More than 2,000 people packed the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center to meet more than 340 exhibitors at the South Florida Cooperator’sCondo, HOA & Co-op Expo December 11th. Board members and managers spent the day meeting with vendors readily available to service their needs and also earned educational credits and board certification from attending the day’s free seminar sessions.

Many first timers attended the third annual show. This all-in-one-day event brought together South Florida's best property managers, board members, real estate professionals, shareholders, service providers, vendors and unit owners all under one roof.

Attendees met vendors and attended a full slate of informational educational seminars. They also took advantage of the free advice booths set up to answer every question imaginable. One of the most important reasons people came to the show was to learn about new products and services and network with hundreds of service providers.

Attendees were impressed with the diversity of information available at the Expo. “The show was terrific,” said board member Kathleen Stephenson, who lives in Fort Lauderdale. “The knowledge of the exhibitors and the variety of exhibitors combined, it was all you could ask for. The setup of the booths and the gathering of printed materials to share with my board members and the opportunity for gaining referrals for future business needs of our HOA community was also a bonus,” she said.

The South Florida Expo provides resources and learning tools board members and industry professionals need to stay ahead of the curve and gave everyone a chance to meet professionals in the community association field.

“You can find everything here from asbestos abatement to window replacement,” said Henry Robbins, executive vice president and sales director of Yale Robbins Publications, LLC, the producers of the expo.

An Information-Packed Day

Attendees not only spent time interacting with vendors, they were there to learn, receive board certification and get CEU credits. Educational seminars attracted standing-room-only audiences with nearly 700 people attending many of the day’s seminars.

The instructional offerings started early with a pre-show seminar which provided board certification, presented by Condo Craze and HOAs’ Attorney Eric Glazer, Esq. from Glazer & Associates, P.A. Since Florida law now provides that board members become certified within 90 days of being elected to the board, this first seminar provided an easy solution to becoming certified. Glazer has certified over 8,500 Floridians since he started presenting his seminar sessions.

The day’s seminars also included: Can You Hear Me Now? Improving Board/Management Communication, presented by Christine Evans, CPM, PCAM, of Associa; Community Association Collections and Accounts Receivable, presented by: SNAP Collections’ Mitch Drimmer; Governing Smart—Mastering the Business of Your Association, presented by Attorney Jane Bolin of PeytonBolin, PL; Stop False Alarms and Unwanted Fees, presented by David Nelson of Absolute Fire Protection; Smoke-Out: The Benefits of Managing Smoke-Free Properties, presented by Kiesha Edge with The Florida Department of Health and the Bureau of Tobacco-Free Florida; and The Do's and Don'ts of Budgeting and Reserves: What You Need to Know, presented by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s Lazaro Gonzalez.

Attendees thought the seminars were invaluable. “The show was really well put together. I loved the seminars,” said Edwin Lewis, a board member from Fort Lauderdale. “For the average person that serves on a board it really gave you the chance to learn very important info first hand with the facts to back it up. Also it gave you the chance to ask questions to people who had well-researched answers. They gave realistic solutions to common situations that quite a number of associations face. I would recommend this expo to all potential board members who really want to learn useful tools to administer and govern smarter. It’s all about knowledge is power to do better.”

And, one of the major benefits of attending was getting accredited, said Michelle Petranek, a property manager from Dania. “Attending the continuing ed classes are a great way to meet credit requirements. Also, it is always interesting to see new products/technology trending in the community association field,” Petranek said.

Free Advice & More

One of the Expo’s prime attractions are the free advice booths hosted by The South Florida Cooperatorand staffed by a rotating roster of industry professionals throughout the day. Attendees waited to question experts about association finances, policies, and day-to-day management issues.

The trade show also featured well over three dozen door prizes for lucky attendees to win, including restaurant and retailer gift cards, gift baskets, a set of patio furniture, iPads and Kindles, flat screen televisions, and other promotions.

The food court also offered board members a chance to socialize with other board members and learn from others' experience.

Mark Your Calendar!

Mark your calendar for the next South Florida Cooperator's Condo, HOA & Co-op Expo, which will return to the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center on Tuesday, December 8, 2015. Make your plans to attend.

Debra A. Estock is managing editor of The South Florida Cooperator.