The Central States Door Dealer Association (CSDDA) has finalized its plans for its annual regional/educational conference scheduled for March 5-6, 2010, at the Doubletree Hotel Conference Center in Bloomington, Ill.
The theme for this year's conference is "Tools for Tomorrow," and the educational offerings are intended to help prepare industry professionals for what the organization hopes will be an economic recovery in the coming year.
Besides educational offerings, CSDDA will also hold its annual membership meeting, and will have vendor exhibit time on the evening of the first day of the show. With the IDA Expo in Las Vegas this year, this will be a good opportunity for dealers in the Midwest area who cannot travel west to see new products and meet suppliers.
Please see the schedule of events, a brief explanation of seminars and registration information for the conference below:
Friday
10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Board of Directors’ Meeting
1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Registration
1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Vendor Tabletop Exhibit Setup
2:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. Seminar #1- Social Networking in a Wireless World
2:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Seminar #2- Manlift Certifications
3:30 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. Seminar #3- Scheduled Maintenance Programs/Fire Door Contracts
5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Dinner and Awards Banquet
5:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. Cash Bar
6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. Exhibits and Door Prizes
Saturday
8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Registration
8:30 a.m. – 9:15 a.m. General Membership Meeting
9:15 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Board of Directors’ Organizational Meeting
9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Seminar #4- Super Tech- Commercial Operator UL325/
Commercial Operator Troubleshooting
9:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. IDEA Testing
9:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. Seminar #5- Staffing Trained Personnel for the Recovery
11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Seminar #6- Identifying and Managing Your Company Insurance Needs
Seminar Descriptions
• Social Networking in a Wireless World- Learn how social media tools like blogs, fan pages and followers can help you strengthen relationships and leverage connections to build buzz for promotions and new products, generate demand for seasonal service and repairs, and transform customers, employees and prospects into “brand evangelists.” Pat Lohse and Greg Costello of Clopay Building Products will lead the discussion.
• Manlift Certifications- Any technician who uses an aerial lift in his work should have the proper training. This combination lecture and field training will satisfy OSHA certification for use of a manlift. Due to limited class sizes, this seminar will be by advanced registration only. Instructor-Jack Kaelber of Martin Door Co.
• Scheduled Maintenance Programs/Fire Door Contracts- Many dealers in our industry don’t take advantage of the opportunities to make regularly scheduled visits to our commercial customers and bring them some peace of mind that their doors are receiving proper attention. This program led by Garry Lombard will give some guidelines on how to start these programs and build customer loyalty.
• Commercial Operator Seminar- This three-hour Saturday session will explain the new regulations for commercial operator safety going into effect in 2010 and will also go inside an operator to give some tips on troubleshooting problems. Lift-Master’s Dan Dombrowski will lead the group.
• Staffing Trained Personnel for the Recovery- Most door dealerships have reduced staff during this recession, so how do we re-hire, train, and put professional people back in the field? Some of the answers to these questions will be addressed in this seminar by Todd Thomas, Dewey Stewart, and a representative of the Illinois Dept. of Labor.
• Identifying and Managing Your Company Insurance Needs- Do you have enough and the right kinds of insurance to cover your company’s exposures? Are you paying for coverage you never use? These are the types of questions a businessperson should have an understanding of before he sits down with his agent for a review of his current coverage. Speaker Alan Hedrick of Countywide Insurance Co.
For registration and vendor fees, deadlines and other info, visit CSDDA at http://csdda.com/index.html.