In attempts to extricate himself from the doghouse (where he frequently resided), an ex-boyfriend used to say to me, It only takes one small blunder to kill 10 good deeds.
In life, people pay far more attention to what you do wrong than what you get right. Sometimes you have to remind them of your gifts. I dont often use this space to sing the praises of Inside Self-Storage, but on occasion, I like to remind readers and advertisers (new and old) who we are, what we do and why they should continue to be our customers.
First, ISS has served the industry for 15 years, providing quality editorial and access to a wide array of products and services. This not only includes a monthly magazine, but several annual supplement publications: a boat and RV storage edition in September and international issues each spring and fall. Lets not forget the most comprehensive self-storage buyers guide and top-operator list, published every August.
The success of the magazine spurred the birth of a tradeshow division that produces annual expos for self-storage, including educational seminars, exhibits and abundant networking opportunities. The largest industry tradeshow of the year, now drawing in excess of 4,000 attendees, is created and hosted by the ISS team. Our most recent event, held in Las Vegas, February 22-25, was again superlative.
ISS
is also responsible for the annual Factbook, an A to Z self-storage guide that helps newbies find their path and veterans stay on course. A compendium of informational pieces, it covers every aspect of the business, from finance and development to operation and ancillaries. Laughably, I recently got a voicemail from a man demanding a refund on a Factbook purchase. He said, Theres no facts in this darn thingits just a bunch of articles on all different topics! Ill assume he was expecting a directory of statistical analysis, but perhaps he should look up the definition of the word fact. An industry education is based on a lot more than numbersparticularly when those numbers can easily be flawed.
Unlike its competitors, ISS does not charge for electronic access to its writings. A current edition and archive dating back to 1997 are consistently available at www.insideselfstorage.com. Articles are viewable in their complete text versions and searchable by key wordsfor free. While production costs require us to charge for a printed magazine, we dont believe you should put a price on knowledge. Free access to information is just another way we support members of the industry.
Finally, ISS proudly sponsors the Inside Self-Storage Scholarship Program, which provides educational funds for people working in the self-storage industry or their immediate family members. This year, five honorable recipients were given $2,000 to attend the college or university of their choice.
By now, many of you have heard recent proclamations made by the Self Storage Associations new president and chief executive officer, who asserts he will expand the SSA Globe newsletter to compete with this and other industry magazines. His aim? To be the one and only official voice of this industry But there cannot be only one voice. The contributions of ISS and the other reputable publications that support self-storage are too significant to disregard. Diversity of opinions and sources is vital in the news arena. Without it, we fall prey to biased information and propaganda.
Inside Self-Storage
has endured as a pillar of the industry, and weve done an excellent job. We are already an official voice of the industry; and we know youre hearing us, self-storageloud and clear.
Teri L. Lanza
Editorial Director
[email protected]
