Chicago—The North American Association of Floor Covering Distributors (NAFCD) and the growing North American Building Material Distribution Association (NBMDA) have extended their partnership for groups’ co-located annual NAFCD + NBMDA convention, which is slated to take place Nov. 14-16 at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs.
The tabletop networking forum brings together more than 900 distribution professionals representing the leading distribution companies in the U.S. and Canada, allowing distributors and manufacturers to connect face to face and conduct meaningful business planning. Semi-private tabletop booths provide an ideal forum for senior executives and key decision makers to discuss distribution plans and strategies for the future while also reviewing past performance. Meetings are coordinated by appointment to ensure a highly focused and productive environment.
“The joint event between the two organizations continues to be a solid foundation where members can rely on valuable education and insights while making meaningful business connections,” said Kevin Gammonley, NAFCD and NBMDA executive director.
In addition to strengthening partnerships, the event fosters networking and knowledge sharing between attendees. For 2017, the annual convention will host concurrent sessions on a variety of topics, including the latest technologies, political issues, the economy and sales trends.
The three-day convention will also be filled with value learning through general sessions, roundtable discussions and the 2017 Distribution Management University (DMU). Rated highly year-over-year, education sessions allow attendees to take away relevant and practical business and sales knowledge. (Attendee registration opens next month.)
New resources for members
NAFCD also announced plans to team up with Caliper, a New Jersey-based talent management firm that guides businesses in developing their work- force and aligning talent with strategy. Caliper is designed to make personnel decisions, from hiring to succession planning, more
seamless and precision-based for association members. NAFCD members will receive discounts on Caliper’s pre-employment assessment tools and other services that have been proven to help businesses become more agile and innovative, attract the best candidates and promote from within.
“In partnering with Caliper, we are taking steps to provide solutions for our members who face challenges related to attracting young talent to the industry, diversifying their teams and building a pipeline of future leaders,” Gammonley explained. “Our goal is to give our members the tools to be successful, and partnering with Caliper serves as an important piece of delivering that promise.”
Caliper uses a proven, science-based approach to evaluate the performance potential of job applicants for sales, customer service, leadership and technical roles in construction, manufacturing, distribution, retail and other business segments. The company is equipped to serve businesses of all sizes, from smaller, independent firms to large global corporations.