SHOW NEWS: Early STAFDA Numbers Are Up

John Wolz

Overall registration for the Specialty Tools & Fasteners Distributors Association 29th annual convention is running 15% ahead of 2004. A total of 736 booths were sold as of September 7.
The 29th annual convention will be November 6-9, 2005, in Baltimore.
Booth space is 82% sold. About 22% of the exhibitors are new from 2004.
Room rates at the six official hotels range from $120 to $215. STAFDA surveyed five online hotel discount websites and found all but one of the association-negotiated rates were lower than online discounts.
Ed Gericke, senior vice president of sales & marketing at Werner Co., will present the associates” state-of-the-industry address, and STAFDA president Marshall Jones of Marco Supply Co. will give the distributors” state-of-the-industry address.
Former Secretary of State Colin Powell will be the keynote speaker.
Workshop presenters are: Steve Farber, president of Extreme Leadership Inc., “The Radical Leap: Extreme Leadership at Work & Beyond”; George Hedley, who built Hedley Construction & Mgt. into a $50 million company in seven years, “The Business Success Blueprint”; Michael Marks, Indian River Consulting Group, “Designing aWorkable Sales Compensation Plan”; and Kathy Newton, a Purdue University assistant professor and a member of the University of Industrial Distribution faculty, “Employee-Based Management: Finding and Keeping Good People.” Web: stafda.org \ �2005 FastenerNews.com