BTA Southeast to Host Winter Break March 20-21 in Orlando

Kansas City, MO, Feb. 10, 2015 — On March 20-21, the Business Technology Association’s (BTA; www.bta.org) Southeast district will host its annual Winter Break event at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa in Orlando, Fla. The educational and networking event, open to dealers from across the country, is all about learning from industry leaders, gathering new ideas and strategies, and networking with peers.

The event will feature a keynote session dealer panel, seven additional educational sessions presented by industry leaders and a special, inspirational session by John O’Leary of Rising Above. Dealers will be able to participate in networking events that will allow them to connect with their peers, including a welcoming reception on March 20, and a trip to the Disney theme park of their choice (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios or Animal Kingdom) on March 21.

In addition, there will be time to visit with 35-plus exhibiting sponsors, many of which will hold drawings for great prizes during the event. Dealer attendees can also enter on site for a chance to win one of five $100 American Express gift cards from BTA Southeast and enter the BTA District Event Sweepstakes.

Grand Slam begins at 7 a.m. on Friday, March 20, with breakfast, opening comments and the keynote dealer panel, “Mergers, Acquisitions & Future Growth: What is Your Dealership’s Strategy?” Moderated by Jim Kahrs of Prosperity Plus Management Consulting Inc., the dealer panelists will be Jeff Gau, CEO of Marco, St. Cloud, Minn.; Jim Kreikemeier, president of Capital Business Systems Inc., Fort Collins, Colo.; and Rick Lott, co-owner of Zymphony Technology Solutions, Tampa, Fla.

Following the dealer panel, two more educational sessions will be held: “Adapting to Today’s New Buying Habits,” led by Darrell Amy and Lindsay Kelley of Dealer Marketing; and “Recession or No Recession: Prepare Your Business to Grow & Thrive in Either Environment,” led by Chris Polek of Polek & Polek Inc. Lunch will follow these sessions.

After lunch, three more educational sessions will be held: “Managed Legal Liability,” led by Bob Goldberg, general counsel for the Business Technology Association; “The ‘New’ Team Members,” led by Sally Brause of GreatAmerica Financial Services Corp.; and “Ignite Your Life! Discovering the Keys to Unlock Passion, Potential & Impact,” O’Leary’s special presentation sponsored by Polek & Polek. The welcoming reception will be held from 5:15 to 7:15 p.m., giving attendees time to network with peers and exhibiting sponsors. Several extended breaks will also take place during both days to give attendees additional time to network with peers and exhibiting sponsors.

The second day of Winter Break will begin at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 21, with a continental breakfast, followed by three educational sessions: “Sales Management: The Benchmarks that Drive Sales to Higher Levels,” led by Melissa Whitaker of Melissa Whitaker International; “Service & Operations: Key Drivers of Financial & Operational Performance,” led by Ken Staubitz of BEI Services; and “Succession Planning for Your Dealership,” led by Kahrs. Following the educational sessions, prize drawings will be held. At 2 p.m., attendees will travel to the Disney theme parks of their choice to spend the afternoon and evening.

The Winter Break exhibiting sponsors: Balboa Capital, BEI Services, Buyers Lab, Carolina Wholesale, Compass Sales Solutions, Crawford Thomas, Densi, Digitek, DocuWare, ECi e-automate, ECi FMAudit, Epson, ESP/SurgeX, EverBank, Evolved Office, Global Printer Services, GreatAmerica Financial Services, HP (March 20 Lunch & March 21 Breakfast Sponsor), Hytec, Image Star, Impression Solutions, Katun (March 20 Breakfast Sponsor), LMI, Muratec, NA Trading and Technology, OKI, PHSI, Polek & Polek (March 20 Special Presentation Sponsor), Print Audit (March 20-21 Breaks Sponsor), Q2, Samsung, ScanSource, Smart Power Systems, Supplies Network, SYNNEX, Toshiba, Wells Fargo, West Point Products and Xerox (March 20 Reception Sponsor).

BTA member registration (with a Disney theme park ticket) is $199, which includes the Friday and Saturday educational sessions and dealer panel; Friday breakfast, lunch and welcoming reception; and Saturday continental breakfast. BTA member registration without a Disney ticket is $169. Non-member registration with a Disney ticket is $249. Non-member registration without a Disney ticket is $219.

The front-runner workshop to Winter Break, the BTA Service Management Workshop, led by Staubitz and focused on improving service financial performance, will be held March 18-19. Workshop attendees receive free registration to Winter Break. To learn more or to register, visit www.bta.org/ServiceManagement.

For more information on Winter Break, including full session descriptions and the registration form for the event, visit www.bta.org/BTASoutheastEvent.