BSA plans interactive business program for annual convention.

Press Release Summary:



Scheduled for May 2-5, BSA 2009 Annual Convention addresses "Are Manufacturers from Mars and Distributors from Venus?" Using interactive, rapid response survey that will instantly reveal onscreen distributor and manufacturer responses to multiple choice questions, program is expected to demonstrate how differently distributors and manufacturers think. BSA will also welcome Tom DeLuca, who uses power of suggestion and humor to showcase imaginations and personalities within association audience.



Original Press Release:



Bearing Specialists Association Plans Interactive Business Program for 2009 Annual Convention



Glen Ellyn, IL-Programming at the Bearing Specialists Association (BSA) 2009 Annual Convention May 2-5 at the Hyatt Grand Cypress Hotel, Orlando, Florida, will be answering the question, "Are Manufacturers from Mars and Distributors from Venus?"

Using an interactive, rapid response survey that will instantly reveal onscreen distributor and manufacturer responses to a number of multiple choice questions, the program is expected to demonstrate how differently distributors and manufacturers think.

Convention planners call this the "honest, gut-check conversation between distributors and manufacturers that industry has needed, but never before achieved." When you learn what your industry peers are thinking, you will be ready to meet their
needs as well as yours and those of the end-user.

Facilitated by rapid-response electronics that will instantly reveal onscreen distributor and manufacturer responses as categories, not individuals, BSA believes participants will share genuinely honest responses because they are anonymous; all participants will see the same honest responses from other distributor and manufacturer attendees as categories. Attendees will answer each multiple choice question from their perspective as distributor or manufacturer using the wireless keypad. The audience response system will separate the answers of distributors and manufacturers. Attendees will immediately see the aggregate responses of distributors and manufacturers onscreen.

BSA is thrilled to deliver this unique opportunity for distributors and manufacturers to instantly and anonymously respond to the same set of questions and view the responses.

BSA's Long Range Convention Planning and Distributor-Manufacturer Relations Committees have repeatedly considered the differences in the way distributors and manufacturers think. This program is the result of those conversations. Two special sessions at the 2009 Convention will address this topic:

o On Sunday, May 3rd, attendees will respond to the multiple choice questions, answering each question from their perspective as distributor or manufacturer using the wireless keypad. The audience response system will separate the answers of distributors and manufacturers. Attendees will immediately see the aggregate responses of distributors and manufacturers onscreen.

o On Monday, May 4th, a panel of industry leaders will analyze the results of these responses. Peter Negri of Jamaica Bearings will serve as the moderator for the panel.

Whether you are a distributor or a manufacturer, this is the conversation you want to be a part of. When you learn what your industry peers are thinking, you will be ready to meet their needs as well as yours and those of the end-user. Don't miss this opportunity!

Convention programming is closely tied to the association's Strategic Plan which identifies BSA as "the forum to enhance networking, knowledge sharing, and
to promote the sale of bearings through authorized distributors."

For the first time ever, BSA will offer its own Industry Update, presented by association president Steve Durston, Executive Vice President of Jamaica Bearings Company, Inc. As it has in the past the association will also welcome Bruce Warmbold, president of the Schaeffler Group, and representing the American Bearing Manufacturers Association (ABMA) to present an industry update on the global bearing marketplace.

BSA will also welcome Tom DeLuca, who uses the power of suggestion, and humor to showcase the wonderful imaginations and personalities within the association audience. Part entertainment, part theater, this program demonstrates the inherent creativity of the participants when they're relaxed, comfortable, and given permission to be themselves. It's also a reminder that our creativity lies just below the surface.

DeLuca has his Master's degree in Psychology and honed his humorous side with Chicago's
Second City Comedy Troup. The unique qualities of his Theatre of the Imagination have made DeLuca a regular on the daytime talk shows, as well as the subject of feature articles in People and Rolling Stone Magazines. This is the program that landed
Tom DeLuca on the front page of the Wall Street Journal, and caught the attention of NBC's "Dateline".

Perhaps one of the most valuable aspects of the 2009 Annual Convention business program, BSA's manufacturer-hosted Conference Table Session, offers participants a unique opportunity to pre-schedule and plan for face-to-face meetings between distributors and manufacturers to address bearing industry concerns and resolve business problems. Convention attendees find these short, 30-minute meetings to be increasingly productive.

Online Conference Table registration will be available only to those who have registered to attend the 2009 Annual Convention. All distributors planning to attend the Conference Tables Session are encouraged to register as soon as possible to assure that they obtain appointments at their desired times. Distributors are also encouraged to let manufacturers with whom they have made appointments know what they expect to discuss with the manufacturers. Online Conference Table Registration will be available February 1 - April 1, 2009. After April 1st, convention attendees wishing to schedule Conference Table sessions may do so if space is available onsite May 2 & 3 at the BSA
registration desk (closes 7:00 p.m. May 3).

Prospective convention attendees are encouraged to link to the association's convention website, www.bsaconventions.org which includes a complete schedule of events, details on the Convention Business Program, a complete schedule of spouse programs, tantalizing descriptions of sporting and sightseeing opportunities, and a host of additional information and tips about social and networking opportunities.

In addition to the business program, BSA convention attendees consistently rate the informal networking opportunities at the convention and related social events to be one of the most valuable aspects of the annual event. The opening reception & dinner, manufacturer appreciation event, BSA golf and tennis competitions, and closing dinner dance add to the networking opportunities and fun for all attendees.

Hyatt Grand Cypress Hotel is the perfect home-away-from-home for BSA convention attendees. In addition to 750 spacious, well-appointed guest rooms, the hotel offers a half-acre outdoor pool with 12 waterfalls, two waterslides, and a sundeck, a salon & spa, fitness center, excellent dining options including La Coquina Chef's Table and Hemingway's, and easy transportation to other Orlando attractions.

BSA is the "must belong to organization for authorized bearing distributors." An international service and educational organization of distributors representing a total of almost 100 companies distributing factory-warranted ball-, roller-, and anti-friction bearings and invited manufacturers of bearings and related products, the association's mission says, "BSA is the forum to enhance networking and knowledge sharing and promote the sale of bearings through authorized distributors." For more information about the BSA 2009 Annual Convention and/or to register, please visit the convention website, www.bsaconventions.org. ; For more information on BSA contact the BSA office at (630) 858-3838; fax (630) 790-3095; email info@bsahome.org or visit the association website at www.bsahome.org.

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