Fueling Growth: The NAED Marketing Summit Delivers

David Gordon Posted On July 6, 2026

For years the electrical industry viewed marketing as premiums (you know, T-shirts and hats), events (counter days and promotions) and flyers. Then it evolved to digital. But for leading companies, marketing has a seat at the table and strategic contributions are expected.

These strategic contributions envelope topics such as:

Positioning and messaging … or brand management
Demand generation, from existing accounts, and lead generation for prospecting
eCommerce commercial strategy
Customer satisfaction, differentiation, and loyalty
Capturing voice of the customer
Business strategy support to drive growth … which frequently involves understanding market share and the competitive market
Internal marketing,

and much more.

It changes by size of company, by role in the channel, by management philosophy.

And, if you look at the NAED PAR report, there is a correlation between marketing investment and sales success for distributors.

The NAED Marketing Summit is one of the NAED niche meetings that delivers educational content value AND valued networking. It’s a jam-packed learning experience that is open to distributors, manufacturers, and reps.

At last year’s conference it was interesting to see electrical distributor and manufacturer companies that do not attend any other NAED event have representation at this conference.

If you are involved in Marketing and seek to learn from others, this is the event you need to attend. If you are in sales management or leadership and are seeking to gain insights to help power your company (and support your upcoming planning season), you need to send someone. Consider this an investment conference (and it is less expensive to attend than the regionals.

Becky Starkey, Vice President, Marketing & Supplier Advancement, for United Electric Supply, shared this article on why you should attend:

Fueling Growth: The NAED Marketing Summit Delivers

Marketing has evolved into a critical driver of business growth. Gaining a holistic view of customer behavior across both online and offline channels creates an opportunity that when leveraged, accelerates growth. From lead generation to long-term customer retention, marketing plays a central role in building relationships and driving measurable outcomes in a business that is, at its core is relationship based.

For organizations looking to stay competitive and gain market share, the NAED Marketing Summit brings together industry professionals to explore strategies that directly impact growth.

The event is designed to help distributors, manufacturers, and rep agencies strengthen their marketing capabilities while addressing real business challenges through innovative thinking, collaboration, and practical application.

Is the NAED Marketing Summit Right for You?

This event is designed for both strategic leaders and hands-on marketing professionals, including:

Executives looking to align marketing with business growth and profitability
Marketing leaders focused on strategy, brand positioning, and organizational impact
Individual contributors responsible for campaigns, content, and execution

Whether you are shaping strategy or executing programs, the Marketing Summit provides insights that can be applied immediately.

How the Marketing Summit Drives Business Outcomes

Actionable Marketing Strategies: Practical takeaways that can be implemented quickly to improve campaigns, messaging, and customer engagement.
Revenue Growth Opportunities: Insights into driving demand, improving conversion, and aligning marketing efforts with sales outcomes.
Customer & Market Insight: Exposure to trends in customer behavior, digital engagement, and evolving expectations in the industry.
Supplier, Distributor & Rep Alignment: Opportunities to strengthen collaboration with key suppliers, rep agents and alignment on go-to-market initiatives.
Digital & Data Enablement: Strategies for leveraging analytics, AI, and digital tools to improve performance and ROI.
Peer Benchmarking & Networking: Learn from other organizations what’s working, what’s not and what’s next

Speaker Insights

One of the key strengths of this annual event is the caliber of its speakers. Industry leaders and subject matter experts bring real-world experience and practical perspectives that help bridge the gap between strategy and execution.

Speakers include industry leaders from organizations such as Wesco, Rexel, nVent, and Keystone Technologies, along with experts in digital strategy, training, and customer engagement, providing insight into what is driving success across the industry.

Registration Details

August 3-5, The Westin Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN

Click here to See the Agenda
Click here to register
And if you are a member of NEMRA … a rep, lighting agent, or a manufacturer, join NEMRA for a meet-up reception at 3:00pm on the 3rd. This will be a great opportunity to meet other reps. RSVP for this networking session before the conference.

Insights from Attendees

There is always a first time for everything. Even executives attend events for the first time, start a new role, or step into unfamiliar situations. These moments create an opportunity to learn, grow, and build confidence. Whether it’s your first time or not attending the NAED Marketing Summit, all attendees will gain new perspectives, make connections, and get ideas that can make a real impact.

Have a goal in mind you want to achieve before the event, so you have something to work towards.
Go to everything you can! Engage right away!
Sign up for a buddy if you’re attending the event alone (sign up is part of registration)
You’ll love it! It was a fun engaging conference that offered plenty of activities after the sessions/meetings for additional networking and conversation.
Talk to everyone and take lots of photos!

Questions? Reach out to Sarah Waller, Strategic Conference Manager, NAED (swaller@naed.org)

Take Aways

If you are in a Marketing role / responsible for Marketing, you should be attending this conference or sending someone from your company.
Take a look at the educational content. There is something for everyone and there are also about a dozen marketing resources that are also exhibiting (and yes, Channel Marketing Group is sponsoring, and I’ll be there if you’d like to connect or have me connect with someone from your company.)
If you are a NEMRA member, especially a rep, make sure to attend the 3:00 NEMRA Meet-Up. Given that NEMRA members are in the early stages of their marketing journey, this is a great opportunity to connect with others whom you can have on your informal advisory council (or networking group), longer-term.

With most distributors carrying similar products (and frequently the same brands), and everyone saying, “people are their difference”, marketing will be a key differentiator driving a company’s success … either building demand, capturing demand, or answering “why”.

I hope to see you in Indy next month.