July 3, 2012 – More than 220 participants enjoyed PTDA’s 11th annual Canadian Conference in Victoria, B.C., where the power transmission/motion control industry met to network and hear from speakers on the topics of business, economics, demographics and the environment, as well as hear updates on the mining industry and working with the aboriginal market as a customer.

The Power Transmission Distributors Association’s Canadian conference kicked off with the 3rd annual Industry Showcase featuring manufacturer products and product information, as well as a networking Welcome Reception. This was followed over the course of the next two days by speakers engaged in a variety of topics, including:

The economy
Michael Campbell, business analyst and host of Money Talks, discussed how society is experiencing a historic period of change regarding attitudes toward currency and debt, with more people entering retirement than entering the workforce in Canada.

Demographics
Underscoring Campbell’s presentation, Ryan Berlin of Urban Futures talked about the four drivers leading demographic change in Canada: 1) the aging population, 2) the slowing birth rate, 3) growing life expectancy, and 4) the migration of people in and out of Canada, and how these demographic shifts affect business and the economy.

Market updates
Mike Bonshor, practice leader of MNP’s Aboriginal Consulting Services in British Columbia and The Yukon, and Alec Morrison, director of the Mining Association of British Columbia (MABC), each addressed the importance of aboriginal relations when working in the mining sector during the “Market Briefing” segment. Further, Morrison talked about British Columbia’s position in the mining industry with respect to the rest of the country, and the key challenges of which distributors and manufacturers should be aware when working in the sector.

Energy’s future
Bob McDonald, host of Quirks & Quarks, shared his thoughts on realistic alternatives for a clean-energy future as energy supplies dwindle. He demonstrated how energy conservation and clean energy are big cost-saving factors for corporations that translate into major opportunities for distributors and manufacturers to sell value to their customers.

A conference recap and photographs from the event are available at www.ptda.org/CanadianConference.

The Power Transmission Distributors Association (PTDA) is an association for the industrial power transmission/motion control (PT/MC) distribution channel. It represents 178 power transmission/motion control distribution firms that generate more than $10 billion in sales and span over 3500 locations in North America and 11 other countries.

Photo courtesy PTDA