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What a crazy year it has been! When I took over Contracting Profits magazine in January, I never expected to be immediately faced with a global pandemic. But, if there is a silver lining to what we’ve all gone through this year, it’s that we’ve banded together as an industry, and we continue to thrive.
Last November, which seems like five years ago now, I was fortunate enough to attend my very first Contracting Success conference in Las Vegas. The event, hosted by Building Service Contractors Association International, brings together the best and the brightest building service contractors in the industry. The combination of top-notch education, inspirational keynote presentations and outstanding networking opportunities was exactly what I needed as I launched into a new year with the magazine.
Still flying high on that fall event, I had been looking forward to representing Contracting Profits as the official publication of the association at the BSCAI Executive Management Conference in early 2020. When COVID-19 blocked that from happening, I focused my sights on Contracting Success.
Contracting Success+ 2020 welcomed 750 registrants on the first day of the virtual event (Oct. 14), and I was happy to be among them. Although it wasn’t the in-person event we were all hoping for, BSCAI once again did an outstanding job giving us those insightful keynote addresses and strong educational offerings their events are known for.
The first keynote on Wednesday, Oct. 14, really set the tone. “The Hero Effect: Creating a Culture of Heroes at Every Level,” led by Kevin Brown, was inspirational, moving and just what we all needed to hear. Feedback from the attendees was overwhelmingly positive.
One reader said, “Great kickoff to the conference. An amazing keynote, inspiring and a tear jerker. Thank you BSCAI Team!” Another commented, “I didn't know I could be moved by a ‘virtual speaker,’ but I most certainly was. Well done.”
I was right there with them as we all split up and immediately moved into networking sessions, virtual exhibit booth meetings and our choice of a number of strong educational presentations. The value of this event was clearly obvious and word quickly spread.
“There were a lot of contractors engaged with our conference on day one, and registrations continue to rise,” said Chris Mundschenk, CAE, executive vice president of BSCAI. “I was really impressed with the comments in the general session chat from attendees who might not usually attend in-person events and who appreciated having access to this contractor-focused education and networking.”
Momentum continued into day two of the four-day event with a strong roundtable discussion on the future of facilities between four global powerhouses. Then, again, attendees dispersed into live presentation offerings. The good news with the virtual event was that attendees won’t find themselves missing out, as recordings of each session will be available at no additional charge.
One attendee put it perfectly: “How wonderful that we can access all the sessions. You don't have to try and be in two places at once with it being virtual.”
It’s also worth noting that even latecomers can benefit from the entire educational program as all sessions are available on demand for attendees through the end of year. And if you missed the first two days of the event, you’re still in luck. Contracting Success+ 2020 continues this week and new registrants are welcome.
On Wednesday, Oct. 21, attendees will learn how to lead their business through a crisis, successful leadership tools, recruiting and hiring tips, how to have tough conversations, how to lead a multi-generational team and so much more. Thursday, Oct. 22, is the final day of the event and it’s sure to go out with a bang. Networking roundtables, product demos and a busy virtual exhibit hall, business growth education, and budgeting are just a few of the many offerings.
BSCAI providing this virtual platform has allowed us to reconnect with familiar colleagues and new faces, all the while benefiting from some outstanding education. They have also opened the door to BSCs who have been restricted by travel in years past. Personally, I’m looking forward to the second half of the event.
Registration for Contracting Success+ will remain open through the event end date of October 22. To learn more and to register for BSCAI Contracting Success+, visit https://convention.bscai.org/.