The new AWMA Show: Kudos from Attendees, Exhibitors Alike
In the first year of a three-year transformation plan, the 2010 AWMA Show won plaudits from both attendees and exhibitors who raved about the 15 hours of educational programming offered and the quality of the business done during the two-day trade show.
“There have been a lot of great changes in the show this year,” said Frank Vignone, manager of trade relations, Altria Sales & Distribution, as he opened the closing Super Session. “There is innovation and many positive changes.”
On the trade show floor on Thursday, as the Expo wound down, vendors reported generating high quality leads and doing a brisk business, and many distributors said they did so well on show deals that it more than paid for their trip to Las Vegas.
“The Show exemplifies AWMA’s commitment in a top shelf, exemplary manner that inures to the benefit of all associated with the organization,” said Robert Stashkiw, director of marketing at DWC Enterprises, LLC. “We have written more orders at the show than ever before and secured preeminent and time-honored distributors to represent our No Smoke Holster product as a result. This was huge for us.”
“This year has been exciting because distributors have come to spend money. They are excited about their prospects, and that makes me excited about ours,” said Gary Jarvis, senior manager of customer services at Retalix. “Even the folks who usually look for the black cloud seem to be finding the silver lining.”
Chad Gummer, vice president of operations, Gummer Wholesale, Inc. called the educational program offered at the show “the best in a long time,” covering operations, purchasing and sales, and the cost of doing business. “Bringing back education shows that our future is strong and there is much ahead of us.” Gummer said, adding that he will take much of what he learned about improving customer service back to his company and implement it. “We need to go above and beyond what you would consider as regular service,” he said. “I want to build a relationship of loyalty -- and not based on product loyalty. It has to be based upon people, not the items you sell.”
Tom Joyce, vice president, customer & industry affairs at The Hershey Company, a title sponsor of the Show and the opening Super Session, was delighted with the content offered at that session and many of the others that were presented. Featured speaker Phil Lempert, known as “The Supermarket Guru,” “did an excellent job of raising our awareness of future trends in the industry both from the retailer’s and consumer’s perspective,” Joyce said. “His presentation tied in well with some of the other educational programs offered at the show.”
For Dick Dunham, vice president of operations at the Stephenson Wholesale Company, the Show provided his company with an influx of new products that will help customers. “We got some good show deals and new items that we were glad to see here,” said Dunham. “The education programming offered made a difference this year.” Dunham said he brought more buyers than ever, eight people in all, to this year’s Show.
According to Barton Laws, vice president and director of sales at the Wind River Tobacco Co., business on the show floor was brisk. “We were happy with the business that we did,” Laws reported. “It is one of the best venues for us to meet with wholesalers one-on-one. You can accomplish in three or four days what would normally take three or four months. It is an opportunity for the manufacturer to offer show deals to reward customers for their support as well, and it has helped our business.”
Tom Eshelman, Doyles/ Sheehan Majestic, echoed those comments. “The vendors have been really helpful. They take the time to talk to you, and we’ve been able to save money.” Like other distributors, Eshelman said the savings was enough to cover the cost of the trip.
John “Java John” Gluhol, Java Classics/Distant Lands Coffee, said the Show offered his team an opportunity to meet with a number of customers and to talk with new ones. “This is our favorite show of the year,” he said. “There is no better show where we see this many distributors. They are all like family to us because we’re so close to them.”
With rising interest in foodservice within convenience, Michael Foods saw an opportunity to develop increased business with c-store distributors. “People are saying to me, ‘I will buy that. Come and see me.’ It’s been very good for us – so far we have 28 leads – quality leads.”
AWMA Chairman Jon Burklund, president & COO, Burklund Distributors, summed up the 2010 Show experience like this: “We delivered on the promise of creative and thought-provoking educational sessions. No matter which one you went to, it was interesting, useful, and right on point. It was very refreshing to see that we could be as creative as were wanted to be. Distributors and vendors alike have been upbeat and are looking forward to next year’s Show at the Paris Hotel on the strip. We will continue to make improvements, I promise you.”
The AWMA Show 2011 will be held at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas February 8-10. Mark your calendars today.
