As I write this Wednesday afternoon, the Inside Self Storage World Expo is winding down. Plastic runners lined the tradeshow floor, and vendors were packing up their wares.
Managers who work for enlightened owners were enjoying an afternoon session, Marketing and Sales Boot Camp, with Tom Litton of Litton Property Management Inc. Tom puts on sessions that are entertaining, insightful and always include a dose of humor.
RK Kliebenstein of Coast-To-Coast Storage is hosting a Developers Seminar, and just down the hall, an added bonus session by Scott Meyers, president of Self Storage Profits Inc., is occurring on How to Buy Class-C Facilities.
The ISS educational sessions have been fantastic, and the enthusiasm is evident. More storage professionals are quenching their thirst for knowledge. Bar none, every person has been willing to share what works for them and why, as well tales of woe about low occupancies and high collections while offering support and solutions.
We've met tons of people from all around the globe—two ladies from Nigeria, another man from Africa, peers from the United Kingdom, Mexico, Chile and Hong Kong. Each person has vested their time and funds to learn how to be the best they can be, by picking up tips and tricks from not only the dozens of presenters, but also from their peers. As many people as we've met along the way, there are so many we didn't have the opportunity to meet.
We tweeted and posted to Self-Storage Talk as time and connection to the Internet allowed. Search #issvegas on Twitter if you'd like to read what attendees tweeted.
Of course, by the end of the show, many attendees were physically tired from running to and fro and trying to absorb it all. But the spirits were still bright and absorbing all there is to take in.
The staff from ISS has been outstanding. They treated each vendor and attendee as if each one was their No. 1 priority. The ISS team, headed by Editorial Director Teri Lanza and Editor Amy Campbell, displayed badges that read “Host,” and they performed their job to the hilt. Being able to just hang along the fringes and listen in to people chatting either at the booth or in the hallway, the team was spoken of highly.
SST members Autodoc and Bdocktor came armed with a bunch of signs inspired by the Self-Storage Talk members. Created by Autodoc, the signs were prominently displayed at the ISS booth and created many smiles and laughter. Leave it to our beloved Autodoc to bring the humor of what we'd like to say out in the open.
Teri and Amy passed out an addictive stress-reliever device called Bendies and copies of Inside Self-Storage magazine while discussing the industry and products with passersby. They were always ready with answers and were the best hostesses ever. Alex Koupal, the expo education director, was a powerhouse of energy, making sure all needs were met at the educational sessions.
Getting back to Self-Storage Talk, our illustrious Community Manager, John Carlisle, deserves a hearty round of applause. Even as the days wore on and energy wore down, he made us all proud. He spoke so eloquently about SST and its value at the expo roundtable event, and then for two days at the SST lounge while he signed up new members by the dozens.
If you're reading this and you've never visited Self-Storage Talk or registered, now is the time. It takes just a couple of moments to register.
I also want to share the following insight from forum member Storman who stated to a roundtable attendee, “I'm an owner/operator and SST is a valuable resource of knowledge. SST is the Google for the self-storage industry.”
SST truly is our 24/7/365 world expo of education and resources. If you had a valuable resource literally at your fingertips, why aren't you utilizing it? My hat is off to all the people who made this Inside Self-Storage World Expo a resounding success. We, the attendees, appreciate your efforts.