More than 350 dealers attended the third Technology & Business Summit over two days in Los Angeles on May 22 and in Orange County on May 24. The Summit was a collaborative effort of 10 independent manufacturer rep firms in Southern California. Seventy-five manufacturers participated with tabletop displays and factory staff.
Rich Green teaches one of the Summit’s technology classes.
The intimate venue and focused displays encouraged an interactive environment where dealers were able to talk with the manufacturers in more depth.
Along with the hands-on displays, the Summit was an education-focused event, with four general session seminars that focused on tech trends such as streaming, cloud integration, as well as business topics such as recurring revenue and standardized business practices. In addition, there were 20 different manufacturer trainings on a variety of subjects. The seminars were very well attended and the feedback was extremely positive, according one of the event’s organizers, Mark Cichowski of Clarity Business Group.
“It was truly rewarding to have the combination of 10 firms working together for a common goal, the outstanding support of the manufacturers, and the dealers investing time to build their business, all come together and create such a successful event,” Cichowski said. “The energy level was high, everyone was engaged, feedback was outstanding, the venues were ideal, and even the food was great. We are already planning the Summit for next year and received some useful ideas from the attendees to make it even better”.
Cichowski noted that the Summit team was also thrilled that CEDIA participated, offering CU credits for certain seminars, and even staffing a table at the event. The team is looking to coordinate additional education programs for the next Summit.
