As many others in the industry I invest a ton of time at industry events. Setting my calendar early for the my “don’t miss” events in the industry, I believe is very important to the success of our businesses.
Selling what you do and how you do it is not always done at the boardroom table or in someone’s office. Many deals are initiated on the trade show floor, conference event, golf course, ski hill, fishing boat and for some (including me) tipping a pint with someone at a watering hole. Sometimes it is a combination of all of these.
At the end of the day there are plenty of events to attend. Here are some of the events coming up over the next 6 months that I have in my calendar that I won’t miss.
February 7th – PMTC Young Leaders Group Educational Seminar in Guelph is just around the corner. Don’t let the title trick you. This is for all ages but hosted by the Young Leaders Group of the PMTC. This morning event is packed with information to make you and your company better. These seminars are at a low cost and provide value. I try not to miss any of the PMTC Educational seminars throughout the year.
February 28-March 1 – TTSAO Striving For Excellence Conference in Mississauga. A stellar line up again of expert speakers and panelists. There is something for everyone here, Schools, Carriers, Insurance and Suppliers. Billed as one of the most affordable Conferences in the industry it educational with great networking opportunities during the cocktail party and trade show.
March 25-March 28 – The Truckload Association’s Annual Conference at the Gaylord Palms and Convention Center in Kissimmee Florida. Many of the Canadian decision makers are members of TCA and attend the annual conference. We have been involved with TCA for over two decades. These folks know how to run an event and treat those who attend very well. Their break out sessions, speakers and panelists are always relative to what is happening in our industry and their awards night is very special. The conference trade show is probably one of the biggest that is tied to an industry conference.
April 19-April 21 – Truck World in Mississauga this is the creme de la creme of events if you do business in the Transportation Industry in Canada. I have no idea how anything gets done over these 3 days because everyone in our industry is at this event. I love the Thursday because it seems that is the day most executive and decision makers are in the building. We get a chance to see many of our customers here and we are able to talk to many potential people who may want to do some business with us.
May 26th – The TTSAO Carrier Group Industry Hiring Event and Career Expo will be held at IHSA Conference Centre Mississauga.This event has just been announced. Carriers, Insurance, Schools and Industry suppliers will be on hand looking to hire in all areas of the industry. Trucking is not just about drivers. There are so many career opportunities in transportation and this will be a great spot to mingle with many people in the industry.
May 31st – PMTC Spring Golf Tournament at Heron Point. This is one of the prettiest Private golf courses in the Golden Horseshoe and this PMTC is a terrific value. This is not just for the Private Carriers – it’s wide open to all. It’s a great value and we always look forward to teeing it up with a couple of customers and spending some quality time again with many decision makers of companies in our industry.
June 14-15 – PMTC Annual Conference at the Crown Plaza in Niagara Falls. This conference is an amazing value and the content of agenda never disappoints those who attend, many decision makers attend from every sector of the industry and this is not just geared to Private Fleets anymore. This is a don’t miss for us and we always bring back value to our business from what we learn.
I encourage you to consider attending any or all of these events, you won’t be disappointed. I want to be quick to point there are many, many more events that I am sure are worth attending. If I have not mentioned a certain event it’s not because it may not worth attending it’s probably because I have not attended in the past and you can only be in so many places.
If you do attend and see me, say hello please, I love meeting and talking about our industry.