What Happens in Vegas … Is a Game Changer

A game changer is “a newly introduced element or factor that changes an existing situation or activity in a significant way.”

It was a privilege and pleasure to see so many of you at the 2016 Retail Shippers Expo in Las Vegas in August! This year, Expo was extra special. It was exciting, educational, and encouraging. It was warm, welcoming, and entirely well worth it. It was innovative, intense, and jam-packed. It was a blast, and it was a game changer!

We’re at a crossroads in our industry. Status quo is no longer status quo. Our industry has changed rapidly, evolving into a complex, unique, important component in our communities and society. We don’t just ship packages anymore, but rather are full service business centers, catering to the fast-paced convenience-focused millennial mindset that is driving our nation forward faster than we can fathom.

It’s hard to keep up with what’s going on, and hard to recognize what we have to do next to meet the need. That’s why events like Expo are essential for us to not only keep our head above the surface of this raging river, but to see clearly what direction we need to head.

Again this year, Expo brought together AMBC and RSA in a positive, productive, cohesive partnership to present our mutual members the best of the best in a single, industry-wide event. We are so grateful for RSA’s dedicated work with Expo, for their friendship, and for what amazing things we can do together when we work hand-in-hand.

Expo got started with a bang on Wednesday, August 10th, with the new owners seminar, co-taught by AMBC Executive Director Sarah Rohde and RSA President Brandon Gale. I had the privilege of sitting in on most of the seven-hour class, and what a class it was! The room was packed, and bright-eyed attitudes were so very encouraging. The future of our industry, together in one room with seasoned veterans, learning history, processes, tips, and tricks, is nothing short of awesome!

Thursday brought certified classes on operations, shipping, packing, and more, along with point-of-sale training from PostalMate and ShipRite, and FotoZoomer’s Zoom U. On Thursday evening, we had franchise and industry group meetings, and AMBC hosted our annual AMBC Advocacy Meeting.

You may recall that, at last year’s AMBC Advocacy Meeting, our Certified Store Program was launched. And what a year it’s been with that program since! We are so pleased with the direction AMBC is headed as the industry’s not-for-profit member-owned association focused on advocacy, certification, and training. We bring over thirty years of resources as an association, along with countless years of experience from our volunteer board and dedicated members, to give all of our members every advantage possible to succeed in a rapidly changing industry full of rich, complex history.

At this year’s AMBC Advocacy Meeting, we spent a couple of hours together with members discussing what’s going on behind the scenes. Advocacy isn’t glamorous, and most people don’t see the grit that goes on in the background. But AMBC is dedicated to work closely with carriers, vendors, trade groups, government groups, and anyone else we need to in order to be a voice of reason, fairness, and equal opportunity for our members. Sarah shared some details at the meeting how she’s been working diligently on many fronts, including trips to Washington, D.C. to meet face to face with the USPS.

After the Advocacy Meeting, we had the RSA Kick-Off Event and a delicious spread of delectable delights! After everyone was sufficiently suffonsified, AMBC put on a goofy game show: Employees vs. Bosses: The Ultimate Showdown. Fahim and I were the game show hosts, and the AMBC team, in matching show shirts and obnoxious hashtag bling, brought five teams of two—employee and boss—to the stage. The game was like The Newlywed Game, where a question was posed and each member of the pair wrote their answer on a board. When time was called, answers were revealed, and matches received points.

Teams and questions were chosen to highlight the stark contrast between millennials and boomers—the difference a generation or two brings—and drive the point home that all generations have extreme value in the databanks of their minds, the intents of their hearts, and the values that they hold dear. Sometimes it’s hard to understand someone from a different time, with different ways of doing things, but it’s absolutely essential for us all to embrace each other, mentor each other, and grow together so we can run businesses that will cater to the needs of all.

Friday morning was chock full o’ breakout sessions—50 minute seminars put on by vendors, store owners, association staff, and guest presenters—ranging in topics from accounting, I-9 signing, HAZMAT, navigating the credit card minefield, and exit strategies to social media, marketing, store design, hiring and training millennials, and print for pay. The list goes on and on, and I personally had the privilege of teaching my latest Marketing with Marty™ segment: Inside Out Marketing 3.0, and also a breakout on packing tips for liquid, fragile, valuable, and awkward items. Perhaps the most buzzed about and overly-packed classes were Fahim’s Social Media 101 and Social Media 201 classes. This year, each breakout was taught at least twice, to give more opportunity to attendees that wanted to glean as much as possible from as many as possible.

The general session on Friday afternoon saw all 400+ Expo participants in one room for a state-of-the-industry discussion, led by Brandon and Sarah. Immediately following, the grand ballroom was transformed into a speed round center, where dozens of round tables were set up and attendees spent time with experts in 10-minute increments, getting an intense run-down on topics including capitalizing on Pokémon Go with AMBC Millennial Advisor Maddie and social media with Fahim. I was honored myself to host an Ask Uncle Marty™ Live table at speed rounds. I learned so much from all of you!

Source: AMBC Blog