Attendees from the 2023 Contracting Success Conference will already be familiar with the Mandalay Bay venue in Las Vegas, but the same can’t be said for the fresh lineup of topics, presenters and networking opportunities available for Building Service Contractors Association International’s (BSCAI) flagship event. A new twist on a proven event will have attendees returning to their businesses reinvigorated; with fresh strategies and new valuable connections spanning the three-day event from Nov. 19-21.  

As is customary for Contracting Success, the more than 700 expected attendees can also walk the ISSA tradeshow floor, which is again running simultaneously at Mandalay Bay. The exhibit hall — which will be open from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Nov. 19 and 20, and 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Nov. 21 — features innovation showcases, product reveals and more across hundreds of manufacturer booths.  

Extended Education Opportunities  

With so many topics and seminars on the docket for Contracting Success, attendees can be assured that each day will offer new twists and insights. Though the first official day of regular seminars begins on Tuesday, Nov. 19, attendees getting to Vegas earlier have the opportunity for additional education on Nov. 18. Monday’s “Bidding & Estimating Seminar: 101 Level” from 8 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. is designed as an introductory price-setting course for industry newcomers. Presented by Curtis McLemore of McLemore Building Maintenance, and BSCAI president-elect Steve Shuchat of Clean All Services, this 101-style seminar will dive into best practices for workloading frontline staff, managing supplies and overhead, and utilizing pricing models to maximize profit.  

For those seeking more of an advanced level of application for the same topic, the “Bidding & Estimating Seminar: 201 Level” takes place the same day from 12 p.m. - 4 p.m. will tackle complex examples of the template demonstrated in the 101 level — presented again by Shuchat and featuring current BSCAI president Philippe Mack of Bee-Clean Building Maintenance. 

An alternate option is available the same day from 2 p.m. – 6 p.m. with “Plateaus of Growth,” presented by Blake Dozier of OnPoint Building Services and Greg Buchner of CleanOffice/Porter Plus. This session will share applicable, step-by-step growth strategies for a wide range of current BSC valuations, ranging from $1 million to over $10 million.  

Tuesday will see the opening of the ISSA Show North America exhibitor hall. Attendees perusing the show floor will be able to check out various educational opportunities, which include the BSCAI-centric “Productivity Seminar” from 1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. and “Supervision Seminar” from 3 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. A two-part session, the “Productivity Seminar” will first focus on simple steps to sustainable productivity, including how to evaluate current productivity levels and implement strategies to minimize time wasting. The second part will dive into the impact of quality supervision and operational leadership as pillars for employee and customer retention. Also, a two-part session, the “Supervision Seminar” will first tackle common employee training challenges and how to start on the right track with new hires. The second half will emphasize employee communication — particularly when it comes to how to boost motivation and trust.  

Wednesday, November 20, kicks off the conference’s foundation: peer-to-peer style breakout sessions. To cover all the necessary bases for attendees, these sessions are broken up into tracks of focus: Employee Recruitment/Training; Customer Service/Retention; Operations; Leadership/Strategic Management; and Marketing/Sales.  

In charge of these peer-to-peer sessions are conference attendees, sharing their experiences and expertise across 45-minute windows throughout the morning and afternoon on Wednesday and Thursday. Over 20 unique sessions are available with a few notables including: “Building Blocks of a High Functioning Team” presented by Julie Garcia of Action Service Corporation; “Funding M&A and Organic Growth in a Higher Interest Rate Environment” presented by Pursant LLC; and “Winning Customer Loyalty in a Competitive World” presented by building services consultant Richard Fuchs.  

Back by popular demand are the panel-style seminars, featuring lineups of BSCs and industry experts with decades of combined experience. Options include “Putting Profit First; Change Your Company to a Money-Making Machine”; and “Employee Retention Refresh: Considerations and Tactics to Take You into 2025.” 

Contracting Success always pulls out the stops when it comes to a keynote speaker, and 2024 is no different. Presenting from 4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday is Neil Hoyne, author of Converted and chief strategist of Google. Over his 20-year career, Hoyne has been a pioneer behind many of the successful growth strategies leading to over $6 billion in revenue for Google. In his presentation, Hoyne will discuss the 80/20 rule, which centers on 80 percent of revenue coming from just 20 percent of a business’ customer base. With that principle as the foundation, he will dive into how BSCs can identify top customers using data and cultivate long-term, profitable partnerships.  

Building Service Connections  

The keynote and peer-to-peer sessions are certain to provide a lot of current industry insight for BSCs, but what keeps so many attendees coming back to Contracting Success year-after-year are the contacts they’ve met and the evergreen value of those connections. Understanding the pivotal value of networking, BSCAI has laid out a wide array of opportunities for introductions, reunions, or a simple chat in a relaxed environment throughout each day.  

Monday arrivals to Las Vegas should make their way to the Foundation Room inside Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino for the “BSC Night Shift Networking.” This event is co-hosted by BSCAI and ISSA, and specifically made for BSCs looking for peer-to-peer networking over appetizers and drinks. As per every Contracting Success event, a set of standard networking roundtables are also slated for both Tuesday and Wednesday. These 90-minute blocks give attendees the chance to engage in deeper discussions with industry leaders and peers on many topics.  

From 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. on Wednesday is the annual Networking and Awards Luncheon, where BSCAI’s CLEAN Award Winners are announced and honored on stage for their industry achievements. Among the prestigious awards to be announced are the Skip Marsden Award, James E. Purcell Leadership Award, and the Walter L. Cook Award for Distinguished Service. The final day (Thursday) will also feature an hour-long refreshment and exhibits break starting at 9:45 a.m., serving as a nice recharge between peer-to-peer sessions and the final stretch of the conference.  

Whether it’s mastering a strategy for company growth or meeting a group of attendees that serve as a BSC’s foundation for sharing expertise for years to come, the only way to not gain an edge from Contracting Success is to not attend at all. When it comes to contract cleaning events, there’s no better opportunity for education and networking across the entire calendar year.  

James DeGraff, senior associate editor, has spent five years creating and overseeing content for Facility Cleaning Decisions, Contracting Profits and Sanitary Maintenance magazines, as well as CleanLink.com. 

 




POSTED ON: 10/30/2024