ISS Expo 2019 | What We Learned
The hazy heat of the Nevada sun wrapped our Arizona souls in a familiar hug as our team arrived for what would become known as the best ISS expo yet. It’s been weeks since the expo and we can still feel the excitement.
There can be no doubt the new venue (The Mirage) was a hit! We set up our booth right by the doors with fully functioning AC running and an excited crew. Terry ran over his Table Talk notes repeatedly despite the fact that reputation management has been his breakfast lunch and dinner for the past several decades. As we finished setting up, a figure as welcoming as Protection Pete is imposing cleared a path to our booth with her own sweet surprise. Our Best of Business Trophy would sit proudly on our table this year alongside a beautiful printout of our double page ad spread from the latest ISS mag! Humbled, and honored we love showing it off. And Harry loved telling everyone the award is ‘the death of tenant insurance’ while Marlene swatted his arm for his cheek.
One thing’s for certain the air was definitely charged at the Mirage (and we don’t just mean the AC)!
1. Table Talk Terry
Terry’s table talk rounds were the self-storage learner’s version of speed dating, but the takeaways were plenty. Decades of experience in marketing, sales, and tenant protection brought to bear in a 15 minute whirlwind of benefit. With so many educational opportunities we know you might have missed his talk, so we’ve got a complimentary copy of his notes at the bottom of the page for you to download at your leisure. Every self-storage owner/operator should feel well versed in offline, and especially online, reputation management.
2. Venue Vidi Vici
They came, they saw, and Teri Lanza and Debbie Perkie DEFINITELY conquered. The ISS convention team lead a larger expo, at a brand new venue with even more sessions than before and they did it without a single hitch. From the flow of the room to the buzz of conversation to the smooth transitions between events, this expo was rock solid. We are over the moon to come back with even clearer vision in 2020 (yeah we went for the pun. It won’t be the last time either).
3. Growing Going but not Gone
If we learned one thing at this year’s event, it’s that the industry is still blooming and booming. Developers are still developing, and reno sites are still under construction. At our own booth, we noticed more visitors were ready to make decisions. The window-shopping phase is over, which means while this industry is still growing it’s a get in now or get out! New owners/operators, it’s time to move from strategizing to executing. The time to weigh your choices and make a decision has come. Which is precisely why we developed our comparison form. So you can see for yourself how our plans stack up against the competition!
4. Loving lots of Learning!
Educational sessions and seminars were incredibly well attended this year. We’ve seen the fire to learn burning its way through the industry. Getting a competitive edge by understanding the latest and greatest trends is ‘in vogue’ for owners.
This year’s theme of customer experience is vital. Merging the online and offline experience into a seamless and customer-centric experience is the best way to ensure your units remain full. A great way to accomplish this is to treat your managers the way you want them to treat your customers.
Hitting off 2019 STRONG!
Busy season is here, and it’s moving. With the arrival of spring and the end of the expo, the busiest season in the self-storage year has begun. Getting through busy season requires preparation (hopefully you read our survival kit). But it also requires perseverance and a whole lotta marketing to keep firing on all cylinders. Increasing your profitability now is the best way to ensure a winning season. Which is exactly what we do here at Tenant Property Protection. You earn more, your tenants get peace of mind, and should the unexpected happen, you’ll see just how great an investment our plans are.
And in case you want to be in control of your facility’s reputation both online and off, download the speaker notes from Terry’s Table Talk below!
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