Every three years a World Congress is held at different country locations to which delegates are invited from direct selling companies around the world. Direct-selling talents from all over the world assemble in the World Congress to exchange their experiences and discuss the developing chances of their trade.
Congress Year and Venue of each WFDSA World Congress:
- 1972 (World Congress I): Montreal, Canada;
- 1975 (World Congress II): Paris, France;
- 1978 (World Congress III): Colorado, America;
- 1981 (World Congress IV): Acapulco, Mexico
- 1984 (World Congress V): Venice, Italia
- 1987 (World Congress VI): Singapore
- 1990 (World Congress VII): Buenos
Aires, Argentina
- 1993 (World Congress VIII): Berlin, Germany
- 1996 (World Congress IX): Sydney, Australia
- 1999 (World Congress X): Maui, Hawaii
- 2002 (World Congress XI): Toronto, Canada
- 2005 (World Congress XII): London, England
WFDSA World Congress XI
Toronto — Hundreds of business leaders from across the globe were discussing
E-commerce and customer relationships as they gathered in
Toronto in Sep, 2002.
They attended the triennial conference of the World Federation of Direct Selling Associations, being held at Toronto’s Westin Harbor Castle September 3-6. The theme of that year’s event was “Business without Borders.”
Paul Thériault, president of the host Direct Sellers Association
of Canada, said that much had changed since the last conference
was held in 1999.
"The Internet is now starting to come into its own
as a tool of commerce, breaking down borders between nations,"
he noted. "We want to explore ways of implementing
this technology that will best serve member companies, their
independent sales contractors and consumers."
Delegates also had explored methods of using the Internet
as a tool to maintain relationships and to solve any problems
or disputes their customers might have.
Despite the lowering of national boundaries brought on
by international trade agreements and the Internet, there
are still significant obstacles to companies wishing to
expand their business into other countries.
"We want to explore ways of dealing with any pitfalls
that may occur as corporations move into new environments,"
said Thériault.
Several seminars addressed emerging markets in Eastern
Europe and Asia, the European Union and the effects of implementing
the single Euro currency, and methods of dealing with challenges
brought about by national and regional cultural differences.
The four-day conference was marked by presentations from
three major speakers. Dr. Robert Mundell, known as the father
of the Euro, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Economics in
1999 for his theories on governmental economic policies
and common currency areas.
Andrea Jung, CEO of Avon Inc. since 1999, had been credited
with revitalizing the company’s image and product line.
And Dick Pound, Canada’s representative to the International
Olympic Committee, was recognized as the person most responsible
for saving the Olympic movement from financial disaster
by negotiating multi-billion-dollar broadcasting deals and
aggressively marketing the five-ring Olympic emblem.
The World Federation of Direct Selling Associations, founded
in 1978, represents more than 50 national direct selling
associations around the world. The host of Year 2002’s conference,
the Direct Sellers Association of Canada, was founded in
1954. It represents more than 50 direct sales companies
and one million independent sales contractors from coast
to coast.
