Access some of the best minds in the equipment industry and prepare for 2004 by attending the Associated Equipment Distributors' 2003 Executive Forum, from September 11 to September 12, at the Westin O'Hare in Rosemont, IL.

The event, titled "The Dealer's Dilemma: How Good Companies Plan to Fail", will address the trends and issues shaping equipment distribution.

Among the speakers sharing their insights are:

~ John McGinty, Wall Street analyst and managing director of Credit Suisse First Boston, who will discuss the impact of manufacturer consolidation and the lack of dealer capital. "The industry still has global over-capacity and manufacturers must consolidate. The question is how that is to be accomplished. Compounding the impact of consolidation is a lack of dealer capital," he said.

~ Matt Eyring, managing director of Innosight, will show how an organisation that does everything right may eventually fail due to improper strategy.

~ David Raso, of Citigroup Smith Barney, will provide a complete 2004 industry outlook and discuss how dealers can increase profits in a challenging economy. "Our Q2 survey results mark the second survey in a row where dealer results were better than expected. Most encouraging is that inventory seems to be becoming increasingly manageable. However, dealers are absorbing a majority of the OEM price increases," Mr Raso said.