Why Your Company Should Attend an Industry Event

As the world starts to return to a more natural rhythm with in-person events, we had the privilege of attending the MCAA’s 2022 “Ignite the Future” Industry Forum in Atlanta, Georgia. The MCAA (Measurement, Control, and Automation Association) is a premier resource for North American industry information, technical education, and networking opportunities for global measurement, control & automation companies. There are many benefits and good information to take away when industry experts get together to share their collective knowledge. If your company has been on the fence about attending an event like this, we hope this post will help encourage you to make the worthwhile investment.

You Don't Have to Navigate Industry Change Alone

We sell industrial instrumentation to tens of thousands of companies each year in a wide range of industries. Our engineers are constantly solving complex problems with innovative solutions from the brands we sell. As you can imagine, there’s a lot of information to try to sort out and keep current. We certainly know a lot, but we aren’t going to pretend to know everything. As industry trends shift and evolve, we need to be able to shift and evolve as well.

Industry events like the MCAA Industry Forum allow us to leverage collective industry knowledge and network with experts so we can be better prepared to give our customers the best possible solutions. Trying to navigate ever-changing industry trends on your own makes it very easy to fall into a reactive strategy, putting you at a disadvantage over companies that are putting their minds together to identify new ways to achieve success.

Engage with Relevant, Timely Industry Topics

When many different companies come together for an event, the likelihood of those companies having similar struggles is virtually 100%. Not only are topics planned out to be relevant to the attendees, but there are plenty of opportunities to go beyond the presentation. Companies can ask questions to the presenter or network with other companies to leverage their success on a particular topic. You might hear a question or point brought up by another company, and then have the opportunity to talk with them after the presentation to discuss their point of view even further. Angelo, one of our applications engineers, had this to say about his time at the MCAA Industry Forum: “As an engineer, the networking part of the event was also great. Most companies were open to conversation and shared insights on their new technologies and future goals.”

During the MCAA Industry Forum, we got to hear presentations and engage with important topics like digital transformation and supply chain issues. There was even a panel discussion on how automation is impacting our industry. After listening to a presentation on economics, our engineer Matt said “I don’t think I have ever been more engaged for a presentation about economics in my life.”

These events are also meant to go beyond scratching the surface and talk about how these topics impact the companies in attendance. How is working remotely impacting industrial automation? How can companies combat supply chain issues with double sourcing or supply chain synchronization? Are some industries not as affected by digital transformation? These hard-hitting questions allow companies to leave with key information that they can then implement in their strategy.

See What Other People Are Saying

We think the ROI from attending industry events is very high. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have sponsored the MCAA’s 2022 Industry Forum. Our President, Brian Leffler, was also on the planning committee. We highly encourage you to see who has attended the event you’re interested in and see what they have to say about the event. Or, reach out to those involved with planning the event to see how it might benefit your company.

We sent two engineers to the MCAA Industry Forum, Angelo and Matt. We caught up with them to get their take on the event. We also talked with the MCAA’s President, Teresa Sebring, to get her perspective on what the experience was like for companies who attended their industry event.

“It was an experience that I think blended the qualitative and quantitative very well. I feel like there were tangible takeaways from both of those lenses….The flow of the agenda also helped me to take in broad information about the ecosystem we’re in as a distributor for industrial instrumentation, while also networking with the right people to best position Instrumart itself for future success.”

“Unlike a big trade show, the MCAA Industry Forum was better suited for networking and relationship building. The participants were easily accessible and there were some great speakers there as well….I think that having this big-picture perspective will help us pace our growth and prepare our business model for the future. We can focus our efforts on specific industries that have higher growth potential instead of aging markets.”

“This is my 25th year with MCAA, and without a doubt, this was the best Industry Forum we have ever hosted. The energy of the sold-out crowd was exhilarating. I repeatedly heard that the event exceeded expectations, included top-notch content, and was a perfect balance of education and networking. As the Industry's Trade Association, our mission is to help member organizations run and grow their businesses. The Industry Forum is just one example of how we accomplish that goal. We have already started planning for the 2023 event—April 24-26 in Arlington, TX—and encourage all Industry Leaders to mark their calendars now!  In addition to the event, we also provide resources for product and market trends, updates on the industrial economy, forecasting, training, and more. Don't navigate industry changes alone. Together, MCAA members are stronger and we always have room for more.”

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