AWMA Making Major Changes to Annual Convention

FAIRFAX, Va. -- The American Wholesale Marketers Association (AWMA) announced a new redesigned format for its AWMA Show. The annual trade show, scheduled to take place Feb. 25-27 at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas, will now be known as the AWMA Marketplace & Solutions Expo.

The convention will "feature a broader array of educational and networking opportunities, and more show deals so distributor attendees can save like never before," according to an AWMA news release.

"A lot has changed in the past few years for all business enterprises and the convenience distribution business is certainly no exception," said AWMA President and CEO Scott Ramminger. "At AWMA, we are determined to meet these new challenges and our new, redesigned Marketplace & Solutions Expo is one way we are doing that."

Some key elements of the redesigned event will include:

  • New incentives for manufacturers to offer show deals and better ways of communicating those deals to distributors at the AWMA Buyer’s Circle.
     
  • More educational opportunities, including Marketplace show floor seminars in the AWMA Solutions Café & Theatre.
     
  • A Knowledge Bar, where attendees can talk one-on-one with experts on topics ranging from business profitability to warehouse security to food safety planning.
     
  • More peer-to-peer networking opportunities, including comfortable space on the marketplace floor, where attendees can enjoy a beverage while learning from peers one-on-one.

"The bottom line is that there will be more excitement, more new products, more education and more show deals, all in a compact, efficient format that makes sense in today’s business environment," said Ramminger. "Our goal is to make this event an invaluable experience for both distributors and exhibitors alike."

The focal point of the AWMA Marketplace & Solutions Expo will still be the trade show floor, where the suppliers will present their products and services, where much of the education program will take place, and where an industry reception will be held.

Off the show floor, the event will feature top opening and closing speakers, the presentation of the AWMA Hall of Fame Award, and an address by 2014 AWMA Chairman Mark Davenport, president of J.T. Davenport & Sons Inc.

"AWMA has taken a hard look at the show, really listened to distributors and manufacturers, examined the state-of-the-art in meetings and come up with a great new format," said Davenport, who takes over as chairman in January. "This is going to be the best AWMA event ever."

Fairfax, Va.-based AWMA is an international trade organization working on behalf of convenience distributors in the United States.

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