Newton, Ma. Beginning this fall, the yearly joint conventions held by the Industrial Supply Manufacturers Assn. and the Industrial Distribution Assn. will have a new twist to their old formats.

Earlier this year, ISMA and I.D.A. decided to divide the management of the jointly sponsored events. I.D.A. will manage the Fall Convention, held each November in Chicago, while ISMA will manage the Spring Convention, held in various locations across the country each spring.

The decision to reorganize management of the conventions was made in an effort to streamline the planning and execution of the events, according to the associations.

"We believe this is a win-win situation and a unique opportunity for both organizations to serve their increasingly divergent areas of interest," said ISMA president Hardy Hamann of Hermes Abrasives, Virginia Beach, Va.

Each association is making changes, large and small, to their respective events.

I.D.A. will add a supplier booth program to the Fall event, a significant change to that meeting. Any supplier in the channel is invited to participate in the program, including master distributors, foreign manufacturers, marketing and buying groups, technology providers and manufacturer representatives.

The supplier booth program will showcase new products and include a technology vendor section. In the past, the Fall Convention included a distributor booth program only, in which distributors hosted booths and met with ISMA suppliers.

I.D.A. will also add a full-day management workshop prior to the convention, special technology vendor forums, an MRO end-user panel, a more business-focused opening session, and more informal networking opportunities.

"This new convention model will allow I.D.A. to better serve the needs of its members while strengthening the existing decades-long relationships that are important to us," said I.D.A. president Mort Harris of Minnesota Industrial Tools, Inc.

ISMA has likewise taken the opportunity to re-structure the spring meeting.

A first-ever, two-day "flip-flop" manufacturer-distributor conference booth program gives members of each group the opportunity to host a booth for a day. In addition, there are some significant changes as to who can attend the event.

ISMA members will be able to invite any of their distributor trading partners to the three-day convention. The meeting will be open to ancillary service providers, buying groups, marketing groups, and other MROP associations and their members; and members of the North American Industrial Representatives Assn. who are sponsored by at least two ISMA companies are now eligible to join ISMA as associate members. A conference/suite program on day one of the spring convention will allow manufacturers to interact with NIRA members.

The I.D.A./ISMA Fall Convention will be held November 23-25 at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare in Chicago. The ISMA/I.D.A. Spring Convention will be held May 17-19, 2003, at the New Orleans Hilton Riverside, New Orleans, La.