More than 330 AIA Corporation distributors, suppliers and corporate employees convened at the Hyatt Regency at the Arch in St. Louis from July 29 to 31 for Neenah, Wisconsin-based AIA Corporation’s largest event of the year, the 20th annual National Sales Summit.
This mid-year conference, themed “Gateway to Growth” as a nod to one of AIA Corporation’s core values, is aimed at providing networking opportunities for participants within the AIA Corporation community to further build upon existing relationships, share industry best practices and gain knowledge about the future of the industry.
Attendees participated in breakout education and training sessions focused on product safety, sales and technology, along with an exclusive AIA Corporation trade show. The event also featured an industry first, as Paul Bellantone, Tim Andrews and David Woods—the president and CEOs of Promotional Products Association International, ASI and AIA Corporation, respectively—met together on one stage to provide an open forum on their vision of the industry, technology and promotional products supply chain.
“We felt this was our most successful event in company history from the standpoint of networking with their peers, sharing of best practices, gaining insights through educational content and enjoying the camaraderie that has been a trademark of AIA’s owner community,” said Jim Roccia, vice president of sales and marketing at AIA Corporation.
As keynote speaker, Seth Mattison, an expert on workforce trends and generational dynamics, spoke about navigating a new business landscape founded on collaboration as the key to unleashing innovation. With a dynamic presence and hard-hitting message, Mattison’s presentation and workshop both ended with standing ovations, and distributors and suppliers epitomized his topic throughout the event as they connected and openly explored how to meet needs and synergize successfully.
“We enjoy the quality networking time we have together during the annual National Sales Summit, as it allows for us to have further discussions with various distributors on their needs and opportunities,” said Jessica Hiner, vice president of key accounts for The Magnet Group, Washington, Mo. “The closing event was a great way for us to end a fantastic week together with a unique setting, building upon those relationships. We look forward to building upon the time spent together and growing our partnership collectively.”
The event included an exclusive cocktail party at the Saint Louis Art Museum, a rooftop reception overlooking the famous Gateway Arch, an award reception where AIA Corporation recognized the professional accomplishments of distributors and suppliers alike with more than 120 awards in 16 categories, an exclusive trade show where the St. Louis Cardinals’ mascot Fredbird paid a visit, and a Cardinals game in the Budweiser Brew House.
“We are very pleased with the turnout this year and are thrilled by the amount of energy this event has produced,” said Stacey McConnell, manager of marketing strategy and execution at AIA Corporation. “We announced a few new programs with great reception from our owner community and look forward to seeing many of the ideas sparked here come to fruition.”
AIA Corporation is currently planning for the 2016 newly titled National Sales Event to be held in Chicago next July.
For more information, visit www.aiacommunity.com.
