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IMDA's 28th Annual Conference & Manufacturers Forum
June 8-10, 2008
Hyatt Lodge, Oak Brook, IL
(Located 20 miles west of
downtown Chicago)

Learn about industry issues and your business at IMDA's Annual Conference and Manufacturers Forum

Take advantage of this prime opportunity to absorb ideas from industry leaders and swap business intelligence with your peers. The Manufacturers Forum, which is held in conjunction with the Conference, is a meeting place for specialty sales and marketing organizations and manufacturers of new medical technologies who are seeking specialty representation. Because the Conference and Manufacturers Forum are held during summer, our members enjoy affordable off-season rates for the very best accommodations. Join us for the ambiance, the ideas and the networking.

We joined IMDA in order to get together with other specialty distributors for new ideas on product lines and other business issues, such as recruiting, managing sales, improving our biomedical engineering program, and buying product and professional liability insurance. Indeed, at our first meeting, we found others in our field who were willing to share ideas on how they operate their business, and we even received a few leads on new product lines, which turned out quite well for us. We discussed ways in which we could market products better, and actually did some cross-training with another distributor, who was carrying several of the same lines as we were.

--Rick Almasy, Nightingale-Alan Medical

Highlights of this year included:

Topics such as How to get Customers for a Lifetime, Vendor Credentialing, and The Future of the Medical Device Marketplace;
*NEW* Member-led Roundtable Discussion - Topics included: contract negotiations, compensation for sales reps, family-owned business issues, acting as a master distributor,
and more;
Awards Dinner with Special Guest Bob Love, former Chicago Bull;
Legal Counseling with Mitchell Kramer, Kramer and Kramer LLP, IMDA General Counsel;
IMDA Golf Tournament, Shopping in Chicago, and a Chicago Architecture Tour.

Past speakers include:

Gerry Layo, Sales Coach International
Lawrence King, King Strategic Alliance, team-building expert.
Mark Leahey, executive director, Medical Device Manufacturers Association.
Kraig Kramers, President & CEO, Corporate Partners, Inc., author of CEO Tools: The Nuts-n-Bolts of Business for Every Manager's Success.
Peter Salgo, M.D., medical correspondent for CBS and CNBC.
Jeffrey Bauer, Ph.D., medical economist, author of Telemedicine and the Reinvention of Health Care.
Kevin Mosher, president, Masimo Corporation.
Howard Stevens, founder, H.R. Chally Group.
Ron Stephenson, professor of marketing, Indiana University.
Nancy Reaven, president, Strategic Health Resources.
Al Cook, Association of Healthcare Resource & Materials Management.
Rick Davies, president, Vector Resources.

Past topics covered include:

Building a world-class sales organization
How to make sure you're on your customers' "A" list of vendors
Building high-performing teams.
Impact of government scrutiny on group purchasing practices.
Advances in medical science and new opportunities for specialty suppliers.
Driving sales through extreme cooperation (between manufacturers and specialty sales and marketing organizations).
Finding the right sales rep for your product and customer mix.
Helping your customers evaluate the cost-effectiveness of new technology.
How to make your Internet site more than a billboard.
E-commerce and the specialty distributor.
Selling to the materials manager.
Using automation to manage leads.
Achieving cost-effective sales through telesales and telemarketing.
Performance-based compensation programs.

Read up on past conferences:

Here’s what members have said about past conferences

“This was my first IMDA conference, although one of my employees has been here three times. Excellent networking. Great opportunity to discuss our business with other distributors. Ideas and opportunities to change the status-quo. Breakouts were great for brainstorming. Overall, excellent meeting! Great job.”

“I’m glad I attended the IMDA conference, I learned a lot. All members and officers were very knowledgeable on every topic. I would recommend this conference to others.”

“Excellent meeting….Sessions were very informative. Look forward to more next year.”

“Great meeting. Very positive environment. The structure enhanced interaction and communication. A much greater sharing of information. The general sessions were very positive and informative.”

“Always a value.”

IMDA Headquarters
5204 Fairmount Avenue
Downers Grove, IL 60515
Phone: (866) 463-2937 or 866-IMDA-YES
Fax: (630) 493-0798