I’ve mentioned multiple times over the past several years that industry events are one of my favorite parts of being MDM’s Executive Editor. I know of no better way to stay on top of the distribution sector’s trends and challenges and continue building a robust Rolodex of contacts through their plentiful networking opportunities.
It’s those networking sessions — whether in an expo, a reception, a lunch hour or just an open hour in an event’s agenda — that provide excellent value for attendees. Attendees continue to cite networking as a top reason they allocate budget for traveling to in-person events.
I was glad to see in-person distribution industry events resume coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic with such fervor. In the middle of the pandemic, I was concerned that these events would be drastically and permanently curtailed. From what I can tell, that has not happened. If anything, I think the continuously digital-first and remote-work-heavy new normal has increased the appetite for seeing colleagues from across the country gather in one location.
In 2022 and 2023, I created similar industry event preview blogs, but those specifically previewed events scheduled for the spring and fall, respectively. As I scoured the interwebs for event dates and locations, it was apparent that the winter and summer months — once seen as the quiet period in the events schedule — also have plenty of great events to include.
From MDM, we’re doing our part by providing a handful of educational events aimed at helping distributors navigate their journeys in sales, digital transformation, data analytics and talent. We’ve already opened up registration for our in-person SHIFT Conference, set for Sept. 11-13 in downtown Denver. SHIFT is accompanied throughout the year by four virtual MDM summits: Our AI for Distributors Summit is on Feb. 7; our Distribution People & Culture Summit is on April 10; our Distribution Sales Summit is on July 10; and our Distribution Profitability Summit is on Dec. 4. Those events are bolded below.
Here, find a rundown of 30+ industry events in the first half of 2024 that are on MDM’s radar across industrial, commercial and building supply product sectors. Of course, this isn’t a complete list. There are undoubtedly more events that I just haven’t been made aware of that are worthy of adding to this list. If you know of any, let me know at mike@mdm.com, as I’d like for this blog to serve as an industry resource. I’ll look to post a second-half preview sometime in May.
I hope to see you out there!
ASSOCIATION/CONFERENCE DATES – 2024
HOST |
DATES |
EVENT |
LOCATION |
CTA | Jan. 9-12 | CES 2024 | Las Vegas, NV |
BSA | Jan. 14-16 | BSA Winter Meeting | Tampa, FL |
NAED | Jan. 15-17 | NAED Western Region Conference | Austin, TX |
IMARK | Jan. 21-23 | IMARK Annual Plumbing Meeting | San Antonio, TX |
Informa | Jan. 22-25 | World of Concrete | Las Vegas, NV |
NAW | Jan. 30-Feb. 1 | Executive Summit | Washington, D.C. |
MDM | Feb. 7 | Distribution AI Summit | Virtual |
Grainger | Feb. 11-13 | Grainger Show | Orlando, FL |
AD | Feb. 12-14 | AD eCommerce & Marketing Summit | San Antonio, TX |
NAED | Feb. 19-21 | NAED South Central Region Conference | Dallas, TX |
PTDA | Feb. 29 | Industry Immersion Conference | Hollywood, FL |
AEA | March 11-14 | University of Innovative Distribution | Indianapolis, IN |
MHI | March 11-14 | MODEX 2024 | Atlanta, GA |
STAFDA | March 12-24 | Excellence in Distribution | Nashville, TN |
PMMI | March 18-20 | PACK Expo East | Philadelphia, PA |
AD | March 19-21 | AD Electrical Mexico Spring Network Meeting | Cancun, Mexico |
AD | March 19-22 | AD PHCP Spring Network Meeting | Washington, D.C. |
AD | March 26-28 | AD Electrical & Industrial Spring Network Meeting | Houston, TX |
ASA | April 10-12 | ELEVATE: Women in Industry | Nashville, TN |
ISA | April 15-17 | ISA24 Convention | Charlotte, NC |
AHTD | April 17-19 | AHTD Spring Meeting | San Antonio, TX |
NAHAD | April 28-May 1 | NAHAD Convention | San Diego, CA |
AD | April 29-May 2 | AD Gypsum Supply Spring Meeting | Tucson, AZ |
BSA | May 4-7 | BSA Annual Convention | Asheville, NC |
AD | May 5-8 | AD Decorative Brands Annual Meeting | Dallas, TX |
WBR | May 6-8 | B2B Online Chicago | Chicago, IL |
NAW | May 14-15 | NAW Executive Roundtables | Dallas, TX |
NAED | May 21-23 | NAED National Meeting | Austin, TX |
ASA | May 22-24 | ASA Emerging Leaders Conference | Boston, MA |
NAED | June 3-5 | NAED Women in Industry Forum | Arlington, TX |
AD | June 3-6 | AD Canada Industrial & Safety and Building Supplies Annual Meeting | Vancouver, Canada |
PTDA | June 4-6 | PTDA Canadian Conference | Niagara Falls, Canada |
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