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Hi All
The conference is creeping up on us again and yet again it is going to be an interesting one. the date will be 24th February 2017 starting at 9:30am
Please find below the details for the hotel where we have been able to yet again obtain a reduced rate. The cost is for a double room B&B. £65 per night.
There will also be a curry buffet available but we do need to know if you are going to want to join in with it so please e mail me Bryan@ffrservices.co.uk
The hotel details are below :
Ramada Park Hall
Park Drive
Goldthorn Park
Wolverhampton
WV4 5AJ
Tel : 01902 349549 Please quote Whitegoods Trade Association.If you have any problems please book directly with the hotel (not the website) and I will be able to help. Booking through the website may reduce the chance of having the costs reduced.
Hope to see you there.
WTA Team
Re: WTA 2017 conference
Next week the WTA members will get first dibs on booking, not that there’s a lack of space at least for now but, just because it’s the right thing to do. It’s polite and, I and the WTA guys like to be polite if nothing else as we got raised right.
For the time being there’s some stuff I think I can share…
There’s already some interesting stands booked or exhibitors if you will along with interesting people that some of you might want to talk to. Just saying.
We know that the screen this year looked a bit washed out and for some people it was hard to read. White room with mirrors and lots of windows, a nightmare scenario for projectors so, this time around we’ve got a bit of a plan we hope comes off and if it does as we expect it’ll be pretty impressive. That said, if someone wants to donate us video wall or £7K we can make it blow the socks off people there.
There’s some “stuff” coming up in industry terms that might just change what we’re talking about and as ever, personally I don’t like being trapped in an agenda and all the more so when goings on at the time make you want to tear that up and start over as what’s happening is more important and relevant to the here and now.
Most of the conferences I end up with at least two or three presentations or talks shelved as there’s more important stuff to be getting on with. I don’t expect this one to be any different.
That said I can tell you that I’ve started work on a few and one of them I’ll tell you why it’s there and, why I won’t be engaged in a conversation on it till Feb.
Brands
I’ve started work on a talk and full on imagery on brands, branding and the value of them as well as the effect that policy can have on a brand.
The reason for this is that several brand owners have had a pop at me about stuff that’s been said on this site, in these forums and so forth and as usual I don’t run away and hide when someone has a go. I’ll take the criticism head on and address it.
Not in a confrontational manner, just explain the point of view that I and many repairers hold.
That then led to a bunch of other stuff that hangs off the back of that topic and allows exploring a whole load of topics but the very relevant ones to the people reading this (probably) is spares and service as, there is a direct effect to each.
All the various threads and interplay between them I’m still working out how to explain in a concise and coherent way that won’t bore people to death so engaging in a conversation about it ahead of time would be dumb. I will work out how to do that, it will just take time to do so.
If I lost you somewhere along the way there, sorry. If you want clarity or to better understand what the blazes I’m on about well there really is only one way to find out, get to the conference.
Reruns
I don’t do reruns.
What I mean by that is, I can’t be bothered to type out every little detail and nuance of what is said at the conferences. I don’t even write a script, it’s all done in the moment, live.
There’s too much, it’s too hard and the best you’ll get is the dumbed down bullet points as, that’s all I can be bothered to do and it’s all I can often recall of it to boot.
Odd occasion I’ll give a talk again but it’s never the same thing twice as, stuff changes and that has to be reflected whether it’s for uni’s, government or the whitegoods conference.
But if you want a blow by blow account of what is discussed, sorry but as the Yanks say, you’re s–t outta luck as it ain’t happenin’.
If you expect that after the event as has been asked for before, sorry it’s not happening.
I’ve often given people copies of the slides I or we use but, without context and the content they’re about as much use a chocolate fireguard. Great with it, not so much without it.. think a movie with no soundtrack, it just doesn’t work.
Interactive
I hope that this year we will again be using the Crowd Mics thing.
It’s brilliant and allows the audience to take part easily in what’s going on. It wasn’t well used this time but it was the first time we’d tried it and there were a few questions off the app which were actually pretty damn good.
Dunno about the WTA crew but I liked it and I’d like to use it again.
If you want to heckle then that’s the way to do it but, fair warning, I just love hecklers as I see that as sport.
Gauntlet, down.
You want to badger me, the WTA or any of the presenters, I’ll happily give people the tools to do that with.
Offers
I’m personally not a big believer in this stuff. I don’t need to be coerced into going to these events as there’s well more than enough to get out it without trinkets as I see it.
But there are exhibitors that do stuff on the day, deals on parts, specials and all sorts of stuff to win new accounts.
There are some there this time around as well as all the previous with as many people saying that they got more out than the time it cost them on several fronts.
This year is was a frenzy over some offers, free torches, tools and the cases of beer that were being doled out for free. The pens, mugs, food and heaps of other stuff took a back seat al of that!
Bottom Line
The upshot of all this, if you’ve managed to wade though my rambling is, there’s a lot of effort goes into this.
There’s a lot to get out it.
Most people that attend come away with more than they went into it with. That might be a bunch of freebies, perhaps new work, new suppliers, new knowledge or whatever but we’ve yet to come across anyone that got nothing from it.
Best of all, it’s free! You’ve not a thing to lose other than the time.
The question you probably have to therefore ask yourself is this, can you afford not to take a punt that it’ll be worth the effort?
See you all there. The people that get it at least.
K.
Re: WTA 2017 conference
If you haven’t been to one in a while or have perhaps never been ,this really is the one to go to.
I know I’m biased but the sheer effort that goes into these conferences is immense,from meeting the audio visual company at the venue last week to travelling up to Scotland for a team meeting at the end of this month the WTA guys put a whole lot of effort in to this, all of it behind the scenes and for the most part at their cost.
Why do we do it? because we want an industry that isn’t just reactive but proactive, an industry that feels like we are being heard whether by WP’s ,Manufacturers,Brand owners ,wholesalers or spares suppliers.
Year on Year we have tried to raise the Bar and make it better for all who attend.
The venue is being revamped in the bar area ,and we are working on having a Conference lounge on the Thursday with the buffet that Bryan mentioned.
All in all this looks to be a good one.
And for those that get bored with Kenneth and myself at the front we also have some interesting speakers this year from within the industry.
More on that another time.Re: WTA 2017 conference
I agree the meetings are unmissable and there is lots of advantages to attend.
I finished all contract work and deregistered from VAT in April and I am fully retiring at Christmas.
I will be able to let you know the results from my experiment of not carrying out contract work and if it made any difference to profit.
I will still be attending in February for pleasure reasons and to meet up with the friends I have made at the meetings.
Brian can mark me down for the buffet and I will be booking the Hotel on Monday.
There are lots to be gained extra work, deals on parts and freebies to be had plus keeping up to date with what is happening in the trade.
Plus the good time to be had on the evenings if you can stay.
See you all in February
Bob
Re: WTA 2017 conference
I tried to book the event. Tickets online as per email but site not ready yet.
I will try again tomorrow.
The hotel was not aware of any special rate for the event and is phoning me back tomorrow.
I will post when I have booked.
I am looking forward to it as I will not have any work to catch up on as I will be retired by then
Cheers
BobRe: WTA 2017 conference
Sorry Bob, that was a quirk in the dates I missed… D’OH!
Sorted now though.
K.
Re: WTA 2017 conference
kwatt wrote:Sorry Bob, that was a quirk in the dates I missed… D’OH!
Sorted now though.
K.
Is that why it says ‘get ready for the spring 2016 conference’ at the top of the mailshot I have just received? :rotfl:Re: WTA 2017 conference
A recent Which report on large hotel chains put Brittania Hotels at the bottom of the pile, the Ramada chain was only just above them.
I must say that my first experience of dealing with them doesn’t bode well.
I rang last night at 5.20pm to make a reservation, not what I would call late in the day to ring a large hotel.
After waiting ages for the phone to be answered a young lady picked up the phone.She then took my name and phone number and promised someone would ring me back. I find it strange that when phoning ‘reservations’ you are not actually able to make one there and then. Needless to say the promised phone call did not materialise. 🙁
Re: WTA 2017 conference
You won’t be disappointed with this hotel or venue though as the last couple of meetings has been good.
Bob
Re: WTA 2017 conference
We even made a trailer for this one…
[youtube:y7fbzrsj]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsRDMICw–A[/youtube:y7fbzrsj]
Just a bit of fun. 😀
K.
Re: WTA 2017 conference
Please remember if you are attending to register as this saves a boatload of time for the poor souls booking people in and it also speeds up you getting all sorted and into the venue.
That includes all people attending on stands etc.
Please help us to help you!
Register here in advance:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/whitegoo … 7724356296
This is required for H&S etc, we know it’s a PITA but we have to do it.
K.
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