How to Prosper from the Top 2008 Technology Trends
Susan E. Aldrich -Senior Vice President and Consultant, Patricia Seybold Group
There are always waves of new technologies, but only some of them have the potential to significantly impact how you and your customers do business, your competitive advantage, and your opportunities. To prosper, you first need to know which technologies are going to have the greatest impact. Aldrich's expertise includes customer self-service, information management and technologies and practices for monitoring, measuring, and managing the Quality of Customer Experience SM(QCE). Her clients include Monster.com, John Hancock, HP, Cisco, and more

Set Your Company Apart with NAED Industry Certification
John Kiso - NAED Educational Program Manager
Differentiation. How do you set yourself apart? Performance standards. How do you make sure that your associates measure up? NAED industry certification will measure performance standards of key electrical distribution positions. By attaining industry certification your associates will showcase their value. Distributors and manufacturers with these credentialed associates will set themselves apart and the entire distribution channel will recognize your value. Attend this session to discover how you can position your company to reap the rewards of industry-certified associates.

Forging Effective Partnerships within New Supply Chain Structures
Bob Ashby - Industrial Practice Manager, Frank Lynn & Associates, Inc.
Large end-users in construction and industrial markets are now employing more sophisticated procurement processes. They also have more tools and information available than ever before. This dynamic has led to a range of new supply chain structures--from manufacturer rebates and direct material sales in construction markets to integrated supply and outsourced procurement structures in industrial markets.

This year's Manufacturers Council Annual Update is about being involved, committed, and moving forward. Meet your new council members and find out the latest happenings that affect the profits and activities of the manufacturers/suppliers in our channel. Ask your own questions of the council and offer up your own ideas, too.

Debunking the Great Profit Myths in Distribution
Dr. Al Bates - Chairman and founder of the Profit Planning Group
One of the interesting dilemmas in distribution is that there is a serious disconnect between what managers think drives profit and what actually drives profit. The underlying issue is that managers are relying on conventional wisdom passed down from one generation of managers to the next. Instilling a new set of priorities within the management team requires at least three critical factors.

Peer networking groups give distributors and manufacturers an excellent opportunity to have one-on-one conversations with non-competing peers in roundtable discussions. Share in this mutual exchange of ideas, information, and best practices while you forge new relationships and reinforce existing ones.

The ART of Influencing People to Follow Your Lead
Christine Corelli - President of Christine Corelli & Associates, Inc., and author of Wake Up and Smell the Competition and The Art of Influencing Customers to BUY from YOU
Join your industry peers for a fantastic NAED networking opportunity. Plus, you'll hear an engaging and compelling presentation that will help you in your leadership roles. Corelli will share techniques on how to make a powerful impact when communicating. You'll not only learn tips on this topic, but many of the finer points Corelli has learned during her successful career as a professional speaker, author, and advisor to executives, business owners and sales managers in a wide variety of industries.

More to the Bottom Line: Customer Profitability Analysis for Distributors
Brent R. Grover - Managing Partner of Evergreen Consulting, LLC, NAW Institute for Distribution Excellence Fellow, and author of several NAW books including the new three-volume "Official Guide to Wholesale Distributor Financial Management"
Discover a whole new way of looking at and serving your customers. Customer profitability information, with relentless attention toward operating profit (not gross profit) can be the foundation of a powerful strategy for distributors. Grover's presentation, based in part on his book of the same name, is a "how-to" guide to the four phases of customer profitability analysis for electrical distributors.

Emerging Opportunities in Today's Mergers & Acquisitions Environment For Electrical Distribution
Michael Marks - Managing partner of Indian River Consulting
The electrical distribution industry continues to consolidate, both on the wholesaler and the manufacturer level. As outside interest continues to grow, industry insiders are impacted in one of three ways. They can become acquirers, they can seek to be purchased, or they can deal with the competitive pressures of acquired competitors. For some this is good, for some this is bad, but for all, it is different. This session will demystify the money and how the process works, whether a buyer or seller. Participants will receive a scenario planning process to capitalize on both customer, distributor and supplier opportunities created by M&A market disruptions.

Getting Paid for What You Do
Dr. Al Bates - Chairman and founder of the Profit Planning Group
Electrical distributors provide a wide array of services for their customers. This service profile has a strong tendency to expand every year. However, distributors have been reluctant to charge adequately for their services. As a result, there is a serious imbalance between services and revenue.

This Second General Session Will Give You a Global Perspective!
Global Distribution Panel: Challenges and Opportunities
Panel Facilitator: Tammy Miller - NAED Chairman, CEO of Border States Electric Supply headquartered in Fargo, ND, an independent electrical distributorship with locations in eight states along both the Canadian and Mexican borders of the U.S., as well as a branch in Juarez, Mexico.
Join NAED Chair Tammy Miller and our distinguished international panel of distributors to gain a greater understanding of marketplace realities that face electrical wholesalers  in Europe, elsewhere in North America, and on the Pacific Rim.

PANELISTS:

Christof Bonn CEO of BTF & Co., an independent distributorship founded by his father and headquartered in Coelbe, Germany	Gilles Deraison Member of the Executive Management Team of Paris-headquartered Rexel S.A. and President of the European Union of Electrical Wholesalers (EUEW).	Robin Norris Chief Executive Officer of Hagemeyer Australia - Asia Pacific	Elaine Gerrie COO at Gerrie Electric, headquartered in Burlington, Ontario	Miguel Rubalcava President of Asociación Nacional de Comerciantes de Material y Equipo Eléctrico  (ANCOMEE), headquartered in Mexico City.

The Starbucks Experience: Passion, People, and Coffee
Orin Smith - Former Starbucks President and CEO

Global Distribution: One-On-One Panel
Panel Facilitator: Tammy Miller - NAED Chairman, CEO of Border States Electric
Panelist: Robin Norris, Christof Bonn, Gilles Deraison, Elaine Gerrie, Miguel Rubalcava
Not 101, but one-on-one. If the views of the distributors on the international panel in the general session caught your attention, join them in an informal breakout discussion group to find out even more about how they are identifying emerging problems and turning threats into advantages in the markets they serve. Line, Hadden makes the business case for distinguished leadership and employee practices.

More to the Bottom Line: Customer Profitability Analysis for Distributors (repeat)
Brent Grover - Managing partner of Evergreen Consulting, LLC, NAW Institute for Distribution Excellence Fellow, and author of More to the Bottom Line: Customer Profitability Analysis for Distributors

Getting Paid for What You Do (repeat)
Dr. Al Bates - Chairman and founder of the Profit Planning Group

Panel: The Strategic Imperative: Standardizing & Synchronizing Information
Moderator: Bethany L. Sullivan, president Profitability Analytics Unlimited
Instant access to information is the price of entry in a global, networked economy. Every day, more and more end-customers base their buying decisions on the accuracy, completeness, and timeliness of information---i.e., the ease of doing business. In the not too distant future, information may even become more important than having the product in stock. Join our esteemed panel of experts as they share their insight into the future of the electrical distribution industry with (and without) standardized and synchronized information, as well as the importance of aligning business strategy with technology.

Trends & Traps in Residential Construction: The NAED Roadmap to Future Opportunities
Michael Marks - Partner Indian River Consulting Group
By 2012, the housing market will return to the expansion side of the economic cycle. The consumption of electrical products, in aggregate, will increase over the period. But how will the channel flows shift and rebalance to accommodate new formats and how will those changes impact the traditional electrical distributor?

Set Your Company Apart with NAED Industry Certification (repeat)
John Kiso - NAED Educational Program Manager

Success Thinking, Edison Style: Driving a Solution-Centered Mindset
Sarah Miller-Caldicott - Author of Innovate Like Edison: The Success System of America’s Greatest Inventor, the #1 nonfiction book on Amazon.com, #1 book in the category of innovation, and the #3 book in the category of Business and Investing (as of January 2008)
Thomas Edison created competitive advantage by expanding the range of possible solutions to every problem he encountered, including the way he set goals, his positive mental outlook, his willingness to take risks, and his belief in developing teams that journeyed the extra mile to create outstanding customer value. Developing a solution-orientation for you and your team is the first step toward becoming a successful innovator, and driving a climate of innovation in your organization.

See reviews on Caldicott’s book:
USA Today:  http://www.usatoday.com/money/books/2007-10-28-innovate-like-edison_N.htm

Fortune Small Business:  http://money.cnn.com/2007/10/09/smbusiness/Edison.fsb/

Panel: The Strategic Imperative: Standardizing & Synchronizing Information (repeat)
Moderator: Bethany L. Sullivan, president Profitability Analytics Unlimited

Emerging Trends & Traps in Residential Construction: The NAED Roadmap to Future Opportunities
(repeat)
Michael Marks - Partner Indian River Consulting Group

Supplier-hosted booths, appointments only
The time spent at NAED’s Strategic Planning Booth Sessions is so valuable that our members asked for more! Now you have an extra afternoon to fit in more appointments with top level key executives from your trading partner companies.Twenty-minute appointments with five minutes in between appointments. Make your discussions more productive by using NAED’s Strategic Framework Guide to prompt you to ask each other the right questions and be prepared with answers. You’ll find other appointment planning resources here.

Separate registration is required. Click here for form.

7:30 - 9:10 a.m. Four 20-minute appointments with 5-minute breaks in-between 9:10 - 10:10 a.m. Open Format 10:10 - 10:15 a.m. Break 10:15 - 11:50 a.m. Four 20-minute appointments with 5-minute breaks in-between Supplier-hosted booths, appointment and open-format times

More than four hours of direct face-to-face interaction with top level executives all in one place for your convenience. Start with a complimentary continental breakfast, then spend the morning driving your business by meeting with your trading partners for strategic planning dialogue.

Make your discussions more productive by using NAED’s Strategic Framework Guide to prompt you to ask each other the right questions and be prepared with answers. You’ll find other appointment planning resources here. NAED recommends that distributors and suppliers set up appointments well in advance of the booth session.

Cooking Demonstration on D’lightful & D’lectible Desserts
Come and enjoy a wonderful networking breakfast while you learn cooking techniques from award-winning San Francisco Marriott chefs. Executive Pastry Chef Keith Jeanminette will demonstrate cooking crepes and how to decorate dessert plates with chocolate, fresh fruit, sauces, etc. Then Pastry Chef Loan Co will give a taste-tempting demonstration of her pulled sugar techniques.

Panel: Assembling Your Leadership Team for Growth
Moderator: Ed Orlet - NAED Director of Development
One of the biggest challenges for a growing company is developing a leadership team. While entrepreneurs may be conditioned to do everything themselves, a larger company demands different competencies. This panel discussion will feature successful distributors and manufacturers who have managed their growth by understanding the importance of assembling a great management team.

Green Construction Panel: A Horse of Another Color?
Moderator: Joe Salimando - Columnist, Publisher, Market Researcher
What happens when a construction project is dyed green by the owners and architects? Can we define what green means--electrically, at least? How is a green construction project different for electrical contractors, distributors, and manufacturers? Our panel of experts -- including electrical contractors who have "done" sustainable work -- will tackle the present and future of green construction, with real-world knowledge . . . and do their best to answer the grayest of your questions. This special 2 1/2-hour discussion features two panels, including experts and electrical contractors with "green" experience. This is your chance to catch up with "electrically green" matters . . . and ask questions.

Panelists include: a representative from the U.S. Green Building Council, a consultant working with distributors on wind power, and representatives from contractors Collins Electric (northern California), E.C. Company (Oregon), and Joe Swartz Electric (Texas)

Even our moderator is green. Joe Salimando has worked in the electrical biz for 23 of the past 29 years (he now writes for TED Magazine and tedmag.com). In the six "missing" years, Salimando was editor of Waste Age, the waste industry's #1 publication – during which time municipal recycling programs were initially introduced in much of the U.S.