AIA Corporation, Neenah, Wis., held its inaugural AIA Power Meeting Event, powered by Promo Marketing. The event, which matches AIA Corporation’s top affiliates with its most valuable supplier partners, was held from Oct. 26 through 28 at the picturesque Arizona Grand Resort & Spa in Phoenix.
“We have received very positive feedback from affiliates attending the event,” said Jim Roccia, vice president of sales at AIA Corporation. “The intimate one-on-one format with supplier partners, who came well-prepared to discuss specific business opportunities, made this a perfect forum to help our affiliates’ growth plans. AIA’s team of Stacey McConnell, Guy Dupuis and Gary Goodhart helped to facilitate networking and the sharing of best practices that ensured affiliates left the event more engaged and energized. The detailed planning and on-site support we received from Promo Marketing resulted in flawless execution. We will definitely be continuing with this strategy through 2016.”
The format brought together 25 suppliers and 28 distributors for 20-minute, one-on-one sessions in private supplier suites to build new business relationships, strengthen familiar contacts and generate new ideas. Networking opportunities continued outside of meetings, with a welcome reception Monday night and a private dinner at Aunt Chilada’s on Tuesday.
The relationships established and fostered between suppliers and distributors were a high point for all in attendance.
“I think this will be instrumental in the growth of my company because of the relationships with the vendors that you get from this, as well as their knowledge of the products,” said affiliate Brett Lewis, president of Shelburne, Vermont-based Brett Lewis Promotions. “It’s fantastic—it’s everything I thought it would be and more.”
The format allowed for all attendees to take time to learn what they can each do to continue growing together, bringing a personal touch to business.
“I’m glad that AIA made the decision to try this format,” said Lee Feinstein, national account manager of Bodek and Rhodes, Philadelphia. “It’s much more impactful. The participants are able to, in a 20-minute session, boil down my 500-page catalog into a manageable strategy as far as what products to sell, what’s hot, what’s not, some of the new products coming into the marketplace.”
The distributors shared the sentiment.
“This event is wonderful from a distributor point-of-view because you get one-on-one time with the manufacturer, so when you’re sitting in the room, you can talk about specific clients and how their product line can benefit your clients and, in the end, increase sales,” said Mickey Blake, president of Marketability Inc., Houston, Texas. “Totally loved every minute of this event. The staff was amazing, the place was great, and I would highly recommend it to anybody else who wants that kind of specialized education.”
To continue to optimize the potential business, ideas and relationships that can—and have—resulted from the event, AIA Corporation has announced they’ll be holding two AIA Power Meeting Events in 2016:
- Florida: April 19 to 21, 2016
- South West: Oct. 26 to 28, 2016
If interested in attending a 2016 AIA Power Meeting Event, contact Stacey McConnell at [email protected].
