Kansas City, MO (Aug. 9, 2018) — The Business Technology Association (BTA) will hold its 2018 BTA National Conference, hosted by BTA East, Sept. 19-21 at the Stewart Hotel in New York City, New York. The hotel discount deadline is Aug. 27, so register today to reserve your room.
Open to office technology dealers from across the country, the event will feature: a keynote address led by James Lawrence, the Iron Cowboy; a vendor panel on production and industrial print; a memorable team-building experience, eight additional educational sessions led by industry leaders; time to network with peers and exhibiting sponsors, including during a welcoming reception and breaks; and a dinner cruise around Manhattan in a glass-top boat, the Bateaux.
The 2018 BTA National Conference will begin at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 19, with welcoming comments followed by the keynote address, “Redefine Impossible,” presented by Lawrence and sponsored by HP. Lawrence will share his story of completing 50 Ironmans in 50 consecutive days in all 50 states, as well as his life leading up to the mission and winning two prior world records. A break, giving attendees time to visit with peers and exhibiting sponsors, will follow. Breaks between sessions on both days will also give attendees additional networking time.
From 5 to 6 p.m., a memorable team-building experience, “The Contagion,” sponsored by Continuum, will take place. Following the team-building experience, a cocktail reception will be held until 7:30 p.m.
The second day of the conference will begin at 7 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 20, with breakfast, followed by opening comments and the first three educational sessions: “Panel Discussion: Access Japan 2018,” moderated by Frank Cannata of The Cannata Report, with panelists CJ Cannata and Scott Cullen of The Cannata Report; “From Technology Startup to the Path of Acquisition: Lessons Learned,” led by David Ramos of Visual Edge Technology; and “Be Afraid … Be Very Afraid: Hot Topics Within Labor & Employment Law,” led by Tedd Kochman of Littler.
Lunch will be served at noon, followed by two educational sessions: “Add Six to Seven Figures to Your Top Line,” led by Gil Cargill of Cargill Consulting Group; and “Being a Data-Driven Dealership: Data Marketing to Drive Strategic Revenue Growth,” led by Dominic Pontrelli of Pontrelli Marketing and Randy Dazo of Keypoint Intelligence-InfoTrends. The vendor panel, “Production & Industrial Print: The Future of Imaging,” moderated by Frank Cannata, will follow. The panelists will include Helene Blanchette of Xerox Corp., John Fulena of Ricoh USA Inc., Eric Hawkinson of Canon Solutions America, Frank Mallozzi of EFI and Dino Pagliarello of Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A. Inc.
From 6:15 to 10 p.m., attendees will enjoy a dinner cruise (sponsored by Polek & Polek) around Manhattan aboard a glass-top boat, the Bateaux. The cruise will take attendees past several New York City landmarks, including the Empire State Building, the World Trade Center site, Battery Park, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and more. There is a dress code for the cruise. Collared shirts are required for gentlemen and jackets are requested. For women, cocktail wear, a dress or dressy-casual attire is required. Dark or dressy jeans are acceptable, however, casual jeans, t-shirts, shorts, athletic shoes or flip-flops are not acceptable.
The final day of the conference will begin at 7 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 21, with breakfast, followed by the final three educational sessions: “Operationalizing Benchmarking to Drive Profit Growth,” led by Steve Rolla and Jeff Kelly of Pros Elite Group; “The Growing Importance of Cybersecurity,” led by Daniel Bartus of Merrill Lynch; and “The New Tax Law & Practical Implications for You & Your Business,” led by John Sullivan of Sullivan & Associates. Closing comments and prize drawings will wrap up the conference from 11:45 a.m. until noon.
The 2018 BTA National Conference exhibiting sponsors: ACDI, BEI Services, Brother, Carolina Wholesale, Clover Imaging Group, Continuum (team-building experience sponsor), Coredial, Crawford Thomas, DCS, ECi Software Solutions, Epson, ESP AMETEK, FP Mailing Solutions, GreatAmerica Financial Services, HP (keynote sponsor), Hybrid Imaging Systems, Hyland Software, ImageNet Consulting, Image Star, Imaging Solutions Direct, Impression Solutions, Innovolt, Katun, Keypoint Intelligence, Laserfiche, LD Products, LEAF, Lexmark, LMI, Mars International, MAX USA Corp., Miracle Service, Muratec, NA Trading and Technology, OKI, Panasonic (breaks sponsor), PerformIT, PHSI, Polek & Polek (dinner cruise sponsor), RISO, Sentryfile, Static Control (lunch sponsor), Supplies Network, Supplies Wholesalers, TIAA Bank, Tigerpaw (breakfast sponsor), TonerCycle/InkCycle, Toshiba, Wells Fargo and Xerox (reception sponsor).
BTA member dealers receive 2-for-1 registration to the 2018 BTA National Conference. BTA member dealer registration is $199, which includes the Wednesday, Thursday and Friday educational sessions; Wednesday welcoming reception; Thursday breakfast and lunch; Thursday dinner cruise; and Friday breakfast. BTA members may apply their $150 or $250 educational discount received with their membership toward this event, making 2-for-1 registration only $49. Non-member dealer registration is $249.
Click here to learn more about the 2018 BTA National Conference, including full session descriptions, or to register.
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About the Business Technology Association
Founded in 1926, the Business Technology Association serves office technology dealerships, resellers, manufacturers, distributors and service companies. Its core members — office technology dealerships — consult, sell and service hardware, software and supplies with the goal of helping businesses maximize their investment in devices and technology. Through the association’s various educational programs, information, research, legal services, publications and guidance, BTA member dealerships are positioned to be the premier source of the office technology used by businesses throughout the United States every day.
