The EDA represents the UK at the European Union of Electrical Wholesalers (EUEW). Each year, as members and affiliates, you have the opportunity to join the EDA-led delegation to the EUEW General Convention where you’ll join almost 300 delegates from across Europe.
The Convention combines informative, inspiring and thought-provoking business presentations with the opportunity to network with senior wholesalers and manufacturers. It follows a tried and tested two-day schedule:
The presentations were riveting and addressed big, relevant topics that leaders need to be considering when planning for the future. Here are some of they key messages that delegates took away, and you can download the original presentations too:
Yes they certainly can! according to Ian Heller, an expert in the field of Distribution and Logistics. It’s all about cultivating ‘unique’ services.
Very helpfully, Ian trawled through hundreds of wholesaler websites across Europe to see what these services might be and provided you with a long list of special services that you can offer your customers to set us apart from digital competition. (This is of course alongside online offers which he sees as essential to survive.)
Electrical Wholesaler Moats (Moats: any factor that allows a company to provide a good or service that is similar to those offered by its competitors and, at the same time, outperform those competitors in profits)
The final presentation of the day was given on a topic high on the EDA’s agenda. Jan Janse, President of ETIM International, updated us on the status of the ETIM organisation and classification model introducing the latest developments and sharing the medium-term objectives.
We all had plenty of time to network and get to know each other better and I know that everyone from the UK delegation has already put 2-4 June 2020 in Barcelona in their diaries. So please put it in yours as we would like to have an even larger group next year.
EDA President and Projects Director at Rexel UK Ltd, Chris Gibson:
“It was a privilege to represent the EDA along with other UK representatives at the recent EUEW Convention in Brussels.
“The willingness of fellow European members to engage and network was refreshing and allowed a meaningful exchange of views and opinions. The quality of the external speakers was extremely high and their content was thought provoking and addressed common challenges and opportunities that impact all wholesalers. “
Glen Krise, Managing Director, Megaman UK Ltd:
“The European Union of Electrical Wholesalers 2019 General Convention in Brussels was an excellent experience and a valuable opportunity for industry professionals from across Europe to share advice on how to tackle the ever-changing marketplace.
“I particularly enjoyed Ian Heller’s seminar on the current and future challenges being faced by electrical wholesalers, for example the pressure to go digital and keep up with an evolving market. It was fascinating to hear other attendees’ thoughts on this and a wide variety of other topics.
“It was a pleasure to share the experience with the other UK delegates and fellow members of the Electrical Distributors’ Association (EDA) and I look forward to seeing them all again next year.”
Simon Barkes, MD, BEMCO Ltd and immediate EDA past President:
“The EUEW Conference is a once a year opportunity to network with senior people from key suppliers who have a real influence on trading conditions in the UK. Over many years these contacts have proved invaluable.
“The scope and quality of the presenters has improved considerably in the last couple of years and offer experienced insights into topics of great interest and importance for our future trading.”
Tom Meyerratken, MD, Carl Kammerling International:
“A great couple of days; the convention was well organised, the atmosphere welcoming and the speakers surprisingly relevant and interesting. To to be recommended.
“Hopefully see you in Barcelona next year!”
Chris Pack, Head of Building Electrical Systems, BEAMA:
“The EUEW event provided a unique opportunity for BEAMA to network with the Electrical Wholesalers and manufacturers both from within the UK delegation and across the EU.
“The programme addressed the challenges currently faced by our industry with high quality speaker presentations. It would now be beneficial to our industry if the EDA and BEAMA could instigate some working groups to address some of the topics in relation to our local market. For example, European Anti-Trust Legislation where we could investigate developing our knowledge to provide clarity and guidance within the supply chain.”