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Leasing News Advisory Board Members...Leasing Conferences ( Part II ) One of the first things I did when I began my leasing business in 1995 was join a leasing association. My involvement in the UAEL started by attending conferences, evolved to committees, task forces and eventually the board of directors. Furthermore, the decision to register and begin preparing for the Certified Leasing Professional designation was also a result of attending conferences where I met colleagues who explained the value of understanding all aspects of the industry, not only the ones I dealt with day to day, and they were right. Attending the conferences is an affordable way to make contacts, get new ideas, brush up on the old ones, find new funding sources and brokers, trainers and mentors. It is a great way to stay exposed to current IT developments, specific to leasing, as well as tax, legal and legislative issues. If you can carve out the time, attending a conference is a worthwhile investment. Not to mention, they are often in warm sunny place, and when you live where I do, it's a fun break to end the day with a dip in the pool! your leasing buddy, Theresa with offices in Colorado and Washington ---- I personally attended many ELA conferences since I got into the business in 1987 and have found the principal benefit was less the agends and more the fact that a bunch of people from far flung places would be at the same locale. I learned to set up dates with folks that I wanted to see before arriving and the chance to spend 30 minutes in lieu of traveling across country just to see someone separately was invaluable. I know that the actual forums sometimes included spirited debate on issues or revelations about trends and news. My own busy schedule and short attention span sometimes meant that I was on the phone when a juicy meeting was occurring. Still, the bringing together of industry experts and enthusiasts was and still is often a catalyst for change or talk about it. When attendees exceed around 200, the impersonality of an event kicks in, which to me meant the smaller attended conferences compared to ELA conferences, may have had a greater opportunity for meeting some people that you saw again over 2-3 days and built mini-friendships with. I preach that the interested conference should be as excited about the small events as the large. Paul Weiss, President --- For us at McCue Systems, attending equipment leasing conferences is key to our ability to stay connected, remain informed, and present our finance management solutions to prospective customers. Notice that “stay connected” came first, because there is no better venue for renewing old acquaintances and forming new relationships. In the relaxed atmosphere of a conference, we can learn about new directions and emerging needs in our target market without the formalities of a presentation or the challenges posed by gatekeepers. While emails, phone calls, and product demos are all useful, the conference atmosphere allows for unstructured conversation that combines friendly chitchat with pointed business-related inquiry. Of course, another significant benefit of our participation is the opportunity to attend the workshops and presentations that make up the official “program” of the event. These sessions can be useful for more than the specific content presented; much can also be learned by seeing who attends what, what questions get asked, and what topics are the biggest draws. Typically, McCue Systems participates in these events as an exhibitor. We present a carefully crafted environment that projects the technical acumen of our company – in interactive on-screen presentations, focused product literature, and the presence of well-informed and approachable representatives of the company. After 3 decades in the industry, McCue Systems is a mainstay of the technology provider corner of the major equipment leasing organizations and their conferences. For us to be otherwise would be an unlikely strategic choice! Andrew Lea, VP, Marketing and Corporate Communications ---- You asked me why people should attend conferences, as I am the chair for UAEL's Spring Conference. Everyone has their own reason or agenda, and they are usually one or a combination of the following: 1) As a professional within the industry they want to keep up-to- Whatever ever your reasons for attending, it boils down to networking and walking away with a little more knowledgeable, while having an enjoyable time. Steve Reid, CLP
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