Top executives from electronic component manufacturing, distribution and independent sales rep companies will meet in Las Vegas next month for the Electronics Distribution Show. The annual event draws roughly 5,000 attendees and offers a venue for networking, news, and new product and service announcements as these channel partners seek to cement existing relationships and form new ones aimed at serving design engineers and procurement professionals around the world. EDS bills itself as the place “where the electronics industry connects,” and for many that means finding new distribution networks or adding new product lines to the mix to expand their business opportunities.
EDS is held in Las Vegas each May, and this year marks the second time it is being held in its new home, The Cosmopolitan Hotel. The event takes place May 6-9 and is sponsored by the Electronics Representatives Association International (ERA) and the Electronic Components Industry Association (ECIA).
First and foremost, EDS is a place where electronics manufacturing and distribution executives get together for one-on-one business meetings, but the show also features some group gatherings aimed at strengthening the industry as a whole. The All-Industry Reception on Monday evening, May 6th, and the ECIA-ERA Breakfast meeting on Wednesday, May 8th, bring attendees together for networking as well as industry updates.
EDS is also a place to groom the next generation of electronics industry leaders. Supply chain students from colleges and universities across the country attend each year to see the channel at work and meet potential employers. In the months leading up to this year’s event, EDS organizers were touting Project Host, a 20-year-old program aimed at bringing students and executives together. Participating companies pair their executives with students who then attend their EDS business meetings for half-day sessions. Students get the chance to see the manufacturer/distributor relationship at work and executives get a glimpse at what some of the country’s top supply chain programs are churning out.
“The more we can get the younger generation to participate, the better,” Avnet executive Chuck Delph said in an interview promoting EDS 2013. Delph is senior vice president-director of sales for Avnet Electronics Marketing. “It’s not only great for the show, but great for our industry as well.”
For more information on EDS 2013, go to www.edsconnects.com.
EDS 2013 At-A-Glance
All Official EDS Activities will be held at the Cosmopolitan Hotel, Las Vegas.
Monday, May 6
Manufacturer and Rep pre-scheduled meetings and receptions
Conference Center Set Up
Hotel Suite Meetings as scheduled
4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
All Industry Reception: Mission Possible, Gracia Ballroom--3rd Floor
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Manufacturer-Distributor-Rep pre-scheduled meetings in suites and conference center
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Display Area in the Conference Center Open, Chelsea Ballroom—4th Floor
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
6:45 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.
ECIA-ERA Breakfast, Castellana Ballroom, 3rd Floor
Manufacturer-Distributor-Rep pre-scheduled meetings in suites and Conference Center
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Display Area in the Conference Center Open, Chelsea Ballroom—4th Floor
Thursday, May 9, 2013
7:30 a.m to 8:30 a.m.
EDS Debriefing Meeting, Nolita 2 Room, 4th Floor
Manufacturers, distributors and reps are invited to meet with EDS management to share their comments regarding EDS 2013 and offer suggestions on improving future EDS events.
Manufacturer-Distributor-Rep pre-scheduled meetings in suites and conference center
9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Display Area in Conference Center Open, Chelsea Ballroom—4th Floor
