Keynote Session
Pat Williams is the visionary who brought an NBA franchise to Orlando and the marketing wizard who has made the Orlando Magic one of the NBA's most recognized teams. He spearheaded the birth of the Orlando Miracle, Orlando's entry in the WNBA in 1998. He has been affiliated with NBA teams since 1968 and 21 of his teams have gone to the NBA playoffs and five of them have made the NBA finals. Williams is the author of 19 books, including his most recent, Marketing Your Dreams. Williams and his wife, the former Jill Marie Paige of Riverside, Ill., currently reside in Florida. They have 19 children -- 15 adopted. Of the 15 adopted children, four are from South Korea, four are from the Philippines, four are from Brazil, and two are from Russia.
In this session, you'll hear the results from the all-new edition of the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors' flagship report - often called the "Bible of Wholesale Distribution." Updated and revised by NAW/DREF every three years, Facing the Forces of Change consistently provides readers with perspective on shifts in the distribution and supply chain environment through forecasts by executives from manufacturers, distributors, dealers and customers. This report uses a completely fresh methodology - scenario planning - to show distribution and manufacturing executives alternative paths for the future of wholesale distribution channels. These challenging "what-if scenarios" will help you anticipate your industry's future, spot the early warning signals of change, and develop strategies for success and growth. Join Marks, for a lively and interactive presentation. He'll focus on the implications of the new report for industrial products distributors and manufacturers. These findings are both exiting and challenging. There is no herd to follow and each company needs to make it's own decisions about an uncertain future. Marks will also address the many risks and opportunities faced by companies making real world resource commitments. This will definitely not be your normal stand up PowerPoint show. Michael Marks is a principal and managing partner with Indian River Consulting Group. He was recently named a DREF Research Fellow by NAW. His versatility as a speaker is unparalleled, and he can speak to almost any topic to any audience in the wholesale distribution industry.
The current economic slowdown has led to increased calls for protection from the softwood lumber, steel and other industries. And in the wake of the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001, heightened concerns about security resulted in tighter border controls and major disruptions to business in North America, and appears to have contributed to continued weakness in various economies around the world. Yet less than two months later, Canada and the United States joined over 140 other countries in Doha, Qatar, to launch new multilateral trade negotiations at the World Trade Organization (WTO). What will the business environment be like for trade, competition and investment in North America under NAFTA and in the rest of the world in the coming years? How can firms position themselves to take advantage of the economic recovery, particularly in view of Canadian-U.S. efforts to build a "zone of confidence" and global efforts to liberalize the rules for trade and investment? Jonathan T. Fried, currently senior assistant deputy minister at Canada's Department of Finance and former head of trade, economic and environmental policy at Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, will address these and related topics in his talk. Round Table Discussions
Roundtable discussion sessions provide segment members an opportunity to come together and discuss issues affecting their businesses. These sessions allow you to unite with those members who are serving the same customer base and/or handling a similar product mix as your firm in order to discuss specific issues and topics impacting the marketplace. These sessions will feature informal discussion opportunities within small groups. Both distributors and manufacturers are invited to fully participate. The discussion agenda for the sessions will be developed by the various membership segment steering committees and facilitated by member volunteers. If you have an issue or topic that you would like added to the agenda, please forward it to Kevin Gammonley at the NBMDA office (kgammonley@smithbucklin.com ).
Sample Questions:
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"The Magic of Teamwork: The Eight Qualities of Successful Teams" 
"Facing the Forces of Change : Future Scenarios for the Industrial Channel"
"Beyond The Border: Expanding Business in North America and the World"
