NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release For More Information Contact:
Aug. 11, 2015 Brent Hoskins
Executive Director
Business Technology Association
(816) 303-4040
BTA East to Host Grand Slam
Sept. 24-25 in Boston, Massachusetts
BTA member dealers receive 2-for-1 registration
Kansas City, MO — On Sept. 24-25, the Business Technology Association’s (BTA; www.bta.org) East district will host its annual Grand Slam event at the Boston Marriott Copley Place in Boston, Massachusetts. The educational and networking event, open to office technology dealers from across the country, is all about learning from industry leaders, gathering new ideas and strategies, and networking with peers.
The event will feature a keynote session by Jeff Hayes, president of InfoTrends, a dealer panel focused on company culture and the dealer’s bottom line, and five additional educational sessions presented by industry experts. The event will wrap up on Sept. 25 with a Baltimore Orioles versus Boston Red Sox baseball game at Fenway Park.
In addition, there will be time to visit with 30-plus exhibiting sponsors, many of which will hold drawings for great prizes during the event. Dealer attendees can also enter on-site for a chance to win one of five $100 American Express gift cards and be entered into the BTA District Event Sweepstakes.
Grand Slam begins at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 24, with opening comments and the keynote address, “Technology Trends, Business Models & Customer Engagement,” led by Hayes. Following the keynote, Sally Brause, director of human resources consulting at GreatAmerica Financial Services, will moderate the dealer panel, “Company Culture & Your Bottom Line.” The panelists will be: Dave Barrows, corporate director of sales, Gobin’s Inc., Alamosa, Colorado; Bob Gobin, president, Gobin’s Inc., Pueblo, Colorado; Dave Johnson, vice president of sales/branch operations, EO Johnson Business Technologies, Eau Claire, Wisconsin; and Chris Taylor, president, CEO and co-owner, Fisher's Technology, Boise, Idaho. After the panel, a welcoming reception will be held from 6:15 until 8 p.m. Breaks between sessions on both days will give attendees time to visit with peers and exhibiting sponsors.
The second day of Grand Slam will begin at 7 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 25, with breakfast, followed by three educational sessions and lunch. The morning sessions: “Future-Proofing Your Dealership,” led by Mitch Morgan and Chris Ryne, partners, Growth Achievement Partners; “Advanced Selling Skills for Winning the Complex Sale,” led by Tom Cooke, founder and president, and Kim Ward, director of training and development, Learning Outsource Group; and “3D Printing Moves From Hype to an Innovative, Disruptive Force,” led by Keith Kmetz, vice president of hardcopy solutions and services programs, International Data Corp. (IDC).
The final educational sessions will follow lunch: “Understanding & Increasing the Value of Your Dealership,” led by Jim Kahrs, president, Prosperity Plus Management Consulting Inc.; and “Preparing the Way for Digital Information Management Systems Organizations,” led by Stephen Rolla, senior partner, Pros Elite Group. Following the educational sessions, prize drawings will be held. From 5:15 to 10 p.m., attendees will travel to Fenway Park to see the Baltimore Orioles take on the Boston Red Sox.
Attendees will enjoy a private dinner in Fenway’s Champions Club prior to the game.
The Grand Slam exhibiting sponsors: BEI Services, Brother, Compass Sales Solutions, ConnectWise, Crawford Thomas, Digitek (Sept. 25 breakfast sponsor), DocuWare, ECi e-automate, ECi FMAudit, Epson, ESP/SurgeX, EverBank, GE Capital Office Imaging, GreatAmerica Financial Services, HP (Sept. 24-25 breaks sponsor), Hytec, Image Star, Impression Solutions (Sept. 24 reception sponsor), InfoTrends, Katun, Laser Pros International, Lease Corporation of America, Lexmark, LMI, Muratec, NA Trading and Technology, OKI, PHSI, Polek & Polek, Sentry Insurance, Supplies Network, SYNNEX, Toshiba, Wells Fargo and Xerox (Sept. 25 lunch sponsor).
BTA members receive 2-for-1 registration to Grand Slam. BTA member dealer registration (with a baseball game ticket) is $199, which includes the Thursday and Friday educational sessions and dealer panel; Thursday welcoming reception; and Friday breakfast and lunch. BTA member registration without the baseball game ticket is $169 and also includes a second free registration. Non-member registration with a baseball game ticket is $249; non-member registration without a baseball game ticket is $219.
The front-runner workshop to Grand Slam, the BTA Managed Services Workshop, will be held Sept. 23-24, 2015, at Continuum headquarters in Boston. Led by Morgan and Ryne of Growth Achievement Partners, dealers will walk away from this workshop with a "time-tested" business model and key metrics to guide success in managed services. Workshop attendees receive free registration to Grand Slam. To learn more or to register, visit http://www.bta.org/MS.
For more information on Grand Slam, including full session descriptions and the registration form for the event, visit http://www.bta.org/BTAEastEvent.
Founded in 1926, the Business Technology Association serves office technology dealerships, resellers, manufacturers, distributors and service companies. Its core members — office technology dealerships — consult, sell and service hardware, software and supplies with the goal of helping businesses maximize their investment in devices and technology. Through the association's various educational programs, information, research, legal services, publications and guidance, BTA member dealerships are positioned to be the premier source of the office technology used by businesses throughout the United States every day.
For more information on BTA, visit its Web site at www.bta.org or call (800) 505-2821. The fax number is (816) 941-4838. You may also write to: BTA, 12411 Wornall Road, Kansas City, MO 64145.