Imagine you’re a fly on the wall at the most valuable contractor training conference of the year. Just like Ebenezer Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Present, wheeling around London on Christmas Eve (but without the festive occasion, past misdeeds, and miserly attitude), you’re the perfect observer.
We already explored what you’ll learn at our Fall Conference in a past blog post. But this post is all about what you’ll experience: the sights, the sounds, and the people.
Here’s what you’re guaranteed to see at our Fall Conference held at Chicago’s Navy Pier in conjunction with Hanley Wood’s Remodeling Show this September:
Real Networking
As you enter the conference room, you’ll see tables crowded with other contractor executives. Before sessions start, and in between every session on every day, you’ll see these contractors shaking hands and making friends.
Even in the brief time between presentations, you’ll see contractors cracking up at ridiculous homeowner stories. You’ll see roofers talking shop with other roofers, but you’ll also see them picking the siding guys’ brains; and business cards will be exchanged before it’s time for class to start.
New Members Getting Advice
As you drift through the conference, you’ll see some fresh faces looking around with renewed energy, too. The Fall Conference is great for new CCN members, and they tend to flock to the same people — Troy and Sean, CCN’s Executive Business Consultants.
Without fail, Troy and Sean will patiently give out great advice to anyone who comes their way. They’re also on hand to explain to contractors how the CCN contractor training method can help them grow their business. It’s not uncommon to see half a dozen new members circling around Troy and Sean like polite, knowledge-hungry sharks.
An Interactive Exhibit Hall
You’ve seen exhibit halls and vendors’ tables before, and you know darn well how boring they can be. At our Fall Conference though, you’ll notice something different.
In this area, contractors and vendors actually take an interest in one another’s lives. You’ll see contractors candidly discussing the materials their teams use, and vendors pointing them toward better, more cost-effective options.
Vendors smile and make notes on paper or on tablets, because they know how important good materials and services are to contractor executives. These vendors actually listen and take advice.
Contractor Executives Studiously Taking Notes
During presentations, you’ll see contractors poring over their notebooks like they’re back in school. You’ll hear sighs, you’ll see a contractor take a break to wipe their brow before hurriedly putting pen back to paper.
They’ll gaze at their notes with such intensity that you’ll think they’re studying for the hardest exam of their careers; and they are, because running a contracting business is a constant test. The difference, now, between these contractors at this conference and the rest of the contracting world, is that Fall Conference attendees create a sort of study guide for themselves.
They’re committed to taking these notes, because they value their own success and they want to squeeze every drop out of every session.
Veteran Contractors in the Spotlight
You and your fellow contractors don’t come to the Fall Conference to learn from people who have theories. You come to learn from people who get results, every day.
You’ll see contractors on stage, sleeves rolled up like they’re about to grab a shingle remover and head up a ladder, sweating under the meeting room lights. Their words will get louder as they hit their main points and get to the real knowledge, and you’ll hear the passion in their voices.
After they share what’s really worked for them, they’ll take questions from the audience. You’ll instantly know that look in their eyes as they answer questions with the brevity, straightforwardness, and hardened compassion only a veteran contractor can offer.
This is contractor training, but it’s taught by real contractors.
Cameraderie, New Friends, and Hard-Earned Wisdom
As sessions end and the learning frenzy begins to wind down, you’ll find yourself in need of some rest. Naturally, you’ll head to the bar with your fellow contractors.
After a tough day of learning and hands-on training, Fall Conference attendees are quick to blow off some steam by grabbing a drink and getting to know their fellow contractors. The first thing you’ll notice are the bonds of camaraderie being formed. There will be war stories and one-liners, but it’s not all fun and games. These contractors are quick with a funny anecdote, but they’ll share their hard-earned wisdom with the right person, too.
A combination of CCN’s philosophy and a day of education encourage Fall Conference attendees to form tight-knit groups and remember their experiences at the conference for a lifetime.
You’ll also see glasses of dark beer, crowned with thin layers of foam, sitting neglected on their coasters. The beer is great, but your fellow contractors have forgotten their drinks in favor of animated conversation. They’ll speak loudly and use wide gestures as they discuss the finer points of their business and how the day’s ideas might factor into their daily operations– and change their lives.
That’s exactly what you’ll see– our Fall Conference changing lives. Your fellow executive contractors are ready to move forward and grow their businesses, so they’ll absorb every bit of knowledge they can. If you join them in Chicago this September, they’re sure to share some of it with you.
Building the best,
Scott
