The Nashville Recap...NTPDA23

What a great time we had at our Annual Conference and Trade Show in Nashville!  We've just looked at our post event survey and you seem to agree that it was the best event we've had in years.  For those of you who didn't make it...we hope you'll consider joining us for our Summer Event later this year. But, in the meantime, let's recap what happened just a few days ago. You can click on the images to enlarge them.  More photos will be in our March Bulletin.

Thursday

For the Members who came in early they took advantage of doing a networking and team building exercise at the Escape Room. We had lunch at the famous Merchants Restaurant (which caught fire early in the morning on Saturday...yikes!). Then if was on to the Country Music Hall of Fame and the RCA Studio B Tour...so much history there 

Then we kicked things off on Thursday evening with music and fun.  Our entertainment was singer/songwriter Hayley Payne with food and drinks at the Renaissance Hotel Bridge Area. If you want to hear the interview with Hayley here is that link. 

We were honored by the fact some NTPDA icons were able to make the event. The Schaefer Family came by and we spend the rest of the week with Dick, Gene and Jerry who had a great time and it was wonderful to catch up with them. Then many of our members headed downtown to take in Broadway and the dozens of music venues up and down the strip.  If you can believe it bands start playing at 9AM and the last cord is struck around 4AM the next day.  Whew!  Some folks decided to skip downtown and instead head to our Hospitality Room sponsored by Freight Partners Group.  Thank you!

Friday

Friday morning many of our members loaded onto a bus to take in the tour of the Jack Daniels Distillery, have lunch and motor back to the hotel for the opening of our Trade Show/Happy Hour and Silent Auction.  Meanwhile teams took to the Cornhole Tournament sponsored by All States Ag Parts competing for the grand prize of $1,000.  At 8:00PM it was off to Broadway or to the Hospitality Room. Needless to say, it was a very busy day!

Saturday

The morning started with a Build Your Own Bloody Mary competition at 7:00AM! Then it was off to breakfast in the Trade Show area with Coffee & Conversation as members mingled with our displayers and each other...some call it networking. The Cornhole Tournament continued, lunch was served and we raised thousands for St. Jude with our silent auction. Early in the afternoon the displayers held their meeting to talk about the event and to elect an Associate Member to the Board.  We welcomed back Steve Haas from Freight Partners Group as our newest Board Member.  The General Session was held and we elected two new Board Members:  Welcome to Tom Roelofsen with Abilene Machine and Cody Levan from Schaefer Enterprises. Great to have you both join us. 

Our Board Meeting took about an hour, thank you President Trey for keeping us on track!  Then it was on to the dinner giving out awards, Lifetime Memberships to Jerry and Dick Schaefer as well as a Lifetime Membership to Jeff Griggs from All States Ag Parts.

Then all eyes turned toward the finals of the Cornhole Tournament the victors were Jim Hopp from Sparex, Inc. and our own Mike Hanson from NTPDA. Each awarded $500 for the win and they then donated $500 back for St. Jude.  The final action on Saturday was the "Chuck Challenge" where we raised another $2,000 for St. Jude.  

It was a great adventure and we're looking forward to heading to Pennsylvania this summer.

Thank you all for being Members of NTPDA...we are truly family! 

Getting Closer to Nashville 2023 - NTPDA

On the off chance that you need a nudge to head to Nashville for #NTPDA23 here you go.  We've had a large number of members telling us that the revised schedule focusing more on the social aspect of our group is a big draw.  From the Jack Daniels Tour to the "Cornhole Tournament" to the great Trade Show and a host of things to see and do in "Music City" this is quite the adventure. Wanna see what we're going to be doing and be able to register? Sure you do and here is the agenda and the registration link and yes, you can still save money if you register before the 31st.

Plus, NTPDA will be "buying down" your room cost by $150 a night for Thursday, Friday and Saturday. That too should be a draw! 

One other thing to tease you about.  Our Early Arrival Party will take place on Thursday starting at 5:00PM and here is our entertainment for that evening.  Meet Hayley Payne!

 

We are soooooo looking forward to seeing you in Nashville for #NTPDA23!!

Three Important Things!

Look, we know you are busy so we won't take up much time...however, there are THREE important things to share with you right here, right now.  

Early Registration for Nashville

It's already shaping up to be a popular Conference & Trade Show and what is really neat is that you'll not have to pay the hotel nightly rate of $270.00 plus tax. The NTPDA Board has authorized a "buy-down" of your hotel rate for Thursday, Friday and Saturday of $150 per night. That means your nightly rate for those three nights comes in at $120.00 plus tax. That, friends is a significant savings.  So, that is "Thing One" about registration. "Thing Two" is that if you register, using THIS LINK you'll also save money. Registration is $300 per person until the end of October and then it jumps to $375 per person for November/December.  We've already had a number of people register and we encourage you to do it now.

The Whova App

This is also some really big news. We're using an application that will be on your smartphone. The Whova App is a great way to connect with other NTPDA Members and Guests.  When you register you'll be getting a link to download the app that features photos, contact information and a way for you to connect with our trade show displayers.  Plus you'll be able to ask us questions and more.  This is a total game changer.  That is "Thing One" about Whova. "Thing Two" is an advertising opportunity for your company to be placed on the app so that you can promote products and services to attendees. The cost for that is just $500 and Whova stays live for weeks following our event in January. For more about this opportunity contact Kim or Michael for details. We think you're going to love it. Want to LEARN MORE?  Check out this VIDEO! 

The December Bulletin

And, finally the deadline for entry into the 2022 Conference and Trade Show Bulletin is November 16.  We're on a really tight schedule because we want to get it into your hands well before the holidays.  So...if you have news about your business or if you want to take this opportunity to highlight your presence at our Conference and Trade Show...let's get this done.  You can send your news and your ad directly to Michael via email: [email protected] 

CORNHOLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OK, I lied...there is a fourth thing.  We're seeking sponsors to help us with the two prizes we're doing for our brand new Cornhole Tournament. First Prize is a cool $1,000 and second place walks away with $500. If you would like to sponsor this event (and it's already starting to fill up) let's do it.  You can contact Kim or Michael to reserve your place.  [email protected] or [email protected] 

OK, that's it and under 500 words!