People go to college with the hopes of getting the education they need to survive in the real, every day
working world. While that piece of paper they get four to five years and thousands of dollars later will
help them get their foot in the door, it does not mean they know everything that they need to know.
That is where industry wide conferences can come in hand. Typically, conferences are great
opportunities to network, check out the latest and greatest technological advances and— most
importantly—learn how to be better at your job.
When it comes to the self storage industry, conferences often have plenty of networking events and
lots of vendor booths selling and demonstrating the latest gadgets that are supposed to help your self
storage facility move up to the next level. Often times the main focus of them is educational in nature.
The upcoming Inside Self Storage World Expo in Tacoma, Washington (October 4-6) is aiming to do just that, educate attendees on everything that is important in the self storage industry. In the last year there have been a number of changes in lien laws which are likely to be discussed during some of the legal and legislative presentations. Also included will be things on marketing and sales, day to day operations, construction and development, real estate, and financing.
This year there will be a new educational track geared towards people from Canada. In it attendees can
learn about many of the developmental issues that are involved in the United States as well as tenant
insurance, moving goods across the border, and much more.
There will also be a track specifically for owners of self storage facilities/companies. This will focus on
issues that pertain not necessarily towards operations, but will involve different legal issues owners
face, employee and manager compensation, how to motivate your people as well as other things.
Those that are interested can also sign up for special intensive workshops. Offered this year are
workshops on using the web to your advantage, a management workshop, one on legal issues, and
another specifically for those looking to get into developing and/or investing.
If the Inside Self Storage Expo is too far off or if you’re looking for additional learning opportunities,
there is the Self Storage Association Fall Conference and Trade Show being held in Las Vegas at Caesars
Palace in September (7-9).
Sources Used:
“Seminar Details for Inside Self-Storage World Expo in Tacoma Now Available.” Inside Self-Storage; 07
July 2011.
Self Storage Association; SSA Fall Conference and Trade Show.