AVDA’s 2007 Annual Conference, held April 29 – May 1 at the Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort and Spa in Savannah, Georgia, was a huge success. Over 150 AVDA members and spouses attended this annual business meeting and networking event. Attendees came away with great take-home content from dynamic speakers on such topics as distributor profitability, how to compete in a global economy, how manufacturers and distributors can improve their relationships and techniques for remembering peoples names.

John Mackay of Mackay Research Group reviewed the results of the AVDA 2007 Profitability Study and all AVDA members, including manufacturers had a chance to attend this session. Attendees gained a better understanding of the key factors that influence distributor profitability and the reasons why high profit firms have become more successful. Alan Beaulieu of the Institute for Trend Research explored what economic trends are on the horizon and how globalization will impact the animal health industry. Mike Marks of Indian River Consulting shared the findings of his new book on manufacturer-distributor relationships - Working at Cross Purposes: How Distributors and Manufacturers Can Manage Conflict Successfully. Marks gave constructive advice to help distributors and manufacturers avoid the consequences, economic and otherwise, of a core relationship turning sour by looking for a means of correcting emerging problems before they become critical. Memory expert Bob Gray, helped attendees solve the primary memory problem in business today, recalling clients' names, by teaching a quick and easy method of recall that was both humorous and effective.

Returning again this year, a panel of government affairs experts in the animal health industry will updated attendees on the major federal and state legislative and regulatory pedigree issues facing animal health distributors and manufacturers. AVDA announced that it will be entering into a partnership with BuzzeoPDMA to provide access to the State Monitor Service’s survey on drug distribution and drug pedigree for all AVDA members who are interested. Webinars explaining the use of this new service will be offered to AVDA member participants on July 18 and 25 at 2:30 pm Eastern Time. More information about the webinars will be sent to members soon.

Click here to view the speaker presentations from the conference.

Outstanding networking opportunities like the Annual Scramble Golf Tournament, Welcome Reception and Awards Banquet & Reception allowed distributors and manufacturers to talk one on one about their business challenges and their growth ideas. Many attendees said the speakers were the best in years and that their return on investment in attending the meeting was immeasurable. The event concluded with a dinner dance that included entertainment from the band, “The Headliners.” Attendees danced the night away and several AVDA board members assisted the band in their renditions of several popular songs.