We all have our little habits, good or bad, annoying or innocuous, that influence the way we live our lives. As another year ends, friends and family will guilt us into another New Year’s resolution, which I think is as good an excuse as any to consider forming new habits that improve the way we run our businesses.
If you’re uncertain about how to be more successful at managing your company next year, then consider making a resolution to register for the annual CEDIA Management Conference (CMC), scheduled for March 3-6 in New Orleans, to learn from some of experts in their field.
I recently interviewed frequent industry volunteer Jared Blackford when he and his fellow CEDIA Content Action Team members were in Indianapolis for CEDIA University strategy sessions. Among that group of 50 or so people were several of the volunteers also responsible for creating the structure and selecting the instructors for the CMC.
Blackford, president of Nevada integrator NuSystems Inc., was patient enough to sit down for my video camera and answer questions about the conference for our website. I learned a lot, including the fact that a quick Google search of “Jared Blackford” will result in multiple video clips of him promoting Management Conference over the years. What can he say? The camera loves him.
Residential Systems has served as premier media sponsor for the CMC for several years, and we also print a daily conference newsletter at the event. We truly believe in its message, and we put our full support behind it every year. After talking to Blackford, I’m confident that the quality of the event will be stronger than ever, and I’m hoping to see more dealers there than ever before, bringing the same collaborative energy that has become a hallmark of CEDIA events.
Central to the theme of the March conference will be principles behind Verne Harnish’s book, Mastering the Rockefeller Habits. The 2009 CMC featured a similar focus, but this year the content team has taken it a step further by hiring a Rockefeller-Habits-trained coach, Patrick Thean, to open and close the conference. The idea is to bookend the core message of the curriculum with Thean’s expert guidance.
In addition to other guest speakers and breakout sessions with renowned moderators from the ESC channel, CEDIA has chosen a hotel that offers much more competitively priced room rates than in prior years, and its also providing complimentary books from three keynotes speakers. The message from CEDIA is “added value” for next year’s attendees, who will be ever mindful of travel and business expenses as they tighten their belts.
Last but not least, I’m really excited that the conference is being held in New Orleans, a town that is still considered an entertaining destination despite all that it’s been through. It’ll be my first time back since Hurricane Katrina, and I look forward to seeing what has changed and, better yet, what hasn’t changed at all. There’s even talk that in addition to offering a free Train the Trainer course on Saturday morning, CEDIA is also trying to organize a volunteer homeconstruction activity through Habitat for Humanity or another similar group.
I hope you agree that CEDIA Management Conference is a must-attend event in 2010. If you want to learn more about it, please visit the Residential Systems website and check out our video about the conference.
Working on your business instead of just in it, is a habit worth forming.
