After a long year of physical separation between industry peers, BSCAI was delighted to mark the return of in-person events with the 2021 Executive Management Conference from April 29-May 1.
Before the event, BSCAI worked extensively to ensure that attendees would be safe when they gathered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Precautions included daily temperature and health checks, mask-wearing, and socially distant seating arrangements. In addition, BSCAI created two attendee groups and scheduled staggered meal times and education sessions to guarantee compliance with capacity restrictions at the Westin Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort.
Anticipating that some people would be unable or reluctant to gather in person at this point, BSCAI made Executive Management Conference a hybrid event with a remote participation option. This enabled livestream delivery of all education sessions through an online attendee portal.
While some attendees did opt to participate in the event remotely, in-person registration sold out ahead of Executive Management Conference, underscoring the pent-up demand for the return of live events and conferences. A total of 250 people gathered in Florida for education, networking, and the opportunity to talk through business challenges at a pivotal time for the industry.
Christopher Mundschenk, CAE, the executive vice president of BSCAI, praised the association and attendees alike for helping the event run smoothly.
“Our staff, program planners, and venue partners truly went above and beyond to make sure we could execute this meeting safely, and accommodate attendee comfort levels wherever they stood on that spectrum,” Mundschenk said. “Our attendees deserve the highest praise for their cooperation and compliance in maintaining the highest health and safety standards possible.”
Attendees were thrilled with the chance to gather together for an in-person event after a year of separation. Their feedback was positive on all counts, and included praise for the program content, networking, and health and safety precautions. Sample comments from attendees include:
- “It was great to get back to collaborating with other BSCs. This is something I’ve missed over the last year and a half and that’s what this organization is all about. The speakers and venue were excellent.”
- “[EMC was] one of the best ways to learn, benchmark, and network with the leading janitorial contractors in the country, which has helped contribute to our teams’ and company’s ongoing success in so many ways!”
- “This was another excellent conference by BSCAI. The networking and speakers were outstanding as usual — especially given the restrictions surrounding COVID-19 — and I look forward to future BSCAI conferences.”
Executive Management Conference featured four mainstage presentations as well as an exhibition featuring the latest cleaning and disinfecting products, equipment, and industry innovations. The program lineup included:
- Business Reimagined: How to Adapt to a World Without Loyalty, presented by Mark Schaefer, business author
- Growth Strategies for BSCs, presented by Dave Clement and William Humsi of Simon-Kuchar & Partners
- Empowerment vs. Entitlement, presented by Scott Tackett of Violand Management Associates
- AMPLIFII Your Influence, presented by René Rodriguez, sales coach expert and leadership consultant
With such positive feedback from Executive Management Conference, BSCAI is very excited about its upcoming Contracting Success Conference, which will take place November 17-19 in Las Vegas, co-located with ISSA North America 2021. Keep an eye out for program details and registration coming this summer.