Invest in Relationships at The NATSO Show

If you haven’t already saved the date for The NATSO Show 2017, now is the per¬fect time to add it to your calendar. From Jan. 21st to the 24th, hundreds of operators, thought leaders and industry suppliers will join together in Savannah, Georgia, to share ideas, dig into key trends and learn from their peers.
More
 

GreatIdeasatTheNATSOShow2016.jpg

If you haven’t already saved the date for The NATSO Show 2017, now is the perfect time to add it to your calendar. From Jan. 21st to the 24th, hundreds of operators, thought leaders and industry suppliers will join together in Savannah, Georgia, to share ideas, dig into key trends and learn from their peers. 

One of the biggest benefits we get from NATSO is the opportunity to form new relationships with others in our industry. Through my involvement in NATSO, I have met some of the smartest and most experienced operators in the industry and connected with industry suppliers who have given me valuable guidance. I know from experience that The NATSO Show is one of the best venues for mak­ing a new connection or strengthening an existing one.

We always benefit from meeting new people, and this year I ask you to consider bringing more of your staff to the show. Not only will it give them the same op­portunity that was once given to us, their perspectives will add to the richness of the show. We are all good at different things and there is always value in getting fresh ideas from a broad spectrum of our peers.

Another benefit of bringing multiple members of your staff is the increased knowledge you can gain and put to work for your organization. We all pick up on different things. The ideas and insight one member of your team picks up could be totally different from that of another team member. Think of how much ground you can cover when you bring multiple employees and encourage them to attend different workshops, sit at different tables and meet people out­side of their existing network.

They say a rising tide lifts all ships, and if you’ve attended The Great Ideas! for Independent Operators Workshop at the show, you know how willing NATSO members are to share their knowledge in hopes they can help their fellow independent operators and to capture new ideas of their own. We sit down as friends to have open and honest conversations about what is working at our locations, what our challenges are and how we can overcome them. The session is made stronger when we have a mix of owners, operators, team leaders and front-line employees from different geographic areas. Plan now to join in this session for both what you can give and what you can get.

The many relationships I have and new relationships I hope to create through NATSO are the primary reasons I decided to be on the board and to serve as chairman. Many of those relationships have started at The NATSO Show. A trade show, if you make the most of it, is the number one way to make new contacts, gen­erate new ideas and gain new insights. The NATSO Show Advisory Com­mittee is dedicated to creating a com­prehensive and educational experience and we appreciate everything they do to make it a success.  

NATSO has also crafted several ways for members to connect out­side of the show. Today’s technol­ogy gives us more ways to connect than ever before and we don’t have to wait for face-to-face meetings to introduce ourselves or meet some­one new. Join in the conversations taking place on NATSO’s blog, join a committee or take part in a study tour. You can also connect on our Facebook page or Twitter account.

Building relationships with our fel­low operators over time maximizes our investment in NATSO, and en­gaging with our peers will only add to our success as operators. I challenge you to take your engagement to the next level and reach out to someone you don’t already know, make an in­creased effort in a relationship you’d like to grow, and register yourself and your key leaders for The NATSO Show. There is always something new to learn. I look forward to meeting you and your staff at the show! 

Photo credit: Chuck Fazio/NATSO

Subscribe to Updates

NATSO provides a breadth of information created to strengthen travel plazas’ ability to meet the needs of the travelling public in an age of disruption. This includes knowledge filled blog posts, articles and publications. If you would like to receive a digest of blog post and articles directly in your inbox, please provide your name, email and the frequency of the updates you want to receive the email digest.