To celebrate The South Florida Cooperator’s Condo, HOA & Co-op Expo’s second year of serving South Florida’s building and condominium communities, we’ll be drawing one lucky board member’s name for the $2,500 Grand Prize when the Expo returns to the Greater Fort Lauderdale / Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday, December 4, 2013 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

A Win-Win Proposition

Last year’s Expo was especially terrific for Jean Bowdren, a board member at Palm Aire Country Club Condominium Association II in Pompano Beach, who was the lucky winner of The South Florida Cooperator's 2012 Grand Prize. She won a $2,500 contribution to her association's reserve fund, courtesy of the Cooperator and parent company, Yale Robbins Publications, LLC.

Bowdren said she was excited when she found out that her building community was the recipient of the reserve fund award. “My reaction to winning this award was alarming (since I never win anything),” she quipped.

Palm Aire, of which Bowdren’s Association II has 691 units, is the largest condominium complex in the city of Pompano Beach, and the community features a mix of high-rise and garden style condos that overlook four custom-designed golf courses. The development also contains townhouses, attached and detached villas and estate homes.

The money, she explained, was put into a reserve fund and earmarked for any emergencies that may come up in her building.

She plans to attend this year’s Expo on Wednesday, December 4 along with more of her fellow board members. “I so enjoyed my first Expo. It was beneficial in meeting many persons in the same field as association members. I certainly will attend this year’s Expo and will have other board of directors with me. Thanks so much for the opportunity to attend the Expo and I thank the Cooperator for the chance to get to know vendors and staff. Also, thanks for the prize.”

So, remember to mark your calendars to attend the show on December 4th—and if you’re on your building’s board, you’re eligible for the drawing for this year’s $2,500 Grand Prize!

The winner is drawn at random after the Expo following registration. If you're the lucky winner, a check for $2,500 will be made payable to the winning association board. Only board members qualify. To enter the drawing, you must attend the Expo! For complete rules and entry details, as well as information about exhibitors, seminars, and other attractions, visit the Expo website at www.fl-expo.com.

Prepare to Spend the Day

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 300 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.

A Learning Experience

One of the biggest reasons for board members, managers, and owners to visit the show is the 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 2013 seminar panels will provide in-depth discussion of the legal, administrative, management, and financial concerns pertinent to the region's HOA managers, board members, and residents.

Property managers from Associa, attorneys from the firm of Becker & Poliakoff, and collections experts from SNAP Collections are scheduled to be presenters again and more information will be provided as the Expo comes 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.

So come to the Expo for your chance to win, network with industry pros and learn something new. Remember, you've got to be in it to win it! Register for free admission at www.fl-expo.com.