Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/674548
I DA U N I V E R S A L M ay -J u n e 2 0 1 6 7 PRESIDENT'S POST Bob Creighton IDA President 2015-17 I started going to Trade Shows very early on in my career. As a very young man, entering into the industry, there was a lot to learn, a lot to see, but more so there where a lot of people to meet. Certainly the sales reps that you met that had been in the industry awhile were a wealth of knowledge. ey were eager to share their knowledge to those who asked. It was like going to school, and you learned every hour you were on the trade show fl oor. When my brother Al joined the fi rm, I quickly realized that I had better start bringing him with me to introduce him to all the people in the industry that I had met, so that he too could experience the same learning experience that I had. It was not many years later, as we were now going together to all the related trade shows our industry off ered, that he was introducing me to all the new people he had met. Going to Trade Shows does not come without expense. ere may be plane fare, or the cost of fuel to drive. Staying a couple of days involves hotel stays and meals. You have to budget for it. Today's economy is not helping. We are all looking at our expenses and trying to run a little leaner to continue to keep our business's profi table. It's not just the attendees of the Convention or Trade Show that are looking at their expenses. e associates, the vendors who rent fl oor space have the same concerns. Are they getting return on their investment? ey are looking at their Convention Budget, their Trade Show Budget, their Travel Budget, and their Hello IDA Members Promotion Budgets. ey too, like the attendees, have taken their people off the road. At the show their territory is the trade show fl oor. eir challenge is to man the booth and use this valuable time to meet new poten- tial clients as well as renew old acquaintances and friendships made over the years. What the IDA Convention and Trade Shows do for all of us is allow us the time to be face to face with our colleagues in the industry. We can set up meetings to discuss current issues we have. It may be a pricing issue, or a delivery issue, or a quality problem you are having, or a new idea you can put forward. You now have that opportu- nity to fi nd that extra time and that extra money in the budget to go to the IDA Convention and Trade show. Now is the time to build strong relationships with your suppliers, or your customers. Find new suppliers or new customers. e economy is slowly showing signs of improving and when it does come back you must be ready for it. Now is the time to take advantage of IDA's Trade Show and Convention. See what new products, and what new ideas are out there. Discuss pricing challenges. Explore new shipping ideas and reduce freight costs. By the time you read this, many of you will have been to Bauma in Munich Germany, World of Asphalt in Nashville, Tennessee, e Atlantic Heavy Equipment show in Moncton, New Bruns- wick and Expo Grand Travaux, in Montreal, Quebec. ose of you that did go, will have a better idea of the pulse of our industry, than those who did not. You will have a distinct advantage over your colleagues that did not go. Your IDA Board of Directors will meet on April the 25, 2016 in Dallas, Texas. Amr Elborai, your secretary treasurer has graciously off ered to host the meeting for the second time at Memo Corporation headquar- ters. Prior to the meeting your Membership Committee headed by Peter Svendsgaard will have had a conference call on April 5th to strategize a direction to help with membership growth. e Convention Committee will have a conference call on April 6th to off er some suggestions to the Board for the 2018 Convention. I would like to remind all of you of the dates and location for the 2016 IDA Convention and Trade Show, and they are October 26, to October 28th , at the Hyatt Regency Long Beach, California. e fl oor space for the Trade show is over 70% sold out so if you have not booked your space, now is the time to do so. I so look forward to all visiting all the trade show travelers in Long Beach and all the stories we could tell, about what we learned on the Trade Show Floor. Best regards Bob Creighton President