A guest installment by Alex Koupal,
Event Manager, Global Development, for VIRGO
Spring has sprung! The weather here in Phoenix has been delightful, with lows in the 60s and highs in the 80s. Its a perfect time for hiking, running, swimming and, best of all, the Inside Self-Storage World Expo! Yes, tradeshow season is upon us, and the ISS Expo is right around the corner. Im looking forward to spending some time in Las Vegas, April 2-5, and seeing all your smiling faces.
I cant wait to share with you the education program the ISS team and I have been working on. We have a stellar lineup of speakers and content like never before. With more than 45 seminars, 80 speakers and new networking events, this is a show you dont want to miss.
Most recently we added a special opening session for Wednesday, April 3, from 8-8:50 a.m., that will cover Obamacare and how it affects self-storage businesses. Weve brought in Sherri Elliott-Yeary, president of Human Capital Solutions, to talk about three major changes that will go into affect next year under the Affordable Care Act and pose challenges to employers.
In collecting information about this topic, I was shocked to find out how may of our attendees will be impacted by this legislation. Even if you dont think this topic applies to you, I highly recommend attending this session. Sherri will outline the law and help you figure out what questions you might need to ask, whether youre an owner, operator, investor or even a manager. This session is a must see.
You might have noticed our concurrent education program this year has just four sessions dedicated to marketing. This was intentional! Marketing is one of the hottest topics in the self-storage industry, so we pooled our resources to provide you with an outstanding, all-new marketing workshop. This three-hour, in-depth event will be held from 1:30-4:30 p.m. on Friday, April 5, and will be taught by the one and only Anne Ballard (a.k.a. The Hat Lady), president of training, marketing and developmental services for Universal Storage Group. Joining Anne will be Stacie Maxwell, vice president of marketing for Universal Storage Group, and Christopher Baird, CEO of Automatit Inc. Ive seen their session content, and its very comprehensive. From grassroots community marketing to online marketing techniques, theyve got it covered! If you can afford the extra day, I highly recommend staying over for this one.
If you are able to stay in town through Friday and want to optimize your expo experience, I recommend you sign up for a workshop doubleheader and also attend Legal Learning Live!, 9 a.m.-1 pm. on April 5, taught by Jeffrey Greenberger, a partner with the law firm Katz, Greenberger & Norton LLP. This workshop is an ISS Expo staple. Jeffs knowledge is phenomenal, and his insight will keep you on your toes. His relaxed and informal approach to self-storage law is one that will not bore you. We often have had attendees so engaged in the last hour of Q&A that there have been stragglers in the room up to an hour after the session has endeda true testament to the value of Jeffs knowledge and energy.
In addition to our education slate and workshops, this years Expo Hall is also impressive. The floor is larger than ever, and weve spruced up the ISS booth (#729) with a fresh new look. Be sure to stop by the booth to meet our staff, pick up a magazine, tour the Inside Self-Storage Store, and sign up for Self-Storage Talk, the industrys largest online community.
The ISS Store launched during last years expo and was recently named a 2013 finalist in mins Best of the Web Awards in the Virtual Store category! What an honor! The ISS Store features all the tools you need to be successful in your self-storage business, including digital versions of ISS magazine, digital Guidebooks, on-demand webinars, a la carte manager-training sessions and industry-data reports from Cushman & Wakefield. Did I mention you can also buy on-demand video and DVD recordings of ISS Expo education sessions? Well, you can, and the store will also be taking pre-orders for select 2013 sessions and DVD-bundled packages before and during the expo as well. Be sure to drop by the ISS booth for a tour and reserve your 2013 education DVDs.
The count down has begun, as the show is nearly a week away. Register today for the package that suits you best, and I look forward to seeing you soon at the ISS Expo!