RECAP! 4th Annual Tri State Conference 10/26

Sue_C

Come to Nevada for the 4th Annual Tri State Conference!

October 26 - 27
at the Aquarius Hotel & Casino
Laughlin, Nevada

Don't miss this very special event brought to you by the Arizona Self Storage Association, the California Self Storage Association and the Nevada Self Storage Association. SiteLink will be there!

Get more info.

CJ_Fischer

Our Booth at the show.......Looking good Bob.

ThriftyStorage

what do they talk about at these meetings???

Sue_C

Trade shows usually cover a variety of topics, and depending on the size of the show may include roundtable discussions, official presentations, educational sessions and lots more. Subjects range from consumer and advertising trends to self-storage market updates, legal issues and lots more. Networking with others in the industry is a big part of it all.

Here's a link to the fall SSA conference lineup of events, it may give you a good idea of what they do at a large trade show:

http://www.selfstorage.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=Waqc_buKeAE=&portalid=0

David_McCormack

ThriftyStorage Posts: 108Registered User ✭✭✭

October 28

what do they talk about at these meetings???

Most of the conversations I have and hear going on around me with existing owners/managers is about new products/services/ideas. 

The easy example is:   "My <product/former approach> is no longer meeting my needs, and I came here to see what the options are out in the market."

This approximate question/conversation comes in many flavors, but a very common one now, is that a new owner/manager has just inherited/bought/built a facility and they want to change how the business operates. Un-manned or nearly unmanned (automation) facilities is a very hot topic now. I would guess I spend about 1/2 of my time at these shows talking through SiteLink's many features, and integrations that are built to automate what had typically been done "by hand".  Many examples such as: Online Rentals, integrated remote access, automating collections, and payments, digital leasing and documents, and SMS is a very common thread too. 

I am also asked a lot about non-traditional storage rentals. vallet storage, mobile container storage, commercial/residential rentals, RV parking, gun storage, wine storage, boat docks, market space rentals, (you get the picture)... In a nutshell, existing owners looking to expand into new models of business come to these venues to research new ideas and speak to the vendors/other owners/managers to generate ideas, and share experiences. 

I inevitably end up learning way more about the market then the market ends up learning about us, but so does every one else, so it is almost always a very positive experience for all.