The ABB Automation & Power World event at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston provided an additional opportunity never before given to electrical distributors. For the first time, ABB kicked off the event with a “Distributor Day” on the first day of the event.
Nearly 1,500 distributors were invited to attend the event, where they were the guests at a luncheon, followed by a display of ABB products that filled nearly the entire convention center floor, education sessions and take a guided tour of the Technology and Solutions Center. Hundreds of ABB employees were at the Distributor Day to answer any questions.
Distributors were also given the opportunity to attend a town hall meeting that featured ABB’s President of the Americas Greg Scheu, along with five other regional division managers. Distributors were allowed to ask any questions, which ranged from expectations for exclusivity in markets, consolidating sales and resource teams with Thomas & Betts and Baldor lines, brand consolidation and the long term commitment to electrical distribution and the traditional distribution channel. Each member of the panel answered the questions for the crowd, which was both interested and pleased with the answers.
At the end of the town hall meeting, Scheu led a champagne toast to the long term commitments between ABB and distributors. That was a key take-away from the distributor day event, as ABB made it a point to recognize the critical role distribution plays in ABB’s success and the commitment to building sustainable partnerships. ABB also said it was important for its potential future channel partners to see the extensive portfolio of products, systems and solutions that provide multiple opportunities for strategic distributor relationships.