Due to increased convention attendance and more exhibits, the Specialty Tools & Fasteners Distributors Association (STAFDA) board of directors and the manufacturers and rep liaison committees recently discussed several changes in meeting policies for its Nov. 13-15 Las Vegas convention and trade show. Here are the approved changes:
- Number of associates/reps who can register: The current cap of 12 employees per manufacturing company and rep agency will be raised to 16 people per company membership.
- No associate meetings during STAFDA event hours: Most manufacturers cooperate with STAFDA's rule of no private meetings during STAFDA program hours; however, a few do not. The Las Vegas Convention Center and the Las Vegas Hilton will work with STAFDA to enforce this policy. This year's trade show has been restructured to expand show hours and accommodate more manufacturer meetings. For private meetings that don't conflict with STAFDA programs, meeting rooms will be available in both facilities.
- Expanded trade show hours: For Las Vegas, show hours have been increased by 26 percent, to 12 hours! On Tuesday, Nov. 14, the show will run from noon to 6 p.m., and Wednesday, Nov. 15, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Members will book hotel rooms directly: Since more members are using the links on our website to make their hotel reservations, STAFDA has decided to drop the "paper" reservation forms. Members may either reserve rooms online or call the Hilton directly using the STAFDA rate code. The association has reserved 2,000 rooms at the Hilton and negotiated a group rate of $159 single/double. NOTE: STAFDA hotel reservations will not be accepted at the Hilton until Monday, July 3.
- Lead retrieval System: STAFDA has partnered with a lead retrieval company, Expo Tracker. This year, all badges will be a plastic card with a magnetic stripe encoded with demographic information.
- No Rap Sessions in Las Vegas: To gain extra time for the trade show, STAFDA has chosen to drop this event.
- Nonexhibiting associate members: STAFDA associate members who are not exhibiting in the trade show will have a different colored badge. They will not be admitted to the exhibit hall until the show opens for everyone.
Performance Analysis Report (PAR) STAFDA is offering distributor members industry-specific data to help with budgeting and financial decisions: STAFDA's Performance Analysis Report (PAR). By participating in the PAR survey, distributor members can benchmark their businesses to industry norms including profit margin, operating expense, gross margin, inventory, employee productivity, and more. Conducted by the Profit Planning Group, all information provided in the survey remains strictly confidential. Participants will receive a free copy of the PAR results in late spring.
For more information
For membership or additional information on STAFDA, contact Catherine Usher, member services director, STAFDA, P.O. Box 44, Elm Grove, WI 53122; phone 262-784-4774 or 800-352-2981; e-mail cusher@stafda.org, or visit our website at www.stafda.org.
Concrete Sawing and Drilling Association
CSDA celebrates 500-member milestone
The Concrete Sawing and Drilling Association (CSDA) had much to celebrate at its 34th annual convention in Charleston, SC, early this year as it surpassed the 500-member mark. "CSDA has been relentless in offering new programs and services for members, especially in the areas of safety, training, insurance and partnerships," said executive director Patrick O'Brien. "In addition, networking and cooperation between members at events such as the annual convention have been a key factor in membership growth," he added.
The 2006 event had the highest rate of new-member participation in the association's history. The agenda included technical and business presentations, workshops and round-tables all designed to help attendees improve their companies by expanding their business knowledge and technical skill, enhancing their knowledge of safety and training, and providing the tools needed to incorporate new technologies and techniques.
Keynote speaker Chip Eichelberger provided an energetic and thought-provoking presentation called "Get switched on." A sales guru and professional speaker, he showed attendees how to increase profits by adopting new business strategies and taking advantage of untapped resources. Jay Gleason of the Portland Cement Association (PCA) shared his ideas on the economic forecast and market outlook of the cement market and how it could affect the sawing and drilling industry. Attendees learned how to better position their companies to attract and win bids with valuable insight from a presentation by George Seegebrecht of CTL Group on how a specifier selects a sawing and drilling contractor.