Overall [image-nocss] attendance was up by 20%, AWMA said, and most exhibitors--more than 80%indicated that show met or exceeded their business objectives. It added that 70% of attendees make final decisions for products/services compared with just 40% across the trade show industry.
"We are thrilled with the results and the level of participation and engagement of our members in the show," said Keith Canning, managing partner of Pine State Trading Co., Augusta, Maine, and 2011 AWMA Chairman. "Two years ago, our board approved a strategic plan to reinvent our annual event so that it provides more value to both attendees and exhibitors. Since then, we completely revamped the educational program by adding more sessions on industry issues and best practices, invited leading retailers to speak and share their insights, and added new categories to the expo including a foodservice pavilion to showcase foodservice equipment, products and services--a growth category we are all extremely interested in."
The foodservice pavilion featured 35 companies; most exhibiting at the AWMA Show for the first time. "The distributor is the key component between the foodservice supplier and the consumer and the AWMA Show provides a direct connection with these decision makers," said Jerry Ryker, executive vice president of business development at Land Mark Products, Milford, Iowa. "Distributors are our partners and we are listening to their business issues so that we can respond," he said.
AWMA's 2012 Show, to be held February 15-17 at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas, continues to evolve to meet the needs of distributors and retailers, the group said. New for 2012 is an Operations Pavilion on the show floor that features technology products and services, warehouse management systems, transportation and other key services that support distributor operations. Other pavilions include Foodservice and Candy & Snacks with the balance of the expo featuring the latest in tobacco, other tobacco products, novelty and other core categories.
According to Scott Ramminger, president and CEO of AWMA, "our goal is to continuously improve the show each year and find more ways to add value to exhibitors and attendees. Our postshow survey results indicate that we are going in the right direction with a majority of both exhibitors and distributors rating the 2011 show as providing more value than previous shows. This was a critical measurement for us along with other data that indicates greater value and satisfaction among all participants."
The AWMA Show attracts convenience store retailers, brokers and all of the top wholesale distribution companies in the United States as well as hundreds of local and regional distributors.
"Every one of the top 50 distributors registered their team for the 2011 Show and in some cases they brought 10 or more people," added Ramminger. "Additionally, the buying power and concentration of decisionmakers attending the AWMA Show is significantly above other industry events. In fact, the average distributor who attends is making product decisions for more than 2,800 retail outlets and nearly 20% of attendees provide products and services to as many as 10,000 stores."
The changes that AWMA has implemented over the past few years have been driven by extensive member feedback. "This customercentric approach has been the key to our ability to turn the show around," said Canning. "What excites me the most is not just having more people show up, but they are fully engaging in the show. In fact, nearly every education session was full to capacity each day--even at 7:30 in the morning in Las Vegas."
Details about the 2012 AWMA Show can be found at www.awmashow.com.
The American Wholesale Marketers Association (AWMA) is the only international trade organization working on behalf of convenience distributors in the United States. Its distributor members represent more than $85 billion in U.S. convenience product sales. Associate members include manufacturers, service providers, technology companies, brokers, retailers and others allied to the convenience retailing industry. In addition to convenience stores, their largest customer segment, convenience distributors also service grocery stores, drug stores, tobacco shops, mass merchants, newsstands, concession stands, gift shops, fundraising groups, restaurants, institutions and more.
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