Educational Events

Discover upcoming events focused on distributor education:

• University of Innovative Distribution (UID)
• UID Year Round
• University of Innovative Distribution (UID) In-A-Day

University of Innovative Distribution (UID)

Indianapolis, IN - March 13–16, 2022

Since 1994, the University of Innovative Distribution (UID) has provided education focused on the needs of wholesale distribution professionals and companies. With its concentrated three-day format, UID has helped increase the effectiveness of hundreds of NBMDA member employees. Students can apply UID coursework toward earning the Professional Certificate in Industrial Distribution, awarded by Purdue University.

UID Year Round

When it comes to the University of Innovative Distribution (UID), the educational fun doesn't just start and stop in March. UID hosts a catalog of webinars as part of their year-round initiative to promote professional learning and growth.

Re-Imagining Leadership In A Post Pandemic World

December 8, 2022 | 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. CT

In today’s complex, ever-changing environment, leaders are learning that the very nature of leadership is rapidly being redefined by the social, technological, and demographic forces creating new customer and employee expectations. Leaders must look beyond solely managing performance and productivity to focus on purpose and impact in this modern world. The human element of leadership has become the true north for today’s leaders. This optimistic and forward-looking webinar is designed for all managers and leaders within your business as Dirk will provide the latest data and insights from his latest industry research.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the forces that are asking us to re-imagine leadership
• Understand the four stages of leadership
• Understand why and how the human element will play a greater role in leadership going forward

Intended Audience: This webinar is designed to be impactful for all managers and leaders within your distribution business.

About the Speaker:

Dirk is the leading advocate of change and innovation throughout wholesale distribution. He delivers a new voice, new energy, and a new outlook. He founded UnleashWD in 2012 after he noticed the trend of innovation bypassing wholesalers and distributors. UnleashWD is now setting a bold agenda for the 300,000 distributors in the country. Dirk is also the executive producer of We Supply America, a platform that is championing the noble calling of distribution. For over 25 years as a consultant to a wide range of companies, Dirk has helped leading firms align, focus, and strengthen their sales and leadership strategies to remain relevant, outperform the market, and provide deeper value to customers.

University of Innovative Distribution (UID) In-A-Day

UID In-A-Day is an annual one-day workshop held in conjunction with the NAFCD + NBMDA Annual Convention. This workshop is the perfect opportunity for sales, general, operations and branch managers to improve their market knowledge and productivity, and get a sneak peek at the University of Innovative Distribution which takes place each spring at Purdue University.