Preparing for the Future

Leawood, KS, February 6, 2004, - The IAPD Spring Management Conference (formerly the Mid-Year Conference) will be held April 1 - 4, 2004, at The Wyndham New Orleans at Canal Place in New Orleans, Louisiana.  The conference this year will feature educational sessions on sales force compensation, industry trends affecting plastics distribution and the nuts and bolts of communicating with your customers and sales personnel.   

Noted distribution expert Michael Marks will be the featured speaker at this year’s conference.  Mr. Marks will share the results of his study on sales compensation practices and will challenge attendees to answer the question, where is plastics distribution going?   Conference participants will hear the latest trends in distribution and find out what it will take to remain successful as the economy rebounds.  

Participants will also hear from Bill Kuhlke, former SPE President about how energy costs and competition from foreign labor will impact their businesses.  Also, Stephen Gold, of the National Association of Manufacturers, will talk about trends facing their 14,000 members and their efforts to keep manufacturing competitive in the U.S.  A special session will feature tips and tools to communicate more effectively with your sales force and your customers.  Planned events include a golf tournament that benefits the IAPD Charitable Scholarship Foundation, common interest group meetings, and numerous opportunities to share meals and ideas with industry partners. 

For more information on IAPD and the conference details, including a complete schedule of events, visit www.iapd.org/events or call (913) 345-1005.

About IAPD

IAPD is a trade association representing plastics distributors and manufacturers of engineering materials and semi-finished stock shapes, such as sheet, rod, tube, film, resin, pipe, valves and fittings. Such materials are used in construction, marine, automotive, medical and other industrial applications.

March 7-10, 2004 * University of Industrial Distribution, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
April 1-4, 2004 * IAPD Spring Management Conference, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
May 28-31, 2004 * EPDA Annual Conference, Kaprun, Austria
September 8-12, 2004 * 48th IAPD Annual Convention, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

For additional information please contact:

Jeanne Uhler
Membership Assistant
International Association of Plastics Distributors
4707 College Boulevard, Suite 105
Leawood, Kansas 66211
USA
+913-345-1005 tel
+913-345-1006 fax