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STAFDA Revamps Show for the Next Generation

The Specialty Tools & Fasteners Distributors Association will celebrate its 50th Annual Convention & Trade Show, November 15-17, at the Anaheim Convention Center.

Founded by 18 independent distributors in 1976, STAFDA has helped small to mid-size distributors, manufacturers, and independent rep agents build their businesses, strengthen relationships, and demo the latest in professional building equipment, tools, and hardware.

To highlight its future, STAFDA has reimagined its convention format to build exhibitor participation, extend educational opportunities, and honor the 50th Annual Celebration.

“It’s definitely an opportunity to honor the past 50 years,” says Kim Robinson, founder and president of FrontLineCo and interim executive director of STAFDA. “We’re going to be talking a lot about legacy and history.”

FrontLineCo, an accredited association management company headquartered in Springfield, Illinois, took over the administration and back-office support functions of STAFDA in January 2026.

As part of that transition, Georgia Foley stepped down as STAFDA executive director to take on a similar role with the Concrete Sawing and Drilling Association. Since her departure, Robinson and the STAFDA Board of Directors have been seeking to find the right person to fill the vacated position.

“We haven’t found the perfect fit yet, but I know the next great STAFDA director is out there,” she says.

To ensure STAFDA was taking the best step forward in 2026, Robinson and the board are focused on the trade show. “The idea of having time to recruit somebody, bring them in, and get them up to speed, I needed to put that aside for the moment and really focus on the trade show,” Robinson says. “We will need another executive director at some point, but we need to really find the right fit.”

She has assisted several trade associations and professional societies in going through such transitions, finding that it is always a luxury to have institutional knowledge available.

With STAFDA, Robinson says she has leaned on membership manager Catherine Usher and Foley as resources.

“This industry is just great, because people have just been so helpful and forthcoming in stepping up and helping me get up to speed and share ideas and insights,” Robinson says.

Although finding a new executive director remains a priority, her focus is on the 2026 STAFDA Annual Convention and Trade Show.

“I think it’s going to be a really great show,” she says.

The co-headquarter hotels are the Anaheim Marriott and Hilton Anaheim, where STAFDA has blocks of rooms available. All meetings and the trade show will be held at the Anaheim Convention Center.

STAFDA-specific room reservation links and frequent updates, agenda, and registration details can be found at stafda.org.

Find more Anaheim Convention and Trade Show details on stafda.org under the Conventions tab.

BACK TO THE SHOW FLOOR

Kim Robinson

Robinson and the STAFDA board have really tried to dig into understanding what people want to see.

“We really tried to evaluate behavior on all sides,” she says. “What do the distributors need? What do the manufacturers and vendors need? We’ve kind of retooled everything.”

To start with, there is no question that attendance was down for the 2025 STAFDA show in Phoenix, even taking into account some travel issues. The numbers reflected the decline illustrated in recent years.

“When that happens, that’s bad for everybody,” Robinson says. “It’s bad for the manufacturers and vendors, especially, but it’s also bad for distributors, because there’s just not as much excitement around it.”

WHY RELATIONSHIPS STILL MATTER

In her experience, Robinson says if someone attends an event, has fun meeting new people and connecting with friends, they come back.

“The problems were not very hard to figure out,” Robinson says. “Everybody knows that to have a successful trade show, you’ve got to have people there.”

In addition to the number of attendees, the general layout and the limited availability of food negatively affected the show.

“We definitely heard loud and clear from the exhibitors that they need people on the show floor,” Robinson says.

To maximize exhibitors’ ROI, she says several changes are being made. While education workshops will be held, including the new Spark Sessions, Robinson said the overall focus will be on the trade show.

“We’re trying to remind people of the value of STAFDA, which is a collaboration,” she says. “We need each other in order to be the most effective, so it’s our job to try to bring people together.”

To be successful, she says STAFDA needs to do a great job at ensuring its current and future members understand the association’s role within the industry.

Robinson says STAFDA is a closeknit organization in which members are committed to one another’s and the association’s success.

She says the key is the difference between information and knowledge. Businesses don’t need trade associations to provide information that they can access via Google or AI.

“The thing that people still want, and it’s almost universal, is just a need for collaboration and interaction,” Robinson says. Information on products that a manufacturer churns out is generally available online. What STAFDA offers is something beyond that.

“The ability to help you be efficient in the use of that tool or for a distributor to be able to show up at a jobsite and have the knowledge to say you’ve got everything you need to do a particular job, that’s where the value gets added, and that’s what distributors do,” Robinson says. “These folks all have businesses that they run, so the value of being able to go to somebody else who has tackled the same issues you’re tackling every day is almost immeasurable.”

Her hope is to continue to lean into that opportunity, especially for younger business owners. “This is a great way for smaller, new distributors to get started,” Robinson says. “Some of the information or knowledge you’re going to need to build your business is obscure.

What better way than to have access to people who have already done it?”

PUTTING EXHIBITORS FIRST

For the benefit of all attendees, STAFDA is drawing a sterner line on attendance policies. Any distributor member may sign up to attend or exhibit. However, manufacturers must exhibit to attend or participate. In the past, reps from manufacturers who were not exhibiting would frequently be seen walking the show floor.

“We’re looking to provide value, and that’s where our distributor members get the value, and where our other manufacturers get value, so we did make that change,” Robinson says.

Though attendance has been down, she says there is an opportunity to rebuild it. Robinson is confident that there is a future for STAFDA.

“It’s going to be incumbent upon all of us to build it together,” she says. “What needs to happen now is they need to come and have a great experience. While we certainly want to honor STAFDA’s legacy, we also want to share our vision for what’s coming next. We also know that great connections start with great energy and that’s what we intend to bring to the show this year.”

TOOLS, TECH AND OPPORTUNITY

A key difference of the STAFDA show has long been its presence as a one-stop shop.

To date, manufacturers and suppliers have reacted favorably to this year’s proposed changes. Robinson says discussions with some power tool companies returning to exhibit at the show are going well.

“We’re really excited to welcome back some of the tool companies that have historically been at the show but have not been in the last few years,” Robinson says. “We’ve started reaching out to them, and several have signed up, and we’re optimistic that more will be.”

Bosch, DEWALT, and Makita are among the companies she has cited that have either committed or are in discussion to exhibit.

In addition, she says both new and current manufacturers, suppliers, and distributor members are being encouraged to exhibit and attend the show.

The 2026 STAFDA trade show floor will be open Monday, Nov. 16, from noon to 5 p.m. and Tuesday, Nov. 17, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Complimentary food and refereshments will be available throughout the duration of the trade show, allowing attendees to remain on the trade show floor.

All exhibitors, no matter what product category, will have the option to include a full booth display and can select their booth size and location.

“We’re not assigning your location, you’re picking it when you register,” Robinson says. “Everybody gets to see the available booths in real time.”

If a manufacturer wants to select a booth next to a company they have a collaborative relationship with, they can. Conversely, if it is a competitor that they do not want to be located near, the same applies.

“We’re giving everybody all the information and letting them make the best decision,” she says. “It’s different, but we tried to be responsive to what we were hearing.”

Also, to increase overall foot traffic for all exhibitors, she says technology- related vendors (software, e-business, data capture providers, and other technology solutions) will now be interspersed among the rest.

Among the newcomers on the show floor will be a contingent from Turkey.

POWERING PRODUCT DISCOVERY

Like most STAFDA-member manufacturers, Robinson says the 15 companies featured in the Turkish Technical Hardware Cluster focus on fasteners, hand tools, power tool accessories, safety equipment, and construction hardware and are seeking to develop partnerships with distributors here in the United States.

The STAFDA Power Aisle will provide exhibiting manufacturers with an opportunity to showcase new products and compete for the STAFDA Distributor’s Choice Award.

Robinson said distributors will receive ballots when picking up their badges, and the award will be announced during the General Session on Monday, Nov. 16. The Power Aisle will be open on Sunday, Nov. 15, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. for ballot submissions.

To qualify as a new product, the submitted item must have been introduced after the 2025 STAFDA show. It must be a new product, not just a repackaging or rebranding of a previous item.

For attendees, one-page sell sheets on the products, including anticipated release dates, will be available to STAFDA members to preview online prior to the show and onsite.

EDUCATION WITH IMPACT

“Rather than bringing in a lot of big-name inspirational type speakers, we’re kind of homing in on workshops and educational opportunities focused on running your business and the challenges that distributors are dealing with in real time,” Robinson says.

Jon Schreibfeder

There will be two educational workshops on Sunday, Nov. 15.

She says the first will be a Roundtable Discussion and Networking Session on sales and the use of AI. Moderated by Paul Reilly, president of Reilly Sales Training, the session will be held from 1 to 2:30 p.m. It will be focused on how AI is changing the way sales professionals prospect, communicate, research customers, manage accounts, and reduce administrative work.

Participants will choose a table to discuss unique topics before the entire group comes together for an overall conversation.

Robinson says it is an opportunity for attendees to engage with peers, exchange ideas, and leave with practical insights they can apply immediately to improve productivity and customer relationships, highlighting the value of authentic connection in sales.

From 3 to 4:30 p.m., STAFDA inventory consultant Jon Schreibfeder will lead Balancing Customer Service & Inventory Investment While Maximizing Profitability to offer practical insights from his research on the newly released STAFDA Effective Supply Management 2.0 manual.

She notes that STAFDA members are all businesspeople, and their time is valuable.

Following the educational sessions, the show’s opening party will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Hilton Anaheim’s outdoor Hilton Plaza.

Since its inception in 1976, the opening parties of the annual STAFDA show have earned a reputation for being unique.

Robinson says this year’s opening party sustains that sense of fun with its celebration of musical history. STAFDA’s Retro Disco Party will be on Sunday, November 15. From the Bee Gees to Taylor Swift, STAFDA will be spinning hits from the ‘70s, 80s, 90s and today, to span all five decades of the association. Contests for best disco threads, biggest hair, and other categories will get attendees into the groove.

On Monday, November 16, a streamlined General Session will be held from 9:45 to 11 a.m. featuring 2026 STAFDA President Matt Kitchens. “It’s going to be scaled back significantly in terms of time and production,” Robinson says.

She is working with Kitchens and 2026 STAFDA Vice President Erika Scherman on the final details of the presentation.

Robinson’s vision is to highlight and honor STAFDA’s first 50 years, while also presenting a vision of what comes next.

“I think the future is a rapidly changing and vague kind of concept,” Robinson says. “We really want to celebrate the first 50 years and all those folks that helped build STAFDA, but then really focus on how it is going to be different moving forward and what our next 50 years might look like.”

SPARK SESSIONS TAKE THE STAGE

Additional educational sessions, dubbed Spark Sessions, will be held on two stages on the trade show floor.

“It is an invitation-only, educational session, and we are being selective,” Robinson says. “I think we’re going to have more submittals than we have time for, so we’re going to really try to pick the cream of the crop with an eye toward what we can provide that’s real value.”

Sessions will last no more than 30 minutes and be designed to deliver one powerful, actionable idea to attendees.

She says STAFDA wants to enhance partnerships between manufacturer and distributor members, as well as maintain an engaging show atmosphere.

The Spark Sessions are designed with a distributor audience in mind and how the presenting company can help them tackle current challenges through joint programming.

Sessions will run from 2 to 5 p.m. on Monday, November 16, and from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 17, on two stages, with two themed tracks:

Solve — Sessions anchored to a specific distributor challenge (labor, margin pressure, jobsite productivity, safety, inventory).

Sell — Sessions focused on sales approach, solution bundling, value conversations, and attach-rate improvement.

Robinson notes that it is not supposed to be a sales pitch; it is intended to be educational, and include examples of tools or resources that distributors may not already be aware of, or things they can implement.

50 YEARS AND FORWARD

Lastly, the Closing Session of the show, featuring the annual Economic Update, presented by Alex Chausovsky, will be held Tuesday, Nov. 17, from 2:30 to 4 p.m.

New members and attendees are already coming forward as the 2026 STAFDA Annual Convention & Trade Show is being promoted.

“We’ve been very intentional about how we planned this schedule and who we brought in,” she says. “It’s an iterative process. We’re trying some new things and seeing what works, but there’s always more. What else could we be doing? Who else can we collaborate with? What additional value can we add for our members?”

Robinson notes that ultimately, STAFDA is a distributor show.

“We’re trying to deliver as much value while they’re there in those two and a half days as we possibly can,” she says.

The Closing Session of the 2026 STAFDA show will feature the annual Economic Update, presented by Alex Chausovsky on Tuesday, Nov. 17, from 2:30 to 4 p.m.

2026 STAFDA AGENDA

Saturday, November 14

7 a.m. – 5 p.m. Registration open

7 a.m. – 6 p.m. Exhibitor move-in

Sunday, November 15

7 a.m. – 6 p.m. Registration open

7 a.m. – 5 p.m. Exhibitor move-in

7 a.m. – 5 p.m. STAFDA Power Pavilion open for distributor viewing and voting only

10 – 11 a.m. Rep Room open

1 – 2:30 p.m. Roundtable Discussion/Networking Session Paul Reilly, Reilly Sales Training

3 – 4:30 p.m. Interactive Educational Workshop: Balancing Customer Service & Your Inventory Investment While Maximizing Profitability, Jon Schreibfeder, Effective Inventory Management

5:30 – 7:30 p.m. STAFDA Retro Disco Party at the Hilton Anaheim’s outdoor plaza

Monday, November 16

7 a.m. – 5 p.m. Registration open

9:45 - 11 a.m. General Session

11 a.m. – Noon Exhibitors and reps allowed in exhibit hall for final set

Noon – 5 p.m. Trade Show and Power Pavilion

2 – 4:45 p.m. Educational Spark Sessions open

Tuesday, November 17 

8 a.m. – 2 p.m. Registration open

8:30 – 9:30 a.m. Exhibitors and reps allowed in exhibit hall for final set

9:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. Trade Show and Power Pavilion

10 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Educational Spark Sessions open

2:30 – 4 p.m. Closing Session: Alex Chausovsky economic update

4 – 5 p.m. Closing cocktails

This article originally appeared in the August/September 2026 issue of Contractor Supply magazine. Copyright, 2026 Direct Business Media.