See the slate of industry events during the first half of 2024 that are on MDM’s radar.
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 |
| 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 |
| MDM | April 10 | Distribution People & Culture Summit | Virtual |
| 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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Mike Hockett
Mike Hockett is MDM’s executive editor, having joined the publication in March 2022. He oversees MDM’s editorial content and direction, coordinates with contributing authors, conducts interviews with executives in the wholesale distribution space and serves as the editorial face of MDM at industry events. He has extensively covered the distribution and manufacturing sectors since 2014. Hockett works from his home in Madison, WI. He can be contacted at mike@mdm.com.
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