Sprinkler Age A Publication of the American Fire Sprinkler Association
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The Best Four-Day Trip You’ll Ever Take for Your Business!
When I sat down to write this brief article on one membership benefit of AFSA, I truly struggled to narrow my selection down. Between the apprenticeship program, training programs, technical assistance, and sponsored services I couldn’t settle on the best topic. Then I looked at my calendar for the upcoming month and it became clear to me… the AFSA convention and trade show.
I got into the fire sprinkler business after eight years as a construction consultant and developer. I had been exposed to the trade, but only from the owner and general contractor’s perspective. My first opportunity to experience the AFSA convention was in 2009 in San Diego. I had been told by the former owners of the company that it would be a great experience, but I was not prepared for the amount of information available.
I will admit to being fairly overwhelmed by the depth and breadth of the information presented. From technical presentations to business advice, the seminars provided me with a crash course in the trade. That would have been enough, but then I attended the trade show. Again I was amazed at the information and material available to better our business.
So you may ask yourself, “Why should I attend more than one convention?” Trust me when I tell you that there has not been a single year that I have attended where I did not learn something critically important or valuable to our business.
In addition to the opportunity to meet and share ideas with industry peers, I guarantee you will go home with great ideas. That is why the AFSA convention is a don’t-miss event for our company.
So if you were not in Orlando last year, put this year’s convention on your calendar!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Tommy Clements is chief executive officer, Arkansas Automatic Sprinklers, Cabot, Arkansas.