A redesigned Marketplace & Solutions Expo to greet attendees.

The American Wholesale Marketers Association (AWMA) announced a new redesigned format for The AWMA Show, the annual convention and exposition, to be held Feb. 25-27, 2014, at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Now known as the AWMA Marketplace & Solutions Expo, the convention will feature a broader array of educational and networking opportunities and more show deals so distributor attendees can save like never before.

“A lot has changed in the past few years for all business enterprises, and the convenience distribution business is certainly no exception,” said AWMA President & CEO Scott Ramminger. “At AWMA, we are determined to meet these new challenges and our new, redesigned Marketplace & Solutions Expo is one way we are doing that.”

Ramminger said AWMA has spent the past year working with and listening to distributors and manufacturers, “and we are putting what we learned to work at this new, totally redesigned event.”

Some of the key elements of the new Marketplace & Solutions Expo include:

New incentives for manufacturers to offer show deals and better ways of communicating those deals to distributors at the AWMA Buyer’s Circle.

More educational opportunities, including Marketplace show floor seminars in the AWMA Solutions Café & Theatre.

A Knowledge Bar, where attendees can talk one-on-one with experts on topics ranging from business profitability to warehouse security to food safety planning.

More peer-to-peer networking opportunities, including comfortable space on the Marketplace floor, where attendees can enjoy a beverage while learning from peers, one-on-one.

“The bottom line is that there will be more excitement, more new products, more education and more show deals, all in a compact, efficient format that makes sense in today’s business environment,” said Ramminger. “Our goal is to make this event an invaluable experience for both distributors and exhibitors alike.

The focal point of the AWMA Marketplace & Solutions Expo will be the trade show floor, where the industry’s top suppliers will present their products and services, where much of the education program will take place, and where an industry reception will be held, along with prize drawings, a networking & Silent Auction lounge and a new products showcase.

However, off the show floor, the event will feature top opening and closing speakers, the presentation of the AWMA Hall of Fame Award, and an address by 2014 AWMA Chairman Mark Davenport, president, J.T. Davenport & Sons Inc., a division of Core-Mark International.

“AWMA has taken a hard look at the Show, really listened to distributors and manufacturers, examined the state-of-the-art in meetings, and come up with a great new format,” said Davenport, who takes over as chairman in January. “This is going to be the best AWMA event ever.”

Registration, housing and complete details of the Show can be found at: www.awmamarketplace.com