Please note: With the shift to 2020 AAPEX to only a virtual event, the 2020 AWDA+ Conference is only offering the AWDA Virtual Experience. For additional details on the virtual AAPEX event, please visit www.aapexshow.com.
Quality Business Exchange, Convenient Experience
In unusual times like this, flexibility and the freedom to adapt to a changing environment are essential. For 73 years, AWDA’s Annual Conference has delivered on the promise of valuable interaction through its efficient and highly effective one-on-one meetings. That tradition is continued and for 2020. AWDA is excited to offer its FIRST Virtual AWDA Event Nov. 16-19, 2020.
2020 AWDA Virtual Conference
Virtual One-on-One Meetings and Conference | Nov. 16-19, 2020
AWDA will host a full complement of one-on-one meetings during its virtual event with pre-scheduled appointments being conducted via private video conferences. Also included will be AWDA’s time-honored awards ceremony, member recognition and leadership updates.
The virtual AWDA event broadens reach and offers total access to all of your significant stakeholders.
Registration Deadline: Friday August 21, 2020
CANCELLATION/REFUND POLICY Full refunds will be processed for cancellations received by 5 p.m. ET on Friday Oct. 2, 2020. Cancellations received before 5 p.m. ET on Oct. 16, 2020 will receive a 50% refund. No refunds after 5 p.m. ET on Friday Oct. 16, 2020.
The 2020 AWDA Virtual Conference is proudly supported by
SCHEDULE
MONDAY,NOVEMBER 16, 2020 (all times ET)
4 p.m. - 5 p.m. General Session and Presentation of Awards
$2,600 | $105 per one-on-one meeting (after the first four)
MANUFACTURERS' REP FIRMS:
$1,000
Registration is now closed. Late registrants may be considered on a case by case basis depending on the current step of the scheduling process. Please complete this form this registration form and return to leah.jones@autocare.org for consideration. To review the scheduling process and deadlines, please visit the tab “Process & Deadlines”. CANCELLATION/REFUND POLICY Full refunds will be processed for cancellations received by 5 p.m. ET on Friday Oct. 2, 2020. Cancellations received before 5 p.m. ET on Oct. 16, 2020 will receive a 50% refund. No refunds after 5 p.m. ET on Friday Oct. 16, 2020.
Participation Includes:
WAREHOUSE DISTRIBUTORS (WDs):
Unlimited attendees from your compnay
One-on-one meeting scheduling services
Pre-arranged virtual conference calls for each meeting
General Session and Presentation of Awards
VENDORS (Manufacturers/Business Services):
Unlimited attendees from your compnay
One-on-one meeting scheduling services
Pre-arranged virtual conference calls for each meeting
First four scheduled one-on-one meetings included in registration fee
General Session and Presentation of Awards
MANUFACTURERS' REP FIRMS:
Unlimited attendees from a single firm
Attendance at one-on-one meetings (when invited by manufacturers)
General Session and Presentation of Awards
Company Participation Requirements
Requirements for WD participation:
Must purchase, warehouse and distribute (re-sell) motor vehicle parts and supplies primarily to repair shops and/or parts stores.
Must be current AWDA community members of the Auto Care Association or a shareholder of a major program group (Alliance, Pronto, Federated, Network) with a special invitation to attend.
Requirements for Vendor participation:
Must sell to or through traditional distribution channels.
Must be current members of the AWDA community of the Auto Care Association.
Must sell direct to at least seven (7) AWDA WD members or be approved by at least one major program group.
Must be selected by eight (8) or more registered WDs in order to continue participation. Fees for vendors who fail to meet this minimum will be fully refunded.
Requirements for Manufacturer Rep Firms participation:
Must be current members of the AWDA community of the Auto Care Association.
Must be invited to participate in one or more meetings by participating vendor or WD.
STEPS AND DEADLINES
DEADLINE
Register your Company
Aug. 21
Vendors: Enter Company Profile in MeetMax Scheduling Site
Aug. 21
VENDORS: Contact WDs to Promote Company
Registration lists with designated contact information will be sent regularly to conference registrants
Aug. 24
WDs to Receive Link to Request and Rank Vendors Online: Request/rankings will be made online through MeetMax scheduling site.
Aug. 24
Deadline for WDs to Request/Rank Vendors Online
Sept. 4
Vendors Begin to Request and Rank WDs Online Request/rankings made online through MeetMax scheduling site. List of WDs requesting to meet with your company will be displayed in MeetMax.
Sept. 8
Deadline for Vendors to Request/Rank WDs Online
Sept. 18
WDs Review Number of Requests To Possibly Increase Teams
Oct. 2
One-On-One Automated Schedules will be Sent
By Oct. 14
Self-Scheduling Phase Begins: Companies may return to MeetMax and manually cancel/request meetings.
Oct. 19
Self-Scheduling Ends
Nov. 6
FAQs
+ Do individual attendees need to be registered for the AWDA Virtual Event?
No. Registration is based on the company level and allows for unlimited attendees. The designated company one-on-one contact will receive the meeting schedule and have access to the unique virtual conference call web links and that contact can share that information to their company delegates.
+ How many possible appointment time slots for each opportunity and when are they?
The Virtual Event will have 21 pre-scheduled time slots
7 pre-scheduled time slots per day occurring from 11 am – 5:40 pm eastern time on Nov. 17-19.
Each appointment time slot is 40 minutes in length and meetings will start on the hour.
+ What software will be used to host the virtual one-on-one meetings?
MeetMax, our online scheduling software, has a partnership with BlueJeans https://www.bluejeans.com/, a video conferencing platform from Verizon.
Once AWDA schedules are created, instead of a meeting suite in the “location” column, there will now be a unique virtual conference call web link to that particular meeting.
+ Will vendor companies have a dedicated “virtual meeting room” to host all of their one-on-one meetings?
No. For security reasons, each meeting will have its own unique link to prevent other attendees from inadvertently entering another company’s one-on-one meeting too early.
+ Will the virtual meeting room automatically end after 40 minutes (the allotted time for a one-on-one meeting)?
No, so all attendees must self-police and mindful of the time.
+ How are the one-on-one meetings scheduled? What are some features?
AWDA will continue to use MeetMax, the user-friendly, online, scheduling software tool, which ensures an impartial matching of appointments.
Companies choose and rank the specific companies according to their level of interest.
The software assesses the selections and ranks, then creates meetings with priority given to the higher ranked mutual requests.
The software also factors in the date selections were entered so there is a slight advantage to completing the process earlier.
Features Include:
Company Opt-Outs: Opportunity to anonymously “opt-out” of meeting with a certain company and prevent a meeting being scheduled between the two of you. Limit three opt-outs per company.
Self-Scheduling: Once schedules are created, there is now an opportunity to manually request a meeting to fill any remaining available time slots.
+ How should I complete the request and ranking process if my multiple teams have specific functions?
If bringing function-specific teams (such as IT Team, Marketing Team), each team should have a different login and make their requests separately. Please be sure to inform AWDA staff of this preference.
+ How should our preferred companies to meet with be ranked if our company is bringing more than one team?
For each team your company is bringing, please select 30 companies. For example:
If bringing one team, request and rank companies from #1-#30
If bringing two teams, request and rank companies from #1-#60
+ Is there any extra cost for additional teams?
No! Your company registration covers an unlimited number of delegates and teams, so both WDs and Vendors are encouraged to field multiple teams, vastly increasing the number of potential meetings as well as the likelihood of getting the meetings you want.
AWDA CONFERENCE REGISTRATION AND ONE-ON-ONE MEETINGS
