Science tells us that our brain is like a muscle, growing bigger and stronger the more we exercise it and learn. Businesses work similarly. The continual implementation of smart strategies enables self-storage operators to learn what works and what doesn’t, which ultimately helps propel business forward. As positive momentum builds, it generates a kinetic revenue stream. Stagnation, on the other hand, prevents gears from turning, leaving an operation immobile and unlikely to flourish.
This was the premise behind the “Ignite” theme during the recently concluded Inside Self-Storage World Expo. The industry has incredible momentum as evidenced by record attendance during the event, and our education sessions were geared to help those new to the industry gain a foothold and assist wily veterans enhance their operations. Forty-five concurrent education sessions comprised 10 tracks over two incredible days of learning.
The ISS Expo covers so much ground in such little time, it’s nearly impossible to grasp the show in its entirety while you’re there. Similar to last year, we video recorded all 45 sessions for the purpose of DVD and on-demand video content to help managers, owners, developers and investors view what they couldn’t see in person, refresh their knowledge or share the experiences from favorite seminars attended during the show.
For the first time, we specifically designed the education for new and experienced operators, developers and investors and identified tracks accordingly using the “101” and “advanced” naming convention. This not only helped expo attendees quickly identify the sessions most relevant to their experience level, it also should enable ISS Store customers to quickly identify the individual sessions and DVD packages that carry the most personal interest. The content covers the gamut of self-storage ownership, management, marketing, development, construction, investing, revenue management, emerging international markets, technology and more.
We began taking DVD pre-orders a few days before the event, and extended the special show pricing on individual and bundled packages after it concluded. The prices were scheduled to revert today, but I’m pleased to announce we will extend the special pricing through May 9. Discount savings on pre-orders for individual DVDs and bundles range to as much as 25 percent. If you haven’t yet pre-ordered your DVD selections, now’s the time to review all of the available material and place your order before the clock strikes midnight on Monday.
Similar to last year, all 45 sessions are available for individual purchase, or you can buy them in sets organized by education track. There are also three larger discount packages, which offer the most savings. In addition to the entire 2016 collection, the larger discount packages focus on either the operational or development side of the business. They are:
- “Total Self-Storage Solutions 2016: Education 45-Pack,” which includes all 45 sessions from each of the 10 education tracks.
- “Operator Essentials 2016: Education 27-Pack,” which includes all 27 sessions from the Manager 101, Owner 101, Revenue Management, Advanced Manager, Advanced Marketing and Technology education tracks.
- “Builder/Investor Essentials 2015: Education 14-Pack,” which includes all 14 sessions from the Building, Investor 101 and Advanced Owner/Investor tracks.
We’ve begun our post-show production on the video content and expect all DVD orders to ship by July 15. On-demand video should be available by the end of July.
The industry insight and breadth of 34 hours of video content is staggering, and the buzz among the 3,600 in attendance at the expo was that many sessions and presenters surpassed their expectations. If you’re looking for ways to ignite your business and flex the self-storage quadrant of your brain, I highly recommend the video content from the expo education sessions as a way to spark ideas, ignite forward momentum and propel your self-storage operation or venture toward a prosperous outcome.
If you attended this year’s expo, let us know what you most enjoyed about the event and which education sessions resonated with you in the comment section below.