The 2012 AWMA Summit & Business Exchange (ABX) is September 10-13, at the Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island, Florida.  Summit & ABX Registration will be open Monday through Wednesday in the Salon Ballroom Foyer

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 10

8:00 am – 3:45pm
AWMA Committee Meetings
Talbot F, G, H

Noon to 7:30pm
Silent Auction
Salon Ballroom Foyer

4:00pm – 6:00pm
AWMA Board of Directors Meeting
Talbot E

6:30pm – 7:30pm
AWMA Summit Welcome Reception
Salon Ballroom Foyer

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11

7:00am - 8:00am
Summit Breakfast
Salon Ballroom Foyer

8:00am to 6:30pm
Silent Auction
Salon Ballroom Foyer
(Winners announced at 7:00pm)

AWMA SUMMIT PROGRAM
Salons I & II

8:00am – 9:00am

- Political Update by Reid Wilson, Editor-In-Chief, National Journal’s The Hotline
The 2012 AWMA Summit will kickoff with a political update by Reid Wilson, editor-in-chief of National Journal’s The Hotline, Washington’s premier daily tip sheet on politics, campaigns and elections. Wilson will provide an insider’s look into the current political environment in this heated presidential election year.

Wilson regularly contributes political analysis to National Journal Daily, National Journal Magazine, 2012 Decoded, and his weekly column, On the Trail. He frequently appears on MSNBC, CNN, and C-SPAN and is a political contributor to Sirius-XM Radio.

Before becoming editor-in-chief, Wilson was editor of Hotline On Call and served as a staff writer at The Hill newspaper. During the 2008 election cycle, Wilson authored a popular political blog at RealClearPolitics.com and hosted a nationally-broadcast political talk show on XM Satellite Radio.

9:00am – 10:00am

- Foodservice – Opportunities & Challenges: A Conversation with Convenience Distribution Magazine

Moderator: Bob Gatty, AWMA Vice President of Communications and Contributing Editor, Convenience Distribution

Panelists: 

• Jessica Kovacs, Food Service Retail Sales Manager, Sledd Company, Wheeling, WV
• Sean Jones, General Manager, Baltimore Division, Eby-Brown, Naperville, IL
• Hugh W. Raetzsch, Jr., President, Lyons Specialty Co., LLC/AA Vending, Port Allen, LA
• Chris Smythers, Chief Operating Officer, Merchants Grocery Company, Inc., Culpeper, VA
• Misty Steinhauer, Foodservice Manager, S. Abraham & Sons, Grand Rapids, MI

The numbers tell the story. According to AWMA’s InfoMetrics, foodservice product sales by participating distributors for the first six months of this year skyrocketed by 17.7 percent.

Many distributors are embracing this category that offers healthy margins and draws shoppers inside their customers’ stores. As a result, they are investing significantly in their facilities and staff so they can take advantage of these opportunities.

This session will explore some of these developments and the strategies that distributors are using to boost sales and profit by meeting the needs of retailer customers who are challenged with meeting the on-the-go needs of today’s convenience store shoppers.

10:00am – 10:15am
Refreshment Break
Salon Ballroom Foyer

10:15am – 11:00am

- What’s Happening in the C-Store Marketplace

Moderator/Presenter: Viv Penninti, President, InRhythm, Inc.

Panellsts: 

• David Bishop, Managing Partner, Balvor, LLC
• Steven Montgomery, President, b2b Solutions

What’s driving current convenience store sales, and what do the numbers mean for your business? Take a look at the powerful C-Metrics data to find out how candy, cigarettes, OTP and salty/alternative snacks have performed in 2012. Capitalize on current trends and identify opportunities to increase sales for your companies and your customers.

11:00am – Noon

- Keynote Presentation by Scott McKain, Business Author
In this can’t-miss presentation by business author, Scott McKain, you’ll hear how to create more compelling connections between you and your customers and how to stand out and move up, regardless of the economic climate in the industry. McKain is the author of three Amazon.com #1 business bestsellers: ALL Business is Show Business, What Customers REALLY Want, and Collapse of Distinction – all teaching how to create differentiation in order to expand profits, increase sales, and engage customers to ensure loyalty.

McKain is one of about 150 living members of the Professional Speakers Hall of Fame. He was recently recognized by Social Media Marketing Magazine as one of the fifty most influential marketing authors on Twitter and GenJuice, as well as one of the “Top 25” people for Gen Y and Millennial leaders to follow on Twitter. In his earlier career as a broadcast journalist, two million people saw his commentaries each week on 80 television stations in the United States, Canada, and Australia.

12:15pm – 1:15pm
AWMA Summit Lunch
Talbot D & E

The Summit lunch is open to all Summit & ABX attendees.  At the lunch, two special awards will be presented – an AWMA Dean Award and an AWMA Hall of Fame Award.  These special awards are being presented by the AWMA Past Chairman’s Advisory Council.

1:30pm - 5:50pm
ABX Meetings
Floors 1, 2, 3

6:00pm - 7:00pm
AWMA Summit & ABX Reception
Salon Ballroom Foyer

7:00pm
AWMA Summit Program Adjourns

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12
> ALL WEDNESDAY EVENTS ARE FOR ABX PARTICIPANTS ONLY

6:30am – 8:30am
ABX Breakfast
Salon Ballroom Foyer

7:15am – 5:35pm
ABX Meetings
Floors 1, 2, 3

8:00am – 5:35pm
ABX Hospitality Suite Open
Salon III

11:30am – 2:00pm
ABX Lunch
Salon Ballroom Foyer

9:00pm – 11:00pm
ABX After-Hours Reception
Eight Sports Lounge

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 13
> ALL THURSDAY EVENTS ARE FOR ABX PARTICIPANTS ONLY

6:30am – 8:30am
ABX Breakfast
Salon Ballroom Foyer

7:15am – 2:35pm
ABX Meetings
Floors 1, 2, 3

8:00am – 1:30pm
ABX Hospitality Suite Open
Salon III

11:30am – 1:30pm
ABX Lunch
Salon Ballroom Foyer

2:35pm
ABX Adjourns