Indianapolis and Rosemont, IL (Oct. 2, 2017) — Independent Stationers and TriMega reflected on their EPIC 2017 event, which took place on September 10-12 at the Bellagio Resort in Las Vegas and was co-located with ISSA/INTERCLEAN 2017. 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 2017 highlights this year:

Near record attendance, with representatives from over 375 dealerships and total attendance of more than 1,350.
A tradeshow featuring 145 exhibitors which featured strong order-writing as dealers took advantage of lucrative exhibitor show specials.
The return of EPIC Get-Togethers (EGTs) facilitating dealer attendees scheduling one-on-one appointments with exhibitors that took place on the show floor, improving productivity of booth visits.
Once again, education forums were peer-based sessions called “forDealers, byDealers” and centered around panel and roundtable discussions on a variety of topics driving tangible real-world learnings and ideas.
The focus on dealers continued in the General Session which featured video spotlights of four dealers (Pay-Less Office, Workplace Central, Give Something Back and El Paso Office Products) and on-stage interviews focused on the different ways each dealer is winning in their marketplace.
More than 55 percent of EPIC 2017 attendees registered to stay after EPIC 2017 and attend the 2017 ISSA/INTERCLEAN Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center – a free benefit for all EPIC 2017 attendees. This also included a special orientation for EPIC attendees and show tour.
As always, EPIC also featured many charitable elements including a give back event entitled “Spreading Cheer”, that included attendees assembling magazines, toys, crafts, and goodies in bright green boxes called Cheeriodicals that were delivered to sick children at Sunrise Children’s Hospital in Las Vegas, 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 3rd Annual Hike for Hope, raising nearly $10,000.

“EPIC 2017’s focus on dealers’ success, through its educational content, constant dealer involvement, and panel discussions, was indispensable,” commented Joel Vockrodt of Office Peeps and chairman of the board for Independent Stationers. “It resulted in dealers walking away with tangible strategies – and tactics that they can implement when they returned from EPIC to help affect positive change in their businesses.”

“This year’s event was a tremendous success,” said Ian Wist of Wist Office Products and chairman of TriMega. “It was a success as it connected dealers, suppliers and industry players in a productive and meaningful way, and these connections lead to tremendous opportunities. And once again, there was a strong sense of optimism for the future of the independent dealer community.”

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 six foreign countries. Collectively, Independent Stationers members produce $4 billion in end-user sales.

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 485 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.