The National Association of Police Equipment Distributors (NAPED) and North American Association of Uniform Manufacturers and Distributors (NAUMD) Conference and Exhibitions drew over 367 distributors, exhibitors, and attendees to the Hyatt Regency, April 7–9, for their annual meeting.

The event featured over 80 exhibitors in the uniform and public safety equipment sector. Local law enforcement also attended the exhibits, increasing the opportunities for exhibitors to meet new customers. The combined conference was a sell out in both booth space and attendees.

As part of the annual meetings, NAUMD presented Best Dressed Public Safety Awards:

•             For First Responder in Medium-Sized Department – Lakewood West Metro Fire Protection District, by Elbeco

•             For First Responder in a Small Department – City of Oakland Park Fire Rescue, by Global Trading

•             For Large Department – D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, by Muscatello's

•             For Medium Department – Toledo Police Department, by Superior Uniform Sales

The 2019 Innovation Awards went to:

•             Tie for Badge or Emblem Design – Penn Emblem for Iowa State University Police and Smith & Warren for Tuskegee Police

•             Best Footwear Innovation – Rocky Boots for the Rocky Code Blue boots

•             Public Safety Product Innovation – ASP, Inc. for the ASP Transport Kit

"Combining events offered our NAPED members the opportunity to meet new distributors within the uniform market that were either already carrying or considering carrying additional public safety equipment to supplement their sales and customer needs," said James Witmer, president of NAPED and CEO of Witmer Public Safety Group, Inc. "I feel the access to additional distributors was an overall benefit to our members."

"Although the numbers aren't in yet, the exhibit floor was considerably busy and we saw a lot of manufacturers writing orders," Steve Zalkin, president of NAUMD, commented. "We anticipate our next event, which will be held April 26–28, 2020 in Reston, VA, to be just as, if not more, successful for our members."

For more information, visit www.naped.com and www.naumd.com.