Not even a late winter rain storm could dampen the spirits at the Business Technology Association’s (BTA’s) Spring Break event, hosted by BTA Southeast, which took place in New Orleans this year at the InterContinental Hotel on March 18 and 19.
Brent Hoskins, executive director of BTA, noted that the forward momentum of BTA’s district events was once again evident at the Spring Break event with its many attendees and vendors.
“I think most of us view New Orleans as a one-of-a-kind city that is always enjoyable to visit,” said Hoskins. “The food, the music and just the general mood of the city is obviously a big draw, so it was fun to be able to host another BTA event there. I suspect we will be back one day.”
Dealer Panel at BTA Southeast Spring Break
The last BTA event before the association’s 90th anniversary celebration at the 2016 BTA National Conference, set for June 8-10, in Kansas City, Missouri, Spring Break offered its signature combination of intimate setting and outstanding educational content that attendees have come to expect.
On Friday morning Dr. Steven Shepard from Shepard Communications Group, delivered the keynote on everybody’s favorite topic: millennials. Filled with humor and insight, Shepard explained why everybody’s favorite generation to hate could be the one that saves us all.
More than 50 vendors exhibited, including OEMs, leasing companies, parts suppliers, software companies, aftermarket suppliers and more.
“BTA is very grateful to our many exhibiting sponsors,” said Hoskins. “They make the BTA district-hosted events possible. We value their friendship and partnership. For those who may not know this, all of the exhibitors are members of BTA. So, as members and exhibitors, it is clear that each of these companies is particularly supportive of the BTA Channel.”
The educational seminars covered many topics, but managed services seemed to be at the forefront. Mat Wolfgram of The Technology Group explained why the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, dealership entered managed services and shared some of the keys to its success in critical areas such as team building, assigning specific jobs and infrastructure.
Lindsay Dick of Collabrance LLC delivered a detailed presentation on best practices for managed IT that included aspects of lead generation, onboarding, pre- and post-sale information, best practices and both internal and external rollout.
Other educational sessions included a dealer panel moderated by David Ramos of InfoTrends. Composed of David Lynch of Repeat Business Systems, Chip Miceli of Des Plaines Office Equipment, Doug Pitassi of Pacific Office Automation, and Ken Staubitz of Modern Office Methods, the panel answered questions on emerging technologies and their impact on sales and service. If the panel agreed on one thing, it was of all the emerging technologies and services, MPS is the best investment that a dealer could make at the moment.
“The powerful educational sessions were thought-provoking and insightful,” said Hoskins. “And the venue for the event was well received by attendees and exhibitors. I was very pleased with the event overall and congratulate the district’s dealer volunteer leadership team members for a job well done, particular Tim Renegar, BTA’s president-elect, who served as emcee.”
One notable exhibiting sponsor presentation was Impression Solutions’ Ray Looney speaking about the company’s new distribution partnership with Epson.
Andy Slawetsky closed the sessions with a demonstration of how to effectively utilize social media platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube in business.
At the end of the day, Hoskins said he is confident that Spring Break was a rewarding experience for each dealer attendee.
“After attending once, many return again and again,” he said of BTA’s district events. “The value and reward received as an attendee becomes apparent very quickly. I know those dealers who attended the event in New Orleans saw that the value extended well beyond the educational sessions. The opportunity to network with fellow dealers is always rated as a key benefit of attendance at our events. I am sure no one left New Orleans disappointed.”
The BTA will celebrate 90 years at the 2016 BTA National Conference, set for June 8-10 in Kansas City, Missouri.
