NIBA – PTDA joint industry summit at a glance

Madison, Wisc., and Chicago, Ill. – Over 1,300 participants from the belting and power transmission/motion control (PT/MC) industries came together September 27-30 in Hollywood, Florida, where tools and information for Powering Thoughts/Conveying Ideas were delivered through presentations, the latest in business and market information and a venue to help build the networks that are so critical to business success.

The NIBA/PTDA Joint Industry Summit, held at The Diplomat Beach Resort, is now legend, with many predicting the conference will have a lasting impact as industry leaders take home what they learned and implement new ideas in their industrial distribution and manufacturing businesses.

“This meeting has been three years in the making, and it’s the biggest event either organization has had in a while. This convention added more value from the perspectives of personal growth, business growth and industry growth,” said Vernon Smith, president, Universal Belting Resource (Carmichaels, Pa.) who is currently serving as president for NIBA-The Belting Association.

The outcome of the NIBA/PTDA Joint Industry Summit, held at The Diplomat Beach Resort, was in some jeopardy as Hurricane Irma devastated south Florida just two weeks prior to the event. But rather than washing out, the event was heralded a success, thanks to the diligent efforts of the dedicated hotel staff, first responders and others in Florida who quickly got business moving after the September 10 landfall.

NIBA/PTDA Joint Industry Summit at a Glance

· Held September 27-30, 2017, at The Diplomat Beach Resort, Hollywood, Florida

· Theme: Powering Thoughts/Conveying Ideas

· Outside of the United States, international participants attended from 27 countries

· Joint MD-IDEX/Expo, the signature networking component of the conference, was well attended with over 835 pre-scheduled meetings during the four-hour formal networking program, and countless unscheduled and impromptu meet-ups during the day-long expo featuring over 200 exhibiting manufacturers, fabricators and service providers

· The format of IML Talks with Deeper Dives allowed participants to hear three powerful presentations and truly benefit from the depth of the speakers’ experiences. What they found:

• John O’Leary inspired with seven choices to make to ignite a radically inspired life
• Molly Fletcher motivated participants to cultivate business relationships with stories from her years as the “female Jerry Maguire” of the sporting world
• Dr. Alan Beaulieu enlightened participants to lead their teams with economic insight for 2018 and beyond

· The ICP Golf Outing, in support of efforts to attract right-fit individuals to careers in industrial distribution, raised over $17,000

· Spouses/companions and delegates donated over 50 pints of blood and 5 of plasma to help those injured during Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria

· Next Gen (those aged 40 and under) held a special event with over 75 participants

· Approximately 34 women participated in a meet-up to help women connect and network with other women working in the power transmission and belting industries

To celebrate a week of great work, the event closed with a Havana Nights themed reception and dinner where participants enjoyed networking in Cuban attire and fedoras with Cuban cigars and cuisine.

Other NIBA Highlights:
· NIBA introduced the Frank Klaene Memorial Fund, established for the purpose of posthumously recognizing the volunteer working members of NIBA

· The NIBA Board of directors extended honorary memberships to Bruce Dieleman, Sparks Belting Company; and Harry Robb, Jr., Rubber and Accessories, Inc.

· NIBA welcomed Bill Hornsby as 2017-2018 president, while celebrating Vernon Smith, NIBA president, 2016-2017

Other PTDA Highlights:
· The prestigious Warren Pike Award was presented by PTDA to Andy Nations, CEO, B&D Industrial, Macon, Ga.

· The Wendy B. McDonald Award was presented by the PTDA Foundation to Tribby Warfield, senior vice president, business development & strategy (EMEA) at Nitta Industries Europe GmbH

· PTDA member companies pledged $53,550 in contributions to the PTDA Foundation, supporting the newly introduced PT WORK Force initiative which supports members in hiring the next generation of talent

Looking to 2018
The 2018 NIBA Annual Convention will be held at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix, Ariz., September 12-15, 2018. The PTDA 2018 Industry Summit will be held October 17-20, 2018, at The Broadmoor, Colorado Springs, Colo.

For more information, visit ptda.org.