105th ANNUAL ABMA CONVENTION COVERAGE
Manufacturing Engagement ABMA’s Return to a Live Convention Welcomed By Attendees
Meet the Pros Session
The ABMA welcomed back in-person attendees to the 105th ABMA Convention on March 2-5, 2022, as the event visited the Hyatt Regency Coconut Resort in Bonita Springs, Fla. The atmosphere of the event could best be described as a combination of enthusiasm and gratitude along with a note of concern regarding the future of Interbrush. The enthusiasm exuded by the majority of attendees centered around being able to once again meet in person and network with old friends and colleagues. “I thought it was great to get back to an in-person event, and I hope the industry never goes back to virtual-only,” says Brian Cassady, CEO and President of Osborn. “Communicating strictly by teleconference limits the opportunity for exchanges of information to narrow topics and soundbites. It does not foster a free flow discussion nearly as well as communications in person. And for me, the opportunity to meet with so many industry participants personally was the highlight of the event. I am really looking forward to next year.” Miguel Medrano, Director of Marketing at Borghi USA, reflected the same sentiment saying, “The convention this year was excellent. It was great to finally be able to see everyone in person once again. I think we all needed it as it showed we are all moving forward and progressing from the past two years. You could see everyone smiling
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at one another and participating in that comradery that we all have with each other in the industry.”
While everyone at the event was clearly pleased to be back together as a community, there was an underlying concern as attendees pondered the implications of the December announcement that ZAHORANSKY would not attend Interbrush in 2024 or beyond. Interbrush organizer Daniel Strowitzki’s update on the situation was probably the most anticipated segment of the convention. In his address to the convention, he indicated that the departure of the top exhibitor certainly presented a challenging scenario, but he planned to utilize time at the convention to gather feedback and consider ideas for Interbrush 2024 with key stakeholders. He noted in his statement that it is a setback for the event to lose such a big exhibitor, but he emphasized that it is only one exhibitor and events lose key exhibitors on occasion. In that context, he was clear that Interbrush should be able to move forward and he was working toward that goal.