I’ve mentioned multiple times over the past several years that industry events are one of my favorite parts of being MDM’s Executive Editor. I know of no better way to stay on top of the distribution sector’s trends and challenges and continue building a robust Rolodex of contacts through their plentiful networking opportunities.

It’s those networking sessions — whether in an expo, a reception, a lunch hour or just an open hour in an event’s agenda — that provide excellent value for attendees. Attendees continue to cite networking as a top reason they allocate budget for traveling to in-person events.

I was glad to see in-person distribution industry events resume coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic with such fervor. In the middle of the pandemic, I was concerned that these events would be drastically and permanently curtailed. From what I can tell, that has not happened. If anything, I think the continuously digital-first and remote-work-heavy new normal has increased the appetite for seeing colleagues from across the country gather in one location.

In 2022 and 2023, I created similar industry event preview blogs, but those specifically previewed events scheduled for the spring and fall, respectively. As I scoured the interwebs for event dates and locations, it was apparent that the winter and summer months — once seen as the quiet period in the events schedule — also have plenty of great events to include.

From MDM, we’re doing our part by providing a handful of educational events aimed at helping distributors navigate their journeys in sales, digital transformation, data analytics and talent. We’ve already opened up registration for our in-person SHIFT Conference, set for Sept. 11-13 in downtown Denver. SHIFT is accompanied throughout the year by four virtual MDM summits: Our AI for Distributors Summit is on Feb. 7; our Distribution People & Culture Summit is on April 10; our Distribution Sales Summit is on July 10; and our Distribution Profitability Summit is on Dec. 4. Those events are bolded below.

Here, find a rundown of 30+ industry events in the first half of 2024 that are on MDM’s radar across industrial, commercial and building supply product sectors. Of course, this isn’t a complete list. There are undoubtedly more events that I just haven’t been made aware of that are worthy of adding to this list. If you know of any, let me know at [email protected], as I’d like for this blog to serve as an industry resource. I’ll look to post a second-half preview sometime in May.

I hope to see you out there!

ASSOCIATION/CONFERENCE DATES – 2024

HOST	DATES	EVENT	LOCATION
CTA	Jan. 9-12	CES 2024	Las Vegas, NV
BSA	Jan. 14-16	BSA Winter Meeting	Tampa, FL
NAED	Jan. 15-17	NAED Western Region Conference	Austin, TX
IMARK	Jan. 21-23	IMARK Annual Plumbing Meeting	San Antonio, TX
Informa	Jan. 22-25	World of Concrete	Las Vegas, NV
NAW	Jan. 30-Feb. 1	Executive Summit	Washington, D.C.
MDM	Feb. 7	Distribution AI Summit	Virtual
Grainger	Feb. 11-13	Grainger Show	Orlando, FL
AD	Feb. 12-14	AD eCommerce & Marketing Summit	San Antonio, TX
NAED	Feb. 19-21	NAED South Central Region Conference	Dallas, TX
PTDA	Feb. 29	Industry Immersion Conference	Hollywood, FL
AEA	March 11-14	University of Innovative Distribution	Indianapolis, IN
MHI	March 11-14	MODEX 2024	Atlanta, GA
STAFDA	March 12-24	Excellence in Distribution	Nashville, TN
PMMI	March 18-20	PACK Expo East	Philadelphia, PA
AD	March 19-21	AD Electrical Mexico Spring Network Meeting	Cancun, Mexico
AD	March 19-22	AD PHCP Spring Network Meeting	Washington, D.C.
AD	March 26-28	AD Electrical & Industrial Spring Network Meeting	Houston, TX
ASA	April 10-12	ELEVATE: Women in Industry	Nashville, TN
ISA	April 15-17	ISA24 Convention	Charlotte, NC
AHTD	April 17-19	AHTD Spring Meeting	San Antonio, TX
NAHAD	April 28-May 1	NAHAD Convention	San Diego, CA
AD	April 29-May 2	AD Gypsum Supply Spring Meeting	Tucson, AZ
BSA	May 4-7	BSA Annual Convention	Asheville, NC
AD	May 5-8	AD Decorative Brands Annual Meeting	Dallas, TX
WBR	May 6-8	B2B Online Chicago	Chicago, IL
NAW	May 14-15	NAW Executive Roundtables	Dallas, TX
NAED	May 21-23	NAED National Meeting	Austin, TX
ASA	May 22-24	ASA Emerging Leaders Conference	Boston, MA
NAED	June 3-5	NAED Women in Industry Forum	Arlington, TX
AD	June 3-6	AD Canada Industrial & Safety and Building Supplies Annual Meeting	Vancouver, Canada
PTDA	June 4-6	PTDA Canadian Conference	Niagara Falls, Canada