NOW VIRTUAL: The Southern’s 97th Annual Meeting August 18-19, 2020
Due to our concern for the safety of our members and vendor partners related to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have made the decision to hold our 2020 Annual Meeting virtually. We have worked hard behind the scenes to create an agenda and content that will deliver a meaningful experience for everyone participating and allow those who had cancelled their participation to rejoin us in this virtual format. This was not an easy decision and your executive team has been meeting regularly in an effort to bring us all together in Panama City, but the trends related to COVID-19, particularly in Florida, left us no choice.
New Annual Meeting Schedule
TUESDAY, August 18, 2020
12:30 PM EST Committee Meetings: Convention, Education, Government Affairs, Special Projects
1:30 PM EST Finance & Budget Committee Meeting
2:30 PM EST Executive Committee Meeting
4:00 – 5:00 PM EST SLD Board Meeting
WEDNESDAY, August 19, 2020
9:00 AM EST Southern Board of Directors Meeting
10:00 – 10:30 AM EST Southern General Membership Meeting
12:00 – 12:30 PM EST Ten-2-Profit Introduction & Sponsor Recognition
12:30 – 5:30 PM EST Ten-2-Profit
The Southern’s Wholesale Members sell over $50 billion a year in our 14-state region (and surrounding states). They all come together once a year at our annual meeting to conduct business, attend education sessions and network with the top manufacturers in the industry.
If you have already signed up to be a vendor, go to scroll down to the Confirmed 2020 Vendors section of this page.
Check out the 2019 Southern Annual Meeting Recap Video. (Run-time under 3 min.):
Annual Meeting includes:
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- Guaranteed appointments with buyers during our Ten-2-Profit (B2B Speed-Dating) event.
Our vendor partners are family here at the Southern. We have created an environment where business gets done and relationships get strengthened. If you have any questions, please call us at 770-932-3263.
Confirmed 2020 Vendors:
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- Vendor Fees – The fee to participate in the 2020 Virtual Meeting is $1500 per company. You can have as many folks participate for that one low fee.
- Attendee Registration– If you registered your attendees and paid any additional fees via our online registration system, you will be reimbursed.
- Hotel Reservations – The Sheraton Panama City Golf and Spa Resort should have cancelled all reservations when they were notified that we were no longer having an in-person meeting. We highly recommend you contacting the hotel to confirm. You can also call them at 1-866-912-1042.
- Ten-2-Profit One-On-One Appointments – All 2020 Confirmed Vendors will be receiving a list of our Southern wholesale buyers on or before August 10, 2020 for ranking the order in which you would like to meet with them. IMPORTANT: If you previously filled out a rankings sheet for the in-person meeting, you will need to submit a new one because some distributors were added back to the schedule.
- Onsite Vendor Directory – Be on the lookout for an email asking you to provide (or edit existing) 250 word Vendor Directory Listing along with a copy of your logo.
- Show Deals – The deadline for Show Deals is August 17th. Please send to VJ Mayor at vjmayor@asginfo.net.
- New Items Kits – New Item Kits are a great way to provide buyers with a sneak peek into the quality, effectiveness, and taste of your products. The exact contents of the kit may vary according to your business, product and/or service, but the result should always be the same – increased awareness, interest, and a boost in upfront sales. You will receive a list of Southern’s member buyers along with their mailing addresses along with your appointments.
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Magazine Insertion Order Forms – 2020 Magazine is now CLOSED
Brokers Manufacturers View Ad Specifications
For advertising information, please click the appropriate form (PDF file).