As the chairman of the 2008 Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week Joint Operating Committee I have been asked many times about the conference’s objectives. Before you can detail the objectives you need to understand that, simply stated, HDAW is a conference where the program content comes from 12 industry organizations working together to provide a distributor-focused event.
A few of the reasons I am attending HDAW are to:
- Take advantage of the largest aftermarket gathering of business contacts, technology, products and programs.
- Remain competitive in an increasingly complex industry.
- Evaluate product offerings that will meet or exceed my customers’ needs today and tomorrow.
- Meet with distributors and suppliers in both an informal and formal setting.
The theme of Face to Face – Building Relationships into the Future is reflected in the schedule. The schedule provides time to network during the product exhibit with the largest gathering of suppliers in the heavy-duty industry. Along with the networking, each of the three days provides opportunities to participate in an education program with the goal of providing takeaways that are relevant to the industry. A short list of education highlights are:
- “The HD Aftermarket Forum” with Stu MacKay will provide an economic outlook for the industry. Learn about “Truckable Economic Activity,” market and channel shifts and trends and dynamics in heavy-duty parts.
- The “Access to Product and Service Information, an Industry Perspective” panel will discuss the issue from all sides of the industry.
- “Brand vs. Non- brand: Who is Taking the Risk?” will look at the cost/benefit/risk and exposure issues associated with products of non-traditional origin and branding.
- “Why Fleets Buy” brings together three top maintenance executives from the largest fleets in the country to discuss the driver’s role in their decision-making process on the what, where, when, how and from whom to buy their needed parts.
- “The Two-minute Drill: Lessons for Rapid Organizational Improvement from America’s Greatest Game” will be presented by author and organizational expert Dr. Clinton Longenecker.
- “Improving Sales Call Proficiency: The Recipe” explores how the buying environment is changing; what the 2008 sales drivers will be; who is buying what and not; and the salesperson’s changing role as knowledge provider.
The conference will also attract a wide range of suppliers – nearly 200 at last count – and many of them will be participating in the one-on-one meetings.
For my organization, HDAW is not an event to walk, it is a conference to experience. What provides the experience? This is a world-class event which continues to grow and develop through the direct involvement of volunteers like me and others from the distributor and supplier communities.
It all starts with a really great reception on Monday night, January 21, that is sponsored by our friends at Truck Parts & Service and CCJ magazines, and their parent company Randall-Reilly Publishing.
After you have taken advantage of the conference, celebrate with your friends and associates at Thursday’s “Heavy Duty Industry Awards Luncheon” where we will recognize the best of our industry from the past year. We can applaud the Truck Parts & Service Distributor of the Year, share in the accomplishments of the Technician of the Year and welcome the newest inductee to the Heavy Duty Hall of Fame. Being an industry that provides solutions we can also hear about some of the best, with the Top Five Aftermarket Products awards.
For a full 2008 HDAW preview and to plan to get the most from the event, take some time to visit www.hdaw.org, and be sure to bring a few extra sets of shoes and socks, because the week will keep you very busy. This is a very intense heavy-duty industry conference.
Jerry Weis is president of Portland, Ore.-based Ott’s Friction Supply. The company was founded in 1925 and also has a branch in Eugene, Ore. Weis is the chairman of the 2008 Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week Joint Operating Committee.
