The most comprehensive convenience distribution event in North America is on the move
New Show Location based upon attendee & exhibitor feedback Pavilions in the EXPO showcase foodservice, operations and candy/snacks categories. More education and more industry-specific speakers. Topics specifically geared to supply chain issues, opportunities and solutions. The Peabody Orlando—A Forbes four-star, AAA four diamond hotel.

• New Show Location based upon attendee & exhibitor feedback.
• Pavilions in the EXPO showcase foodservice, operations and candy/snacks categories.
• More education and more industry-specific speakers.
• Topics specifically geared to supply chain issues, opportunities and solutions.
• The Peabody Orlando—A Forbes four-star, AAA four diamond hotel.

PRESS RELEASES:

• Industry Thought Leaders Announced for 2012 AWMA Show Closing Super Session Panel
• 2011Show Posts Attendance Gains and High Ratings
• AWMA Announces Education Sessions for Upcoming 2011 Show
• AWMA Show to Feature Expanded Exhibit Hall Including Foodservice
• E-Z Mart's Sonja Hubbard to Kick Off AWMA Show

Would you like to submit a topic or be a presenter at our 2013 Show?  Send your ideas to Jane Berzan at jmberzan@cox.net

Interesting in exhibiting?  Contact Joel Brown at (703) 208-3358 ext. 649 or at joelb@awmanet.org

Other Show information, contact Robert Pignato, at 703 208-3358, ext. 642 or at robertp@awmanet.org

Tackle today’s business issues, meet with leading manufacturers and plan your future – at the ONLY conference & tradeshow geared specifically for convenience distributors and manufacturers.

We hope to see you at The Peabody Orlando next March!

2012 AWMA SHOW ROCKS!

An outstanding educational program designed to help convenience distributors thrive in the years ahead and a dynamic trade show where suppliers and distributors learned about each other’s needs and opportunities for doing business together highlighted the 2012 AWMA Show held Feb. 15-17 at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas.
    
“This was one of the best shows in the past 10 years,” declared Frank Falter, The George J. Falter Co., Baltimore, MD, “and talking to the exhibitors and the manufacturers, they feel that way too. It was larger, there were a lot of different manufacturers, including foodservice, and that is what our company is looking at. There were enough vendors here for us to get a good start.”
    
“It rocked!” said Paul Bilton-Smith, national account manager, World Kitchens. “This show gets you out of your comfort zone a little bit, but for us and our customers, that’s a good thing.”
    
Debbie Robins, president of Century Distributors Co., Inc., Rockville, MD, found her experience at this year’s show to be valuable and worthwhile.
    
“It has changed and grown,” she said. “This was a great way to do business.  I was able to spend good, quiet one-on-one time with manufacturers.”
    
Robins attended the AWMA Summit & Business Exchange in Atlanta last fall, where she met with manufacturing trading partners and mapped out plans for the coming year. “This was a great opportunity to recap and see how we’re doing,” she said. “Plus, there were show deals, and that pays for the buyers’ trips. And the manufacturers’ decision makers were here, and it is always great to regroup with old acquaintances.  I hope there is even more growth in the years to come.”
    
In addition to more than 11 hours of business opportunity on the Show exposition floor Feb. 16 and 17, two Super Sessions and several concurrent educational seminars provided attendees with a chance to gain insight into key business developments, including tobacco regulations, using data to improve business, human resources, and tapping into the Latino market. A bonus program on Feb. 15 offered advice on how to leverage category management.
    
The Show’s opening Super Session Feb. 16 featured the presentation of AWMA’s first Hall of Fame Awards and a fascinating address by Drayton McLane, Jr., chairman, McLane Group, and former owner of the Houston Astros Baseball Club. The Hershey Company sponsored the program.  Friday’s closing Super Session focused on changes in retail, and featured a panel discussion that included two top convenience store retail operators.

Presented the chairman’s gavel during the Show, by outgoing chairman Keith Channing, managing partner, Pine State Trading, Augusta, ME, was new AWMA chairman Chad Gummer, president and chief operating officer, Gummer Wholesale, Inc., Heath, OH. He pledged to work hard to expand AWMA’s membership and relationships with state industry associations, broaden the annual Day on the Hill lobbying event, and improve the organization’s communications tools.

For more Show coverage, please click here.