The 2012 Annual International Alert Users’ Association (IAUA) Profitability Conference will be held on November 8-11, 2012 at the Antlers Hilton in beautiful downtown Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Online IAUA Registration: Click here to register online.
Click here to reserve a room at the Antlers Hilton at a special discounted rate.
Each year, the IAUA Profitability Conference focuses on improving your sales and profits. The theme for this year is ‘Rise Above the Rest.’ The conference includes classes, roundtables, profitability presentations, networking and fun, all focused on rising above the rest when it comes to profitability and technology advances in the rental industry.
Click here to review the IAUA 2012 agenda.
Click here to review the IAUA 2012 Class/Presentation descriptions.
This year’s keynote speaker is John Register, a nationally known motivational speaker with a powerful message about rising above challenges, change and adversity. John is also a record holding athlete and a Desert Storm veteran. As a three time All-American at University of Arkansas in track & field, John qualified for the Olympic trials in 1988 and again in 1992 and was on his way to competing as a member of the 1996 United States Olympic team when he had a life-altering injury. He subsequently competed in the 1996 Paralympics Games in swimming. At the 2000 Paralympics Games in Sydney, John competed in the 100 and 200m dashes and also medaled in the long jump, setting the American long jump record at 18.4 feet. Today John works for the United States Olympic Committee and manages the Paralympics Academy Youth Outreach Program, as well as directs the USOC’s Paralympics Military Programs.
Continuing a successful change from last year, the Alert EasyPro software classes are all designed around the features of Alert revision 14 (the current revision), so everything can be applied the minute the attendees get back to their store. (Last year, some were even logging-in and trying things out with their iPad or Laptop, right from the Conference!)
As always, the new features of upcoming revisions will be introduced. Attendees will also be invited to participate in Advisory Councils by type (Event/Party, General Rental, and Heavy Equipment), giving everybody the ability to confidentially review and improve our plans to make Alert software even better in the future. For an even more tangible software impact, attendees will vote on a ballot of user-designed features to be budgeted for the next revision. The Resource Room, a cooperative lab environment, will give attendees hands-on opportunities to try new hardware and software, meet our partner vendors, and work with Alert experts.
After a presentation by Alert’s CEO Tom Ross on “The State of Alert and the Rental Industry,” the IAUA Board will host its own business meeting to hold board elections and conduct a Town Hall Meeting for all members.
In addition to the business parts of the conference, entertainment will be provided by a popular local band, “Reckless,” during our annual banquet on Thursday evening.
The International Alert Users' Association, IAUA, is the longest running and largest independent user’s group in the rental industry. It provides many important benefits for its owner/members, who pay a nominal annual fee ($95 per business owner) to belong.
Benefits include:
• An annual 2.5 day conference (generally hosted in Colorado Springs, Colorado), which includes 15-25 one-hour educational seminars on the Alert software and how to use it profitably in your rental business. The annual conference also includes peer-to-peer networking, guest speakers, individual consulting, confidential briefings on the company and on new products, beta testing in a software lab, time with the Alert executives and staff, recreational activities, and more. (Registration fees for the Annual Conference vary, and are budgeted to break-even on a per participant basis. Fees are approved in advance by the IAUA Board as part of its annual budget.)
• The IAUA Board is an elected body that represents you as an Alert client and provides constructive input on the IAUA Conference, and on Alert’s customer service, technology, and management. A members-only Board Election and Town Hall Meeting provides a confidential opportunity for Alert clients to voice their opinions and to seek constructive resolution of potentially sensitive problems and/or issues. (Alert staff are not present, unless invited to resolve specific issues summarized by the IAUA Board at the conclusion of the meeting. Non-owners may participate, but only as the designated representative of a business owner.)
• The IAUA Advisory Councils attend a meeting at each Annual Conference based on their market focus. The purpose of these meetings is to guide the long-term development of Alert software to best meet the needs of each market. Currently, there are three Advisory Councils, reflecting the make-up of the American Rental Association (ARA) membership: Event/Party Rental, General Rental, and Heavy Equipment.
• The IAUA Software Development Ballot is a member-generated, comprehensive list of new features that members approve via a computerized voting process which gives an equal voice to each member who attends. Members must be present to vote. 100% of the IAUA-approved features are generally delivered as part of the next Alert EasyPro annual revision.
• The IAUA also funds the Alert After-Hours Support Program, which provides emergency live phone support for Alert clients outside of normal working hours. Just like AAA for your car, your membership in IAUA entitles you to prompt emergency service whenever you need it. For Priority Support Customers, our largest group of Clients, this extra service is free.
• Other IAUA benefits include a free subscription to the Quarterly Alert Newsletter, as well as voluntary inclusion in on-line social media groups, such as the Alert Linked-In membership group.
• Most important of all, as a life-time membership benefit of IAUA, you will have the opportunity to network with and be mentored by the most creative and profitable rental operators in the world, bar none. Your rewards for participation are limitless! We look forward to meeting you at next year’s event.