[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.versa-pak.com\/blog\/pda-annual-meeting-our-takeaways-looking-ahead\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.versa-pak.com\/blog\/pda-annual-meeting-our-takeaways-looking-ahead\/","headline":"PDA Annual Meeting: Our Takeaways & Looking Ahead","name":"PDA Annual Meeting: Our Takeaways & Looking Ahead","description":"Share Every year, Versa Pak attends the Packaging Distributors of America\u2019s Annual Meeting, and 2022 was no exception. The PDA Annual Meeting is one of our favorite events to attend, as the relationships we have developed at the event have proven\u00a0to be invaluable. Keep reading to learn more about our takeaways from the event \u2014... Read more »<\/a>","datePublished":"2022-07-20","dateModified":"2024-12-03","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.versa-pak.com\/blog\/author\/versapak\/#Person","name":"Versa Pak","url":"https:\/\/www.versa-pak.com\/blog\/author\/versapak\/","identifier":2,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fdd4a894c6e32399c7117d9744d4cd7aec00e2f50376f90705cba1976bd21030?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fdd4a894c6e32399c7117d9744d4cd7aec00e2f50376f90705cba1976bd21030?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Versa Pak","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.versa-pak.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/versapak_logo.png","url":"https:\/\/www.versa-pak.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/versapak_logo.png","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.versa-pak.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/blog-pda-annual-meeting.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.versa-pak.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/blog-pda-annual-meeting.jpg","height":400,"width":700},"url":"https:\/\/www.versa-pak.com\/blog\/pda-annual-meeting-our-takeaways-looking-ahead\/","about":["Distributor News"],"wordCount":973,"articleBody":"ShareEvery year, Versa Pak attends the Packaging Distributors of America\u2019s Annual Meeting, and 2022 was no exception. The PDA Annual Meeting is one of our favorite events to attend, as the relationships we have developed at the event have proven\u00a0to be invaluable.Keep reading to learn more about our takeaways from the event \u2014 and what we\u2019re looking forward to (with Jeff as chairman of the supplier council!) in the upcoming year.A Place for Networking and Business OpportunitiesAccording to PDA\u2019s Director of Client Services Barb Dammann, the general feedback around the conference\u2019s meetings was very positive.\u201cPeople value the opportunity to have great networking time together, and they really appreciate the 30-minute one-on-one meetings between the Members and Suppliers because they learn a lot,\u201d she said. \u201cThere were many business opportunities that came out of those discussions.\u201dPDA is comprised of distributors and Suppliers and aims to provide value-added ideas, programs and services to help the growth of its Members and Suppliers. The business opportunities at the annual meeting are some of the most important takeaways Versa Pak has every year \u2014 and this year was no different.\u201cWe\u2019ve been in the group for 13 or 14 years, and there are still brand-new business opportunities for us,\u201d Versa Pak Sales Manager Jeff Knapke said.Top Discussions at the PDA Annual MeetingBesides the networking opportunities, the current market was naturally a topic of interest at the annual meeting.\u201cThe feedback I’ve been getting from or in the meetings is that the price increases are starting to slow down a little bit, which is a good thing,\u201d PDA President and CEO George Strobel said. \u201cThe problem is, it’s going to be harder to fill the supply chain or get the supply chain to move. As these prices come down, people will want more orders, and it will be more difficult.\u201cFor the most part, almost every supplier felt that if we weren’t already in a recession, we are definitely moving to a recessional kind of environment. But, again, when this thing goes into full bloom \u2014 and I don’t know what it’s going to look like, nobody really does \u2014 I think we’re all crossing our fingers that’s a very short-term kind of thing, and adjustments are made pretty quickly.\u201dSustainability was also a popular topic of discussion at this year\u2019s event.\u201cIt\u2019s a big push,\u201d Knapke said. \u201cPeople want to know, \u2018What are you doing?\u2019\u201d\u201cIt’s interesting because I think one of the things we need to do as an organization is to define what sustainability means because it’s different things to different people,\u201d Strobel added. \u201cAnd I think we need to [collectively create] a PDA definition of what sustainability is, so that when our sales people go out and somebody asks them, \u2018Well, what kind of sustainability projects are you involved in?\u2019, there’s this set of messaging that takes place with it.\u201dJeff Knapke Named Chairman of the PDA Supplier CouncilKnapke, who was recently named chairman of the PDA Supplier Council, noted one of the items on his agenda is to bring back PDA Days, regular sales and industry networking sessions that were halted during the COVID-19 pandemic.\u201cThe overwhelming answer was, \u2018Yes. We want to get back to those.\u2019 Some people weren\u2019t able to attend \u2014 for example, one company said they only have three to four salespeople. To accommodate the smaller companies, in our supplier meeting, we also discussed offering a virtual training day.\u201dAnother goal Knapke mentioned was offering an onboarding program for new sales representatives, which would include a list of the PDA Supplier network members and recordings of the virtual training sessions.Also on the agenda for later this year is bringing back the Champions Meeting. Suppliers will name a champion who will represent them at the annual discussion along with PDA Member champions to address successes and frustrations in the industry.\u201cHopefully, by the end of the day, they walk out with a better sense of each other, and a better sense of some processes that may be taking place,\u201d Strobel added. \u201cBut the key is to start that relationship building so that Member champions start talking to Supplier champions on a regular basis and build up a relationship.\u201dPhoto by Packaging Distributors of America2022 Packaging Distributors of America Annual MeetingThis year\u2019s PDA annual meeting was held from June 26 to June 29 at Montage Palmetto Bluff in Bluffton, S.C.The picturesque venue was a hit among members, and Strobel credited the relaxed atmosphere of this year\u2019s event to the laid-back property.\u201cThe one thing I heard differently this year than I have heard in the past from almost every Supplier I was talking to, was how relaxed our members came into the meeting this year,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was very different from stoically walking in and going through an agenda.\u201cI think it really did have something to do with the property. There was a very special feel about this property, and I think it allowed people to feel a bit more relaxed and open.\u201dEvery year during the event, PDA holds a raffle and various other opportunities, like the annual golf outing, for event attendees to raise money for a local organization. This year\u2019s recipient was Bluffton Self Help, which helps with education, jobs, food and clothing in the Bluffton, S.C., area. Attendees raised $7,500, and with PDA\u2019s match, the organization received $15,000.During the event\u2019s annual awards dinner, PDA announced this year\u2019s winners:Member of the Year: The Packline CompanySupplier of the Year: Pregis CorporationPhoto by Packaging Distributors of AmericaChampion of the Year: Amy Packer, Hughes EnterprisesPhoto by Packaging Distributors of AmericaPresident\u2019s Award: Jim Dawson, Morissette Packaging"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/www.versa-pak.com\/blog\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"PDA Annual Meeting: Our Takeaways & Looking Ahead","item":"https:\/\/www.versa-pak.com\/blog\/pda-annual-meeting-our-takeaways-looking-ahead\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]