To participate in the ABX, manufacturers and allied members pay for a hotel meeting room; all ABX meeting rooms are located on two or three floors and are within close proximity of each other. AWMA handles most of the details, including converting the meeting room and scheduling the meetings between distributors and manufacturers/suppliers.
ABX meetings are held from 7:00 a.m. to 6:20 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday after the Summit program wraps up on Tuesday. Each meeting is 35 minutes long, with a 10-minute break in between. In 2007, 33 manufacturers/suppliers in 42 meeting rooms participated and 47 distributors. AWMA is planning to add even more meetings in 2008.
A hospitality suite is open while the manufacturer-distributor meetings are going on. This hospitality suite offers breakfast and lunch to attendees, as well as beverages and snacks all day long. The suite also is a great place for attendees to gather during breaks in their schedules.
To participate in the ABX, distributors must be an AWMA member – while manufacturers and allieds must be an AWMA member and exhibit at the AWMA REAL DEAL EXPO.
