Best Practices in Distributor Management

Date:  April 14, 2009 Time:  11:30 AM - 2:00 PM Location:  Sheraton Madison Hotel Phone:  608-240-1951 Email:  jcarmichael@johnsonbank.com Web Address:  http://www.bus.wisc.edu/ciber/events/ciberevents.asp?eid=1019 Contact:  Jill Carmichael Sponsor:  Center for World Affairs and the Global Economy (WAGE) and the Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) Co-Sponsor:  EM Wasylik and Associates, Boamar LLC, ME Dey & Co, and the Wisconsin International Trade Team Cost:  $18 member - special 30th anniversary price; $35 non-member

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Great product, great sales strategy but can your distributor deliver?

The best products and strategies in the world can fall victim to a poorly designed and managed distributor network.  Learn about strategies for overcoming common challenges faced in establishing, managing and motivating a network of international distributors at the next MITA meeting.

Speakers Linda Gorchels, Director of Executive Marketing Education at UW-Madison, and Paul Baumgart, General Manager for Asia-Pacific at TomoTherapy, will share their first hand experiences with:

    * Evaluating international distribution structures
    * Identifying and qualifying distributor candidates
    * International distribution agreements
    * Managing and motivating distributors
    * Techniques for managing distributors from different cultures

Join us in celebrating MITA's 30th anniversary!
Enjoy anniversary cake, champagne, and door prizes.
In honor of our anniversary, we've rolled back the members' price of the April 14 meeting to the 1979 level! 
Join or renew your membership today before registering in order to receive the 1979 price.

Click here for a printable flier for the April meeting.

11:30 am       Registration and Networking
12:00 pm       Lunch
12:30 pm       Program
2:00 pm         Adjourn

Cost:
$18 for members  (Special Anniversary Rate!)

$35 for non-members

Registration Info:
On-line registration is now available. Follow the link to register and pay by credit card on-line.
Or you register by sending an e-mail to Jill Carmichael, MITA Treasurer, at jcarmichael@johnsonbank.com by Friday, April 10. Payments are accepted at the door on the day of the event.

MITA Cancellation Policy:
To cancel your registration without penalty, contact Jill Carmichael four business days prior to the scheduled event, as final counts are given to the meeting facility at that time. She can be reached by phone at (608) 240-1951. If you register for a luncheon or dinner program and do not attend, you will be billed for the full price of the meeting. Substitutions are permitted.

Linda Gorchels
Photo of Linda GorchelsLinda Gorchels is a member of the executive education faculty of UW-Madisons business school, where she has conducted training for over 10,000 corporate executives from across the United States and globally. Her position as program director requires responsibility for designing, staffing, and managing 30+ professional development seminars in marketing each year. In addition, she has facilitated strategic planning sessions for several organizations (public, private and non-profit), and has provided counsel in pricing and product management implementation.

An award-winning author, Ms. Gorchels received the Excellence in Thought Leadership distinction in 2006 from the Association of International Product Marketing & Management for the 3rd edition of The Product Managers Handbook (2006). She co-authored the book The Managers Guide to Distribution Channels, which has been translated into multiple languages.

Prior to joining the university, Ms. Gorchels held numerous marketing positions with VEREX Assurance, Wm. C. Brown Publishers and Lear-Siegler, Inc. She was also on the faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, earning the distinction of being on the top-20 list of excellent teachers.

Paul Baumgart
Paul Baumgart is currently General Manager, Asia-Pacific for TomoTherapy Incorporated, a Madison based global healthcare company that manufactures and markets advanced radiation treatment solutions for radiation oncology. In this role, he has full P&L responsibility for Asia and Australia-New Zealand, and is responsible for leading sales, distributor management and customer service and support efforts to bring TomoTherapys revolutionary cancer treatment system to hospitals and treatment centers through out the region.  The company markets its products internationally through a combination of direct operations, sales agents and full service distributors.

Previously, Mr. Baumgart served as Global General Manager, Respiratory Care for the Clinical Systems division of GE Healthcare.  His extensive international experience includes distributor selection, contracting, and performance management and termination; development and execution of regional expansion strategies; and involvement in a wide range of issues from product planning and development, to regulatory compliance, sales, marketing, service and customer and distributor support related issues.

Mr. Baumgart is an adhoc faculty member in the U.W. Executive Education program, and he has been an adjunct faculty member of Edgewood College.  Paul holds an M.B.A. degree with a concentration in marketing and finance from the University of Wyoming and a B.A. degree in social work from the University of Wisconsin in 1973.  He lives in Madison, Wisconsin.