives Assn. turned out for the group's Sixth Annual Management and Marketing Conference held here at the Marriott Hotel Feb. 28 to March 2.

"We're very pleased with the turnout, especially in light of the economy," said John Pittman, president of NIRA and of Pittman Industrial Marketing in Birmingham, Ala. Pittman noted that attendance was down by only 20 attendees compared to last year's conference in San Antonio.

During the four-day meeting, attendees heard a keynote address from Robert Nadeau of the Industrial Performance Group that focused on overcoming barriers to improve the working relationship between manufacturers, representatives and distributors. He presented the results of an exclusive survey conducted with Industrial Distribution showing how a deteriorating relationship between manufacturers and distributors results in increased sales and marketing costs, low sales volume and margin erosion.

Nadeau also presented another session for manufacturers focusing on strategic channel management.

Bob Trinkle of Trinkle Enterprises told representatives how to overcome the loss of a major line or a customer. He emphasized the importance of developing a contingency plan, reviewing and updating it regularly, and how to answer "what if" scenarios.

Representatives and manufacturer attendees also heard from a leading distributor. Steve Applewick, vice president of operations for Fastenal Co., detailed the growth of his company, its plans for the future, and how it works with independent representatives.

Other workshops covered human resource and finance issues, while several other speakers emphasized ways for representatives to improve their operations through the use of direct mail, new technology and improved sales techniques.

Dave Turpin, president of Turpin Sales and Marketing, is the new president-elect of NIRA. Gary Clark of Clark & Associates served as conference chairman for this year's meeting. Jim Surpless of Surpless, Dunn and Co. and Ted Pope of Edward H. Pope Co. were conference program co-chairmen.

Next year's meeting is scheduled for Feb. 27 to March 3 in Clearwater Beach, Fla.