Last month saw the Specialty Tools & Fasteners Distributors Association (STAFDA) hold its 45th Annual Convention & Trade Show in Orlando, Florida. The event saw nearly 2,400 attendees come to the Orange County Convention Center to network, demo products, and learn from the industry’s best.
STAFDA’s Trade Show featured 267 exhibitors for 10 hours over two afternoons. Unfortunately, STAFDA’s members outside the U.S. were unable to make the trip to Orlando due to pandemic restrictions.
Educational Workshops Sunday created a customizable curriculum for attendees who could choose two topics that best suited their needs. Subjects included Decoding Body Language to Increase Sales (Janine Driver); How to Work with and Lead People Not Like You (Kelly McDonald); The Unspoken Rules of Leadership (Jamie Turner); and Overcoming Seven Deadly Communication Sins (Skip Weisman). That afternoon, Paul Reilly’s Targeted Workshop focused on the upcoming revision of the STAFDA Sales PRO outside sales manual and the research he conducted to support it.
The NextGen Networking Luncheon invited those members under 35 years old to participate in a discussion with a distributor, manufacturer, and rep member-led panel offering feedback and industry insights. University students from across the country participated in a variety of Convention activities including the NextGen Luncheon and a Speed Interviewing session. Each of the students had an industrial distribution, supply chain, or construction management major and was selected to participate in the entire Convention & Trade Show.
The Trade Show exhibitors spotlighted the newest products and show-only specials. Also within the exhibit hall, the Tech & Consultants Pavilion offered business-building ideas featuring software, advice, discounted services, and one-on-one conversations with the industry’s best service providers and business experts.
STAFDA’s 46th Annual Convention & Trade Show will be October 30-November 1, 2022, in San Diego. Registration opens June 27 at 8:00 a.m. (Central). You must be a member to attend. For more information or photos, please contact Catherine Usher, STAFDA Member Services Director, at 262-784-4774 or cusher@stafda.org.
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