Condo Media - September 2014 - 16

by Gary M. Daddario, Esq.

C A I

R e g i o n a l

N e w s

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Explaining the Expo
Attendees Experience a Wealth of Benefits

his month, Condo Media and
industry professionals think
about preparations for one
of the larger industry/annual events: the Annual CAI-NE
Condo Conference and Expo. For
the benefit of first-time readers, I
thought I'd discuss the expo, its
importance, and why it is so helpful
for association members and board
members to attend.
I note at the outset that the annual expo has, for many instances
and locations, turned into the type
of industry event that maintains
all the hustle and bustle of a small
city. Parking lots at hosting hotels
tend to fill on expo day, as do the
hallways, exhibit areas, and seminar
halls.
With the addition of New Hampshire in the New England Chapter,
there is now an additional expo that
occurs at a New Hampshire location.
The NH Expo, held earlier this year
and the first of its kind as part of CAI
New England, was well-attended and
enjoyed by all.
I look forward to seeing the growth
of the NH Expo and to one day
seeing the "small city" that it might
become.
Since growth depends on New
Hampshire members understanding
the benefits associated with attendance, I will describe some of those
benefits here.

Something for Everyone

First, the annual expo offers a virtually no-cost education. Attendees
may select from multiple seminar
offerings taught by industry leaders. Unit owners, whether members
16

Condo Media * September 2014

of the association or the governing
board, can pick a topic (or more than
one) of interest and learn all they
need to know.
Most seminars also include ample

members of an association that have
already tackled the issue you presently struggle with, you may learn a
lot from their experiences. Attendees
may even serve as great references

The expo offers a virtually no-cost education.
Attendees may select from multiple seminar offerings
taught by industry leaders. Unit owners can pick
topics of interest and learn all they need to know.
question and answer time. This
allows attendees to obtain some
immediate and free advice on their
pressing issues.
Next, the expo offers one-stop
shopping. Regardless of what type of
service your association may need,
there is a vendor of this type (probably three of them) with a booth at
the expo. This affords attendees the
ability to comparison shop under one
roof and at one time.
Further, many organizations send
high-ranking personnel and company
owners to the expo. This allows attendees to meet and speak with the
company leaders and to gauge the
vendors that represent the best fit for
their community.
In addition, the expo offers attendees the opportunity to socialize
and network with members of other
condominium associations. At first
blush, you may wonder why such
activity would be important to your
association.
The answer is that many associations face similar challenges. To
the extent that you can speak with

to each other by sharing experiences
with vendors.
Membership in CAI provides the
benefit of discounted rates to CAIsponsored events, including the
Expo. In addition, membership includes other benefits like a subscription to Condo Media, the magazine
you're reading right now.
Each month, industry professionals fill the pages of this publication
with articles relevant and helpful to
associations.
On a lighter note, the expo is in
a way a bit like a shopping spree for
those interested in free giveaway
merchandise, including bouncy balls,
foam toys, and noisemakers for kids
and flashlights, mugs, and eyeglass
cleaners for adults.
It is always fun to fill a bag while
you make the rounds. I hope to see
more of you milling about the expos
in the future. CM
Gary M. Daddario, Esq., is a
partner with the law ﬁrm of Perkins
and Anctil, P.C., and a longstanding
member of CAI.

Condo Media - September 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Condo Media - September 2014