Jim Bruorton wore two hats at EDS 2013 this year, the first as a manufacturer and his role as vice president of global distribution sales and business development with KEMET Corporation; and the second as a board member and president of EDS 2013.
As a manufacturer, he believes that KEMET accomplished everything that the company set to achieve over the long week in Las Vegas. The company had a total of 19 meetings with distributor and manufacturer representatives over three days.
“We believe EDS provides a positive venue to meet with our distributors and manufacturer representatives in a cost effective way,” Bruorton said. “Our meetings are well planned in advance with specific topics for discussion around strategy and business improvement opportunities. We also find that EDS provides an excellent opportunity for social events to allow the opportunity for additional conversations on key meeting topics.”
As a Board Member and President of EDS 2013, Bruorton was encouraged by the show’s attendance despite the difficult economy.
“The Cosmopolitan provides an excellent venue for meeting our objectives for the show,” he said. “We will be at the Cosmopolitan again in 2014, before moving to the Mirage in 2015. The “all-industries event” was well attended — and the largest crowd that we have had for this event.”
The all-industries event provided attendees with their first networking opportunity of the show. According to Bruorton, it is vital for future participants to make a place for the event on their 2014 calendars as it not only provides a comfortable social setting, but also a chance to win prizes while networking.
This year also marked the launch of the EDS Connection Café, which was a “huge success.” As Bruorton sees it, the café “offered attendees an opportunity to meet for a quick sandwich between meetings; and also served as a great place to have a cup of coffee and a one-on-one meeting.”
EDS also launched a slew of new tools to help attendees make the most of their time. The new show locator was a hit this year, and helped people find their way to key meetings. The Who’s Here? tool was useful as well, offering a unique search capability for all registrants, as well as a built-in instant messaging system. EDS Matchmaking offered a list of manufacturers for distributors and reps to access. The list included contact information for onsite representatives, as well as a list of manufacturer distributor requirements.
As for 2014, Bruorton doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to recommendations for future participants. “If you are in the electronics industry,” he said, “I don’t see how you can miss EDS.”
Filed Under: Aerospace + defense