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FALL 2020

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Distributor's Link Magazine Fall 2020 / Vol 43 No 4

28 THE DISTRIBUTOR’S

28 THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK SPECIALTY TOOLS & FASTENERS DISTRIBUTORS ASSOCIATION PO Box 44, 500 Elm Grove Rd., Ste. 2I0, Elm Grove, Wl 53122 TEL 1-800-352-2981 FAX 262-784-5059 EMAIL info@stafda.org WEB www.stafda.org STAFDA’S ANAHEIM CONVENTION GOES VIRTUAL by Georgia H. Foley, CEO “Conventions are Forbidden.” It doesn’t get any more final than that. On July 13, 2020, California’s Governor Newsom pushed the state back into Phase 1 due to a surge in COVID-19 cases with no reopening date on the horizon. His “Conventions are forbidden” statement doomed STAFDA’s November 8-10 Anaheim Convention & Trade Show for the Specialty Tools & Fasteners Distributors Association (STAFDA). This news was very disappointing since STAFDA’s exhibit hall was 60% sold within the first two weeks of registration opening on June 29. This overwhelming response from STAFDA manufacturers was a clear indication they want to resume face-to-face meetings with their distributors and representative agents. STAFDA distributor members were also registering for the Anaheim meeting as they too wanted to get back to ‘business as usual.” STAFDA worked diligently with Anaheim officials and the Anaheim Convention Center in recent months on safety protocols, health protection, and every action to assuage attendees’ concerns. Despite taking all necessary precautions while anticipating others, STAFDA’s in-person meeting was not meant to be in a year of canceled conventions and trade shows. Like other groups, STAFDA quickly transitioned to a virtual meeting format incorporating all of the Anaheim components members would have experienced, in-person, this November in Anaheim. “Virtual” Anaheim will be held Monday/Tuesday, November 9-10 and open with the General Session on SHOW EVENT ARTICLE Monday morning, November 9. It’ll feature STAFDA’s signature “Year in Review” before transitioning to state of the industry speeches from STAFDA President, Greg Hughes, Kinnunen Sales & Rentals, Stillwater, OK followed by Maria Ford, President of Commercial Construction-North America for Global Tools & Storage (GTS), Stanley Black & Decker. Keynoter speaker, Silicon Valley icon, Guy Kawasaki, will present LIVE from his office in Northern California. Kawasaki is the former chief evangelist for Apple in addition to founding several tech start-ups. He’ll focus on one of his books, Enchantment, and how to bring about a voluntary, enduring, and delightful change in other people. Kawasaki’s program will simultaneously be recorded. During the lunch break, a guitar duo, the Acoustix, will take member requests LIVE via text and email, then sing the songs to make it an all request show. Onward to “24 hours of STAFDA” for the Trade Show! As an international association spanning countless time zones and the International Date Line, STAFDA’s Trade Show will be like the famous French car race, “24 Hours at LeMans.” To tie into STAFDA’s November 2021 Convention & Trade Show in Charlotte, NC, the three top distributors who make the most exhibitor connections in 24 hours will receive a gift card to the Richard Petty Driving Experience to use either next November in Charlotte, or at one of 17 tracks around the country. There will be a leader board where everyone can see who the top three “racers” are once the Show ends. CONTINUED ON PAGE 112

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