Members of the Power Transmission Distributors Association (PTDA) will gather at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, CO., for the 2024 Industry Summit on October 24-26. This year’s program—“Broadening Horizons. Elevating Excellence.”—will do just that, expand participant’s knowledge of leading-edge trends and solutions for tackling industry challenges, along with opportunities to network with peers.

“Our members look forward to the Industry Summit, particularity the opportunity to network and foster relationships to mutually advance business,” says PTDA President Brian Nowak, president and chief executive officer, Kurz Industrial Solutions. “This year’s program will highlight timely issues impacting the Power Transmission/Motion Control industry with speakers providing insights and ideas on artificial intelligence and digital marketing.” 

The much-anticipated and popular Manufacturer-Distributor Idea Exchange (MD-IDEX) returns for two sessions. An efficient and cost-effective forum, distributor and manufacturer executives meet for high-level discussions on sales strategies and growth. This year’s event will feature some changes. On day one, distributor sales executives will be seated in booths. This switch will allow greater flexibility for channel partners to make introductions or reconnect. Day two will feature the traditional format of pre-schedule appointments between manufacturers—who will be seated in booth—and distributors.  

Renowned industry leaders will lead keynote presentations and discussions including:

• Expert economist Taylor St. Germain, Economist and Speaker, ITR Economics, returns to delve into key economic indicators, market trends and the latest industrial production findings to help industry leaders understand potential opportunities and risks so they can plan accordingly for 2025 and beyond.

• Learn about the latest digital marketing trends and how to implement tools to boost business from Steve Lerch, founder, Story Arch Consulting. In the presentation, Modern Marketing: Battling for Attention and Influence in a Digital World, Learch will discuss how to embrace these practices and offer new ways to inform, educate, persuade and sell—all which can lead to stronger customer engagement and sales. 

• Discover how to transform a sour situation into something positive with Tim Gabrielson, comedian, mentalist and magician and his presentation Lemons to Laughs: Get All the Good the Day Has to Give. Gabrielson will demonstrate how to activate a TIM (Temporarily Interrupting Mindset) to “pause-itively” interpret the surrounding world and respond instead of just react.

• Glean how emerging technologies like AI and ChatGPT can boost businesses to automate processes and enhance customer experiences, from Ramy Nassar, author and acclaimed AI and strategic foresight thought leader. Nassar will present hands-on examples, case studies and best practices during his presentation Gearing for Growth: Driving Deep Transformation with AI. 

Beyond meals and receptions, there are exclusive gatherings for Women in the Industry (WITI), Next Gen attendees and First Timers. The Industry Summit will conclude with an Aprés Skis farewell event.