Mark your calendars! The date for The South Florida Cooperator’s first annual South Florida Condo, HOA, & Co-op Expo, is fast approaching. This year’s inaugural event will be held at the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County  Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale on Thursday, December 6th from 10 a.m. to  5 p.m. (check www.fl-expo.com for more information!)  

 The South Florida Expo is the largest expo in the state entirely dedicated to  connecting condo, HOA, and co-op managers, board members, and residents with  the professionals and service providers their communities need on a regular  basis. Between nearly 200 exhibitors, countless product demos, free advice  booths, and full roster of educational seminars, it’s literally a one-stop, custom-built marketplace for vendors, products and  ideas.  

 “The express purpose of the South Florida Expo is to help attendees make useful,  productive connections, gain valuable information, and network with their  peers,” says company president Yale Robbins. So if you’re a decision-maker for a condo, homeowners association, or co-op community—or even if you just call one home—and you have a pressing legal issue or an important project waiting in the  wings, you owe it to yourself and your community to drop by the Expo and  experience what it has to offer. It would take months to meet with the same  number of vendors and professionals a typical Expo attendee will interact with  in one afternoon on the show floor.  

 An Opportunity for Education

 Hands-down, one of the biggest reasons for board members, managers, and owners  to visit the show is the South Florida Expo’s full slate of free educational seminars. Custom-built to help anyone involved—or even just interested—in the administration of a residential building or homeowners association, the  2012 seminar panels will provide in-depth discussion of the legal,  administrative, management, and financial concerns pertinent to South Florida's  HOA managers, board members, and residents.  

 This year, legal pros from Becker & Poliakoff, will present “Construction Projects Gone Wild,” a discussion of how to plan and execute a construction project in your HOA in  such a way that you get what you need from your contractor and pay for what you  get. Insurance claims experts from East Coast Public Adjusters will present “Navigating the Claims Process,” wherein attendees will learn how to do just that in a changing insurance  landscape. Management experts from Associa will delve into “The Top 5 Things Managers Wish Boards Knew,” a frank discussion on how to optimize the management/board relationship. And  that's not all—even more speakers are being added as the show draws closer! All presentations  are free for all attendees, and conclude with a Q&A segment to allow audience members to get direct feedback from panelists. Expo  seminars always attract standing-room-only crowds, so make sure to arrive early  to claim a spot in the audience.  

 In addition to networking and education opportunities, the South Florida Condo,  HOA & Co-op Expo will feature free advice booths staffed by professionals from a  broad array of industries, waiting to answer any and all HOA- and  building-related questions face-to-face. If you have questions about your  association’s finances, policies, or day-to-day management, you can stop by one of the  booths for answers from leading legal, management, maintenance and financial  professionals. How’s that for instant gratification?  

 It Doesn't Stop There

 And if all that isn’t enough, the Expo will also feature dozens of raffles and giveaways throughout  

 the day—including the Grand Prize Reserve Fund giveaway, courtesy of The South Florida  Cooperator and Yale Robbins Publications LLC. One attendee at the show will be  drawn at random to win a $2,500 contribution to their building or association's  reserve fund. The winner will be drawn after registration has closed, and a  check for the winnings will be made payable to the winner’s association, care of their management company. Only board members qualify to  enter the reserve fund drawing, and attendance at the Expo is required for  eligibility. For complete details on how to enter the reserve fund drawing,  visit the Expo website, www.fl-expo.com.  

 So stay tuned to The South Florida Cooperator for updates and new additions to  the Expo’s exhibitor and seminar roster, and be sure to visit us at the Greater Fort  Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale on December 6th.  For more information on who is exhibiting at the show, to sign up as an  exhibitor, or to register for this exciting event, go to www.fl-expo.com.