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This year’s conference has some killer sessions

March 8, 2013

By Bob Johnson, NAID CEO

Anyone who has worked on a NAID conference committee knows that the event often starts with as many as 80 potential sessions. In fact, selecting the short, final list of sessions, about 25, is one of the committee’s biggest challenges.

The point is a lot of thought and debate goes into creating the sessions that end up in the conference schedule. So for me to pick out a handful of favorites is a little like asking a father to pick his favorite kid. In reality, I think all the sessions are really good and deserve consideration. None of them ended up on the schedule by accident or to fill time.

The reality is though, there are some sessions that have been in the works for years and I am really excited about the following:

  • Using Route Driver to Drive Sales: I previously blogged about why this session is so special. My interest in developing this content goes back more than 30 years to my early days in the industry.
  • Developing the Residential Market: Again, I have already written about the ongoing exploration of this vast, yet elusive, potential market for secure destruction services. The session is the outgrowth of a two-part discussion group held at last year’s conference. Those who attended last year’s discussions reported it was one of the most interesting and valuable sessions.
  • Interactive Social Media Workshop: Some readers may remember when secure destruction industry professionals would debate about whether a website had any value. Now, you’re not taken seriously without one. Becoming savvy in social media has proven to be an effective customer loyalty, local branding and growth tool. This session represents the most intense and interactive session on the subject and features industry professionals who have proven expertise in the area.

Anyone of these sessions could potentially be worth more than the entire investment to attend NAID 2013 Annual Conference in Nashville and yet I could just as easily list three more for which I could make the same claim.

I personally have little sympathy or understanding for those who do not attend the conference. The only reasons that could make sense to me is that their businesses are already so well run, so well networked and so successful that they have nothing else to learn. When you think about the value of one great idea, or of new customer that comes from using that idea, the ROI of attending not only makes sense, it is downright compelling. Those who do not attend NAID 2013 are leaving money on the table.