We had the opportunity to attend the NAEC’s 74th annual
convention September 10th to September 13th. It was great
to get back and see some of our old friends, meet new friends, sit through
education, be involved with talking points and walk around and see about 200
different vendors.
What did I get out of it? On a
regular basis I’m asked what do I get out of going to the convention or other
NAEC events. I had a list of items from the office to look into
while I was at the convention where you can talk face to face with suppliers.
Meeting people face to face is much different than trading emails or even phone
calls. Challenges that occur over the year can be discussed and
resolved in a matter of minutes. The networking is wonderful, seeing
friendly faces and talking to people that you email on a regular basis cannot
be beat. What I get the most out of is seeing my peers from
independent contractors and seeing what is going on in their area and what they
are doing and what challenges they are facing.
Day 1 – Monday – We had a great key note speaker about working in a business environment; Create value, leave a positive wake and do you solve problems. We went to the general business session and got an update on the NAEC. Then to the contractor forum which was very quiet. Education sessions in the afternoon where plenty we saw “what you need to know about Hydraulic MRLs, 2nd Generation 2 way visual communications, Vertical transportation industry safety and education update. There was a bit of a break and we went out with our new friends from Unitec for dinner then off to the Smartrise Engineering Party at the Reno Art Center.
Day 2 – Tuesday – The show opened and the convention floor was flooded with contractors going to suppliers booths from around the world. You can spend the whole day visiting the people you email or talk to on the phone as well as seeing new vendors you haven’t met before. The NAEC had a great slate of continuing education going on at all times during the convention. The NAEC hosted a reception after the floor closed which got a little wild. A ton of people a ton of fun.
Day 3 – Wednesday – The awards breakfast was first.
The best of show awards were given out for best single, multiple, island
and spirit of the show. Congratulations
to those who won! Our personal friend
Gary Schutte of Midwest Elevator – St. Louis, MO won the highest award in the
NAEC, The Sturgeon Award. And we saw the
passing of the baton from John Tolar of United Elevator Services, LLC to Sean
Madden of Southwest Elevator. We did a
bit more floor time then it was time to go back on the air plane to head
home. We did miss the Dregs Party which
is always a good time!
Emphasis on safety – The NAEC is doing a great job with their thorough safety program and working with OSHA. Dave Smarte who is now on NAEC staff is an incredible resource for our industry. From my time with Dave on the Board of Directors I’ve always held a very high regard for his work in the safety realm. We had a lot of take aways during our sessions having to do with safety that we are using at home at our company.
Why you should go – Meet the best in the business, exchange ideas, get challenged, come back to your company with new ideas, see new products and be a better elevator person.
2024 Convention – Atlantic City, NJ
2025 Convention – Houston, TX
2026 Convention – Chicago, IL - Yes its coming to our home. Gary Schutte - You may have won the Sturgeon award, Midwest Elevator may have won the Ellie and you have a great company with great coworkers but he isn't having a convention in his home town!
If you have any questions or would like additional information feel free to contact me at CraigZ@colleyelevator.com or 630-766-7230 ext. 107.
Also check us out on Instagram @Colleyelevator see what we have been up to.
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