You surely know that CSI is a national organization, consisting of chapters all across the country, but were you aware that the Worcester County chapter is part of the Northeast Region? Our region is comprised of chapters from Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Rhode Island. Each year, one of the member chapters hosts a Regional Conference, and this year’s conference will be hosted by the Vermont Chapter in Burlington, Vermont on May 9 and 10.
Vermont CSI reports that the Regional Conference will be a robust event including a keynote address by Paul Doherty of the Digit Group about Smart Buildings and Cities, four technical seminars good for continuing education and their annual trade show with a conference center full of vendors. The cost of registration is just $150 for all the programs, banquets, cocktail parties and trade show. Details as well as application forms can be found at http://nercsi.com/conference/. If that doesn’t sound good enough, here are my:
Top 5 Reasons to Attend the Northeast Region:
Sharpen the saw. Dull blades don’t cut wood – you need a break from work once in a while, and may come away with a new approach to your old ways.
Networking. In a world of social media, making personal connections and expanding your list of trusted advisors is still best accomplished at a conference.
Kick the tires. Online research is great, but the trade show offers the chance to see things you may not have know existed, up close and in person, and have your questions answered right away.
Learn in a new space. When you’ve had enough Panera sandwiches at lunch-an-learns in that same old office chair, getting off site to a new venue can be a more engaging way to learn.
Have some fun. Burlington has a lot to offer apart from the conference and there are a variety of scheduled or un-scheduled things to do in the evenings.
If you haven’t been to a Regional Conference, or any industry-related conference recently, you owe it to yourself to check this out. If you’ve been going to ABX year after year and think you’ve seen all a conference has to offer, you should check this out.
I’ll see you there!
Steve VanDyke, CSI
Chapter President
NE Region Conference – nercsi.com