It’s crunch time for us here at MDM, as there are just four weeks left until our 2024 SHIFT conference, set for Sept. 11-13 in downtown Denver.

As we navigate the logistics involved with hosting the third annual event, we figured the MDM audience could use an all-encompassing preview of SHIFT: What it is; what we’re looking forward at this year’s event; our top takeaways from SHIFT 2023; and what to expect as an attendee.

So, we did so in podcast form, with Senior Editor Vesna Brajkovic joining me to discuss all things SHIFT 2024.

While we each offered some unique perspectives, there were key themes we both voiced:

SHIFT is an embodiment of MDM’s high-value content: While each MDM article tends to have a particular focus, SHIFT offers tastes of each of our content pillars across its 2.5 days of programming. Those pillars of Hybrid Sales, Digital Transformation and Data Analytics will take center stage (quite literally) at the event, while our People pillar is also weaved throughout the agenda. Attendees will be privy to distributor case studies, panel discussions and keynotes that analyze change management levers you may pull in the near future to be as competitive as possible.

SHIFT maximizes a distributor/solutions provider ratio. We’re very intentional about the attendee split between distributor attendees and solution providers, limiting the number of tickets for the latter in order to guarantee that distributors will be able to network with a crowd of mostly other distributors. When Brajkovic and I are considering attending an industry event, one of the first things we research is ‘how many distributors will be there?’ and we know it’s the same for executive attendees. We love solution providers and are so grateful to those that are sponsoring this year’s event, but we’re putting a premium on enabling distributors to network with and learn from each other.

MDM Podcast: SHIFT Keynote to Focus on CX, Adaptation (July)

Distributors that have multiple attendees attend SHIFT particularly stand to benefit from the event. We’re happy to have any and all distributors represented at SHIFT, but from our experience of attending countless industry events over the years and from what we’ve heard from many others is that the change management insights gained from these events always has a better chance of being acted upon if multiple cohorts are there. Having a fellow staff member who can corroborate what you learned and help articulate it back to the organization is often a more effective way to get ROI from events than sending one representative who is then tasked with reporting back. That’s why we encourage distributors to send teams to SHIFT.

Distributors want to see case studies, and SHIFT will deliver them. MDM published extensive case study reports on Fastenal and Wesco International this past January and earlier this week, respectively — which are complimentary for Premium subscribers, and available to purchase in the MDM Store — and the feedback from them told us that our audience wants more of them. We’ll continue to roll those out in report fashion going forward, but SHIFT attendees will get to absorb them on-stage in Denver. Two of our marquee agenda items include Fireside Chats with Wesco CEO John Engel and Stellar Industrial Supply Founder, President and CEO John Wiborg. Those discussions will examine how each company has driven transformational change in recent years with those aforementioned content pillar topics. 

Networking opportunities abound at SHIFT. Along with the opportunity to learn via content programming, one of the key reasons — if not the key reason — many attendees go to industry events is for the networking opportunities. SHIFT is set to deliver on that in the form of evening receptions, breakfasts, lunches, along with the mingling attendees will do as they make their way from one session to another. Plus, the intimate scale of SHIFT makes it easy to connect with any attendee, which can be a challenge at larger events held at convention centers. Whether it’s while awaiting the start of a content session or with a drink in hand at a reception, SHIFT offers plenty of chances to expand your network with new introductions or catch up with colleagues.

With all of that said, we hope to see you in Denver! Find all the info you need about SHIFT here, including registration and the full agenda.

Check out the full podcast episode above, and you can find our full MDM Podcast archive here.