Recently I attended the Exhibition Services & Contractors Association (ESCA) Summer Educational Conference in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico.
"ESCA is dedicated to the advancement of the exhibition, meeting and special events industries. Through the education, information exchange and level of professionalism shared by members and their customers, ESCA promotes cooperation among all areas of the exhibition industry. www.esca.org."
I have a been a member and attending their conferences for 9 years and this was truly another great conference. From education to networking and down to the wonderful resort it was top notch.
On Sunday, I flew in early and checked in with enough time to squeeze in a round of golf before the the opening reception. There is something to be said about a golf course at the base of a rain forest. The views are wonderful but you can almost guarantee a wet & sloppy round. The opening reception was good time catching up with old friends and making new ones.
Monday morning came early with the Keynote Opening Session
David Riveness – The Corporate Jester - "Today, more than ever, individuals are searching for ways to contribute positively to organizational
leadership, culture and behavior. They look for insight into organizational truth as well as an understanding of how to interact with others to bring about positive impact." David was an engaging speaker and had a really good message about how little information makes it up the line to upper management.
Next session was with John S. Parke - Leadership Synergies, LLC specializes in sales strategy consulting, sales training, and sales audits. Before forming Leadership Synergies, John Parke worked for Marriott International for more than 18 years, most recently as Vice President of the Global Account Sales Organization. In that capacity, he was responsible for overseeing more than 200 senior sales executives and $1.3 billion of annual revenues. Under Mr. Parke's leadership, the Marriott sales force was rated Number 1 by Sales & Marketing Magazine for three consecutive years.
Besides the ever important relationship building and maintenance, John discusses the science behind strategic account management. He also explains how to evaluate your sales staffing ratios. It is always great to be able to put math behind the value of your sales force and your market share.
Tuesdays sessions began with a panel of speakers that were all Show Managers and it was interesting to hear their point of view on the contractor/ show manager relationship and their advice on how to work better with your customers. The next session had a similar format but instead of show managers, it was facility managers. They discussed issues such as venue/contractor partnerships, security, and Green innovations.
Then it was off to the golf tournament. The Rio Mar River Course was the home of the ESCA Golf Tournament this year. It was is great condition and the sun was out long enough that day to dry out some of the sloppiness. I definitely wasn't on my "A" game but it was still a good time and we finished at 66 (-6) and the winning team was 64.
Wednesday's sessions were good because they discussed all the updates and projects that ESCA has in the works. The Worker Identification System aka WIS program is a photo identification badge will be issued to all workers of ESCA member companies and will be linked to a secure nationwide labor database maintained by ESCA and its’ partner(s) in the system. The aim of the program is two-fold ……(1) streamline access to venues across the country and (2) provide a time-keeping function for ESCA member companies that want to utilize this feature of the system. The session was closed with a state of the industry address by industry leaders.
That evening was the closing reception that was held in a pavilion literally in the rain forest. Very unique venue, fantastic food and great entertainment.
After the conference, I stayed a few extra days with my wife and good friends to enjoy the tourist attractions and the scenery. We hiked down through the rain forest to the waterfalls and went night kayaking to the bio-luminescent waters. Although it was a great time, I don't recommend doing them in the same day because boy was I sore the next morning. We squeezed in one more round of golf and spent the day in old San Juan before returning home.
