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Expo 2002 Preview

© 2002 Door & Access Systems
Publish Date: Spring 2002
Author: Tom Wadsworth
Page 24


Expo 2002 Preview

The Niit Sheet

The International Garage Door Exposition moves to Nashville this year, April 24-27. To find out what's new for 2002, we talked to IDA President Ed Niit (pronounced "neat").

Nashville
"Nashville is a great entertainment city within driving distance for many. The city has many popular attractions such as Opryland, Ryman Auditorium, Grand Ole Opry, the Country Music Hall of Fame, and much more. The Opryland Hotel itself is a great attraction!"

Awards: Riverboat Theme
"Thursday night's awards banquet will feature a stage with a riverboat theme on one side and a 'riverboat casino' on the other. We'll have gambling tables where you can gamble with funny money and redeem your winnings for merchandise."

Chicken Soup Speaker
"Friday's keynote speaker, Mark Victor Hansen, is an excellent speaker who is well known for his popular 'Chicken Soup for the Soul' books. He has a great story to tell, and I think the audience will love it."

150 Exhibitors
"I think the exhibits are always one of the highlights. It's a unique opportunity to see so many of our industry's products in one location. This year, we've condensed Saturday's hours so that the show floor closes at three. I hope all exhibitors promote Expo to their customers and dealers."

The Best Attraction?
"The nicest thing of all will be the good warm handshake of those you know, and sharing your concerns with fellow dealers and manufacturers."

For more information about Expo 2002 registration, go to www.doors.org.


BEST SEMINARS

Gary Lombard's Picks
When asked if he could promote only three workshops, here are the choices of Gary Lombard, president of the IDEA, the organization that manages the workshop portion of Expo.

  1. High Speed Doors. "To the best of my knowledge, we've never done this before. I think this will really draw a lot of interest. It's a fairly new and expanding market." (Thurs. 1-2:30 p.m.)
  2. Wanna Be Number One? "This is a takeoff from the IDA magazine's recent story on the Top 100 Door Dealers. Several top dealers will share ideas on how to grow and diversify your business." (Thurs. 5-6:30 p.m.)
  3. Extended Workshop: Loading Docks and Access Controls. "Another first-timer, it will be very hands-on. We'll have actual working models of various dock levelers and explain the latest access equipment available." ($50; Sat. 8-11:30 a.m.)

Some New Seminars and Workshops

  1. How to Increase Profits in a Soft Market (Thurs. 8-9:30 a.m.)
  2. Common Mistakes in a Family Owned Business (Thurs. 8-9:30 a.m.)
  3. Let's Talk Loading Dock Equipment (Thurs. 1-2:30 p.m.)
  4. High Speed Doors (Thurs. 1-2:30 p.m.)
  5. Vehicle and Equipment Maintenance (Thurs. 3-4:30 p.m.)
  6. Communications Technology (Thurs. 5-6:30 p.m.)
  7. Wanna Be Number One? (Thurs. 5-6:30 p.m.)
  8. Diversification - Keeping the Door Dealer Alive (Sat. 9-10:30 a.m.)

An Industry First: The first opportunity for qualified personnel to take their Installer Certification exams. (Wed. 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.)