Last week NEMRA opened registration for its 2026 Annual Conference and over 1300 people have already registered, about 65% of those who will eventually attend (and if you haven’t, better register soon if you want a room at the Marriott!)

Now, it comes to planning for the conference, and the future.

Rep of the Future Report, Vision 2030

Yesterday NEMRA released the next version of the Rep of the Future Report, Vision 2030. The report, researched and written by Channel Marketing Group, builds off of the foundation of the 2020 Rep of the Future and the 5 Pillars of Success.

This enhanced version is based upon research conducted with over 50 manufacturer and representative thought leaders while integrating insights on how distribution is evolving.

“The release of the 2025 Rep of the Future, Vision 2030 report reflects our collective commitment to progress,” said Jim Johnson, President of NEMRA. “Built on our Five Pillars framework, it is both a roadmap and a call to action—challenging us to evolve by building strong leadership teams, leveraging data and AI, heightening our value as local demand drivers, and redefining success in an evolving electrical channel.”

The rep community is integral to the success of its manufacturers and the distribution community, frequently being the liaison that helps drive brand preference and generates demand in support of distribution and their manufacturer partners.

The updated version also considers the findings from the 2024 Manufacturer of the Future report that highlighted manufacturer expectations of reps in the future.

Critical to the ROTF Vision 2030 report is the expanding role of the rep. Key areas covered in the report include:

• Accelerated commitment to demand generation and marketing
• The need for people development, and
• The role of technology

Looking forward, the report sees opportunity for enterprising independent manufacturer representatives given that it is projected that there will be 25% less independent manufacturer representative firms by 2030 representing more manufacturers.

The findings from the report are applicable whether a company is a vertically-focused firm, represents “commodity” lines, is focused on “supply” lines, is a lighting agency, or is “full-line.”

Rep Feedback

Preview feedback from some members includes:

• “I really enjoyed the Rep of the Future: 2025 Report. A lot of what you laid out really clicked with me. The last few years have totally reshaped our industry, and you captured that well—COVID, tech, and retirements have changed the role of the rep into something much bigger. Manufacturers and distributors want more than just someone to move product; they’re looking for leadership, training, marketing, analytics, and end-user support. And with so many firms shrinking through mergers and retirements, the pressure on the ones still out there is huge.” – Adam Schutz, Lachut Electrical Sales
• Ken Hooper, Executive Advisor for JD Martin shared, “In the 2025 Rep of the Future study NEMRA and Channel Marketing Group continue the long history of providing an invaluable strategic operating guide for its members, both representatives and manufacturers. Rep firm owners and Manufacturer C-Suite leaders who build their strategic and operational plans around the Five Pillars, as outlined by CMG, will significantly increase their revenue growth performance and excel at optimizing their customer’s experience.”
• Another regional representative commented, “LOTS OF GREAT INFO! Right on the money. Valuable info regarding challenges, changes, and why.”

The report is available, for free, for NEMRA independent manufacturer representatives (principals and non-principals) as well as manufacturers by simply logging into the NEMRA site and downloading the report (or, feel free to email Sue Todd, and here’s a hint … ask her for the 2020 report and the Manufacturer of the Future report at the same time!)

The report is also available to purchase by distributors and non-members.

An Executive Summary of the Report is available by emailing me.

Rep of the Future – Audio Overview!

The Rep of the Future, Vision 2030 report is a NEMRA Strategic Advisory Council initiative. At this year’s conference, one of the members suggested using an AI-driven interview as a way to share overviews of NEMRA information or, in his words, “unleash insights from NEMRA white papers.” This is the first, shall we say, experiment. With the help of the NEMRA staff, we’ve developed an AI-driven podcast, which is available on Spotify (and if the link doesn’t work, search for “NEMRA Rep of the Future”. It’s a 4+ minute executive summary. Take a listen and either leave feedback below or email Jim Johnson or I with your thoughts on the content as well as using AI (and we’re planning other podcasts – AI and non-AI on this channel.)

This year’s report is much shorter than the 2020 version, making it an easy read for all.

Thoughts

• Every principal and leader within a manufacturer representative firm and every manufacturer sales leader (and yes, that includes regional managers) should read this and consider how it impacts their vision and their company’s strategy.
• The report is a guide. Its utilization will change by company. Consider it a mirror that you can then say, “does this fit us and where we want to go.” The “how” you get there will differ.
• Every company is doing some elements of each of the 5 Pillars and can utilize the report.
• Many manufacturers will be asking their representatives to share their 2026, and beyond plans and discussing the 5 Pillars. Some representatives have shared how the format helps them prepare for 2026, planning for their manufacturers, and the Annual Conference (look for NEMRA recommended conference planning tools for additional support.) And make sure to download the NEMRA Rep of the Future Framework Checklist.

And yes, if Channel Marketing Group can be of assistance, feel free to reach out … with a question, input, an idea, feedback on the findings or anything else on your mind.