“TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS”

ISA COMPLETES ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL CONFERENCE AND TRADE FAIR

The 2008 Conference and Trade Fair, June 1-3, Chicago, IL was the most successful annual meeting in ISA’s short history. A record attendance reported higher levels of satisfaction with all aspects of the meeting. On a scale of 1-5 with 5 being the best the attendees rated the Hyatt Regency O’Hare Hotel a 3.9, the location a 3.7, the conference program a 3.6 and the overall value to their companies at a 3.7.

All these ratings are higher than last year’s meeting in Las Vegas and about on par with the 2006 meeting in San Antonio. Value to your company was higher in Chicago!

The trade fair aisles were packed with participation with meetings taking place until the end of the trade fair each day. There was a good “buzz” in the air. Several issues contributed to the success of this event.

Distributor participation was strong due to a change in the booth regulations with participation on a voluntary basis. Every distributor booth was manned until the end of the day.
FASTMATCH, the electronic appointment system, was used at record levels. Over 10,000 meeting were requested prior to the trade fair. Of those requested, over 7,500 were accepted. 27% of the participants used FASTMATCH to make 80-100% of their trade fair meetings. An additional 22% used the system for 60-80% of their meetings. A total of 68% of the attendees used FASTMATCH in one way or the other.
Manufacturer participation was the largest in 4 years. In general the manufacturers had a larger contingent from their companies manning their booths this year.

A change in the schedule had the conference portion of the meeting at the end rather than its usual position of starting the meeting. While the attendance at the General Session was smaller than usual, the favorable ratings were at record numbers. A highlight of the General Session was the specially designed video that opened the program. Attendees were still enjoying the comments and performance of the Capital Steps, long after the session was over.

There were a total of 13 educational programs held during the conference. A post conference survey asked participants to rate these programs on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the best. Attendees gave 7 of the 13 programs a rating of 4.

“The 1% Solution” presented by Murray Lyons had the highest rating at 4.6.
“Numbers that Count” received a rating of 4.5. This program was the launch pad of the NEW ISA North American Market Share Report.
Alan Beaulieu’s economic report was a 4.4.

The other top rated programs were in the 4.2-4.3 range. These were the highest collective ratings in conference history. Over 500 participants attended the educational programs and the Awards Luncheon and Business Meeting on the last day.

We look forward to a strong attendance at the next ISA Industrial Supply Conference and Trade Fair scheduled for April 20-22, 2009. Over 85% of this year’s attendees indicated that they plan on “Making a Difference…in San Antonio!”

2008 CONFERENCE AND TRADE FAIR HIGHLIGHTS

Attendee List
Final Attendee List

Conference Program Handouts “Changing Faces of Customer Service” presented by Robert Wendover
“Driving Results from Engaged Employees” presented by Bill Fotsch
“Market Position Matters” presented by Bill Hodgdon
“How to Build an Online Marketing Machine” presented by Bob DeStefano
Technology Lunch-n-Learn- “I’ll Buy the Beer” presented by Paula Giovannetti
“Time Management Secrets for Sales People” presented by Dave Kahle

New Member Video
View the new promotional video unveiled at the new and prospective member breakfast

American Eagle Award Winners ISA’s most prestigious award, the American Eagle Value-Added Partner, was awarded to Bruckner Supply and Saint-Gobain Abrasives for their efforts at Pratt & Whitney. This award recognizes the efforts of a manufacturer and distributor working together to add value to their end-user customers.

Value Added Distributor:	T& A Industrial Distributors, Brookfield, Wisconsin
Value Added Manufacturer:	Seco Tools Inc., Warren, Michigan
Value Added Independent Manufacturer Representative:	The Tooling Group, North Canton, Ohio
Corporate Citizen Award:	Haggard & Stocking, Inc., Indianapolis, IN

Congratulations to all of the 2008 American Eagle Award Winners!

Buffington Scholarship
University of Alabama student, Dave Karr was named the recipient of the $10,000 Gary L. Buffington Memorial Scholarship.

2009 ISA Conference and Trade Fair

Making a Difference… in San Antonio
Monday, April 20 – Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center and Marriott Rivercenter Hotel
San Antonio, TX

NEW! The 2009 Conference and Trade Fair will be held earlier in the year and follow a new day pattern.

Sunday, April 19
YEF Golf Tournament, Board and Committee Meetings

Monday, April 20
Conference Educational Sessions, General Session, Opening Reception

Tuesday, April 21
Manufacturer Trade Fair

Wednesday, April 22
Distributor / Independent Manufacturer Representatives Trade Fair