RM Online - Register now for Events & Tents 2000

Before you get caught up in the end-of-the-year holiday rush, take the time to register for Events & Tents 2000: The Year of the Party. The two-day conference, planned for Feb. 12-13 in Anaheim, Calif., just before the A.R.A. convention, will help increase your knowledge of the event and party rental industry while also capturing the energy and excitement of the year 2000.

Events & Tents is designed for anyone involved in party and event rentals, from beginners to those with many years of experience. The educational program will be presented in six tracks, with each track including three three-hour seminars and two roundtable discussions. You can register for all five sessions from one track or pick the sessions you want to attend from various tracks. The tracks are Profitability in the Linen Rental Business, Tenting 2000, Heightening Your Sales Successes, Unraveling the Mystery of Management, Unique Opportunities in Event and Party Design and Operations: Front-Line Strategies.

If you're looking for knowledge that will help in the growth of your business and result in increased sales, the sessions in the Heightening Your Sales Successes track are the perfect choice. The track will focus on new and proven methods used to generate sales, along with new technologies and putting them to business use.

"Those attending the sessions will leave highly motivated and ready to implement the new ideas and projects they learned from the presenters and their rental peers," says Steve Kohn, an Events Ad Hoc Committee member from Miller's Rentals and Sales in Edison, N.J. "It's interesting to note that we in the event and party rental industry are willing to share success stories so that others can benefit."

Professional presenters and rental industry panels will facilitate the sessions. The first seminar on Saturday morning, "Proposals and Presentations: Making an Impact," will explore setting yourself and your business apart through excellent written and spoken communication skills. The Saturday lunch roundtable on "Technology in Sales" will discuss the use of technology to improve sales and a staff's ability to perform, as well as the Internet and software.

In the Saturday afternoon seminar, "Hyperservice: Upselling for Increased Profits," you'll learn how to thrive in the future with service by focusing on giving your customers every opportunity to purchase more. On Sunday morning, the roundtable "Ethics in Sales and Marketing" will provide a forum for discussing real-life scenarios on the increasingly important topics of sales and marketing ethics. On Sunday afternoon, learn how to double your sales and triple your profits with high-impact marketing and promotions at "Improving Your Sales Using Marketing Strategies." You'll learn solid and cost-effective methods for using print, radio, television and direct-mail advertising and promotions.

Kohn believes there is value in these sessions for individuals from any rental store, regardless of size. "The biggest, the most organized and the most respected rental store with the best equipment cannot grow without proper marketing and sales techniques. It's not what you have, it's how you sell it that counts. Some of the smallest rental stores in the country have grown through proven marketing techniques that can be applied to other stores."

He also knows the importance of sales and marketing from his own rental background. "Being a third-generation rental store owner has taught me quite a lot about running a continuously growing company. The most important thing is that without being aware of new marketing trends and the means to implement them, there won't be a fourth generation," he says. "Marketing and sales are the keys to a successful business and, to me, the key factor if a company is going to survive."

In addition to sales and marketing, another area crucial to your business success is good operating logistics. If you're looking for concrete ideas and strategies to make your operations run smoother and be more profit-oriented, the sessions for Operations: Front-Line Strategies can provide these. They will cover aspects of daily operation from a functional standpoint, taking an in-depth view of the "how" and "why" you do things from a system's standpoint.

"You'll learn new technologies and strategies that will make your operations tasks more profit-oriented. The track will cover all parts of the area we are really in business for - the bottom line," says John Jakob, an Events Ad Hoc Committee member from Abbey Party Rents in Dallas. The track is designed for owners, front-line managers with bottom-line responsibilities, and warehouse employees and dispatchers.

"Dispatching, Routing and Trucking Techniques," scheduled for Saturday morning, will address personnel scheduling, truck delivery scheduling, routing techniques, employee development and more. Saturday's lunch roundtable will cover "What Works, What Doesn't: Maintenance of Party Rental Items" with rental experts available to discuss cost-effective methods for keeping equipment rental-ready and in the best condition. On Saturday afternoon, look at the most efficient ways to track your rental equipment from the reservation process to equipment return at "Check Out, Check In: Inventory Control Techniques." Areas such as inventory utilization, physical inventory-taking and inventory management tools will be covered.

A multitude of tricks for equipment packaging and moving will be discussed during Sunday morning's roundtable, "Slick Tricks for Material Handling." The final session on Sunday afternoon, "What You Can Do With What You've Got: Warehouse Layout," will take an in-depth look at warehouse space planning, design and layout to maximize your use of space and of personnel.

With nearly 25 years in the rental industry, Jakob has a wealth of experience to draw on in coordinating this track. "I have been in almost every type of operation imaginable, from single stores to franchised chains to company operations of multiple locations and in many different capacities," he says. "For the past nine years, I have owned and operated a fast-growing, high-paced party store so I have been able to use what I learned from other operations."

A brochure with complete information on Events & Tents 2000: The Year of the Party and a registration form was included in a convention mailing to A.R.A. members in September. It also is available through A.R.A.'s new Fax on Demand at (877) 384-RENT (7368) or by calling (800) 334-2177, Ext. 266. The registration fee is $250 per person and includes the seminars, Saturday lunch, Sunday breakfast and the Sunday closing luncheon. In addition to the educational program, Events & Tents 2000 also will feature two optional events: a tour of Regal Rents and Best of the Best Events for $15 and the second annual gala on Sunday evening for $75. The program will be applicable to the future A.R.A. Party Certification Program.