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Hardlines Distribution Alliance (HDA) and North American Tool Suppliers (NATS) recently joined forces to host a combined event at the 2026 Group Merchandising Conference (GMC) in Atlanta. The event melded the NATS Spring Meeting with the receptions, networking and scheduled appointments of GMC at the Embassy Suites Centennial Olympic Park.
The NATS Spring Meeting kicked off on May 3 and featured collaboration between NATS distributor members and vendor presentations throughout the day. Attendees were treated to a private event that included a tour of Atlanta and games and cocktails on Monday evening and had the opportunity to network in a social setting.
“The joint event between NATS and HDA in Atlanta was a tremendous success, bringing together members and vendors for productive meetings, networking and collaboration,” says Sandor Epstein, president of NATS. “The event highlighted the excitement surrounding the future relationship between both organizations and the many opportunities ahead. We greatly appreciate the strong support and participation from everyone who attended.”
On Monday, HDA hosted a welcome reception, allowing all attendees to network and make introductions ahead of scheduled appointments on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“The GMC is an excellent opportunity to meet with existing and new members and manufacturers and see what’s new in the marketplace,” says HB Long, sales manager at Florida Hardware. “It’s exciting because you get a head start as you are going into your trade show season. We are looking to expand our product mix, and we’ve done very well over the past few years attending these meetings.”
On Tuesday morning, the scheduled appointments of the GMC kicked off with vendor attendees utilizing their hotel suites to set up product displays, digital presentations and demonstrations. During each private appointment, buyers from attending member distributors had the opportunity to learn about new vendor product lines, discuss program terms and form and maintain business relationships to fuel growth for the remainder of 2026. A handful of NATS distributor members were also introduced to the GMC meeting format and attended some of their own scheduled appointments.
“The amount of money we looked at to fly out and meet with individual members, they all come together here,” says Clark Carlile, VP of sales with Bear Knuckles. ”We were able to connect with so many people and, within a year, we have been able to double our retail buying group base. That would have taken us many years to figure out. So, definitely a benefit for us.”
Tuesday evening featured a reception with food stations, cocktails and networking opportunities in a relaxed setting. Scheduled appointments ended on Wednesday with vendors and distributors completing 1,188 meetings over two days. The GMC concluded with a farewell reception.
“This year’s GMC was our most successful ever thanks in part to having NATS and HDA events combined at one venue,” says Steve Synnott, CEO at HDA. “The Embassy Suites Centennial Olympic Park was in like-new condition and their experienced team delivered a near-flawless execution of the services necessary to pull off a big event!”
