Manufacturer Networking Opportunity

A little unabashed advertising (after all, we need to pay for the blog!!)

With only 5 months remaining in the year (and about 30 days till the end of the summer), many manufacturers are beginning to think about their 2010 planning.

2009 has been a challenge for most. Corporate downsizing and resource reduction have impacted most every company. Rather than be a $70+ billion industry, we’re projected to be a $50 billion industry. And the dynamics of the industry are changing. While issues such as consolidation remain on the table, new conversations about the future of marketing funding, distributor / manufacturer line authorization, pricing philosophies, managing operational costs, building end-user demand, new products and emerging technologies, expectations of distributors and manufacturers and much more are emerging. And the issues are comparable amongst manufacturers regardless of product category.

To support manufacturers exchange insights with their colleagues, Channel Marketing Group and Allen Ray Associates are holding a Manufacturer Networking Forum August 24-25 in Chicago. This forum presents an opportunity for manufacturers of non-competing products to share insights and solicit input. Additionally, CMG and ARA will present current research on how distributors evaluate manufacturers, what distributors seek in “distributor programs”, and the role marketing groups are playing in distributors’ decision-making process. Additionally, participating manufacturers will also receive a future distributor brand perception survey for their product category.

Space is limited as we are only having 1 manufacturer per product category for this session. If you are interested, contact David at 919-488-8635 or Allen at 817-704-0068.

Distributors, would you be interested in such a networking forum? If so, please contact us.

And thank you for allowing us this commercial?