Indianapolis, IN and Rosemont, IL (November 16, 2016) – Independent Stationers and TriMega announced their recent EPIC 2016 event (www.wherebighappens.com), which took place the first week of November in Nashville, Tennessee and was co-located with ECi’s Connect 2016 event. The event brought together members of both groups, manufacturers, wholesalers, system providers and other industry players for industry and category education, best practice sharing and networking opportunities.

Among the EPIC 2016 highlights this year:

Near record attendance, with representatives from nearly 400 dealerships and total attendance of more than 1,450.
A trade show featuring more than 150 exhibitors — many first time exhibitors and new product suppliers, and robust order-writing as dealers took advantage of enticing show specials.
The debut of EPIC Get-Togethers (EGTs) – a new enhancement to the event which allowed dealer attendees to schedule 15-minute one-on-one appointments with exhibitors that took place on the show floor, resulting in more focused booth conversations.
Presentation of the EPIC Partner of the Year Award, nominated and live-voted on by TriMega and Independent Stationers members to recognize outstanding support for independent dealers, which this year went to Essendant.
Education forums which were entirely peer-based sessions called “forDealers, byDealers” which featured panel discussions, idea swap sessions, interactive roundtable discussions on a variety of topics and dealer moderated sessions which focused on the sharing of best practices and exchange of real-world learnings and ideas.
The dealer-focused event was evident in Thursday’s General Session which featured video spotlights of four dealers (Kennedy Office, Workplace Solutions, Proftech and Palace Business Solutions) and on-stage interviews depicting what has made them successful.
Several opportunities for attendees to do good in a big way, including “Spreading Cheer”, sponsored by TriMega’s NEXT group, where 150 attendee assembled magazines, toys, crafts, and goodies in bright green boxes called Cheeriodicals were delivered to sick children at Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, as well as 50 boxes being shipped to the pediatric center at City of Hope. The event also included several fundraising opportunities for City of Hope, which included the 2nd Annual Hike for Hope.
Thursday’s General Session included a special presentation for TriMega’s Executive Vice President of Purchasing, Greg Fish who is retiring at the end of 2016.

“We were thrilled with the outcome of EPIC 2016,” said Lyle Dabbert, of Brown & Saenger and chairman of TriMega. “There was an unmistakable tone of optimism, positivity and a real energy around the outlook for the independent dealer community,” he remarked.

“The format of this year’s education sessions at EPIC was very refreshing – and incredibly valuable,” commented Bryan Kristenson, of Office Plus of Kansas and chairman of the board for Independent Stationers.

Feedback from exhibitors was equally positive. “The EPIC tradeshow floor was energetic and traffic was strong throughout the day. We took in more show orders than ever before at EPIC, and the quality of the dealer discussions we had at our booth were top-notch,” commented Casey Avent, president of Smead. “Once again, the EPIC event delivered tremendous value for Smead,” he concluded.

Watch a recap video of the EPIC 2016 event here: https://youtu.be/bN4fN4aa9t0.

###

About TriMega Purchasing Association:
TriMega Purchasing Association is a not-for-profit member owned buying group serving office products dealers and technology retailers nationwide. The group helps its nearly 500 members profit through group purchasing, rebate negotiation and tracking, the production of quality marketing materials and information sharing through networking and education at various TriMega events. For more information, contact Michael Morris at mmorris@trimega.org or visit www.trimega.org, call 847-699-3330or write to TriMega at info@trimega.org.

About Independent Stationers:
Founded in 1977, Independent Stationers is a leading global organization providing sales, marketing support and purchasing power for the community based independent office products dealer. The organization’s members are located throughout the U.S. and in 6 foreign countries. Collectively, Independent Stationers members produce $4 billion in end-user sales. For more information, please contact Cora Lienemann at Independent Stationers headquarters (Phone: 317-579-1111; e-mail: cora@independentstationers.coop) or visit the Independent Stationers website at www.independentstationers.coop.