NASS EX Educates Alarm Monitoring Managers in Montreal
MONTREAL
This year’s North American Security Symposium and
Exhibition (NASS EX) was an education, and not just because
attendees had to learn a few French words in the Quebec
city of Montreal. Education and training dominated the 2005
NASS EX, formerly known by the acronym NAMTSE, which hosts
central station and alarm monitoring managers from
throughout North America.
“These were probably the best educational sessions we’ve
done since we’ve started this. John Lombardi, chairman of
the education committee, and Pam Petrow from Vector
[Security] worked hard to provide educational topics that
central station managers wanted to hear,” says Steve Doyle,
executive vice president for NASS EX’s host, the Central
Station Alarm Association (CSAA). “For a long time, we put
more emphasis on the annual meeting, but we’ve gotten a lot
smarter and realized that central station general managers
and salespeople need and want some sort of universal
training. We’re delivering it.”
Among the sessions in the extensive training program that
lasted throughout the May 12-15 event were:
-
A daylong seminar hosted by CSAA, UL and UL of Canada
that helped central stations and installing companies
obtain a UL/ULC listing. -
A session on ways to protect alarm and monitoring
companies from lawsuits. The seminar was presented by IDS
Research & Development Inc. President Jeffrey Zwirn, who
was recently featured in a TARGET=’_blank’>SSI Hall of Famer Sandra Jones
on marketing and growing your alarm business.
Security Sales & Integration made its presence known
at the event with Publisher Mike Zawinski and Eastern Sales
Manager Steve Peterson. At a ceremony, Zawinski handed a
$1,150 check from SSI to CSAA President
Dick Sampson for the association’s participation in
SSI‘s HREF=’http://www.ssileadtracker.com’
TARGET=’_blank’>LeadTracker program.
To date, SSI has provided more than $3,200 to the
CSAA from a portion of the subscription fee of each CSAA
member that uses HREF=’http://www.ssileadtracker.com’
TARGET=’_blank’>LeadTracker.
LeadTracker is a subscription-based service that gives integrators access to private commercial, large residential developments and government installation projects.
CSAA members were also updated at NASS EX on the overall health of the association, and Doyle says it has never been healthier. “The best part for me was after 14 years, I got to tell them that 2004 was most profitable year we’ve ever had. It’s our third-straight year with a profit,” Doyle says. “We were able to say every revenue avenue was up. I don’t get to do that very often.”
While Doyle admits there may have been some who may have been warded off by the event being north of the border, overall attendance stayed the same from a year ago and Montreal proved to be a good host for the event, which will be hosted by Savannah, Ga., in 2006.
“I didn’t hear anybody who said they didn’t enjoy Montreal,” Doyle says. “It was just truly outstanding up there.”
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