2008 Conference Report
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USIndoor Facility Operators’ Conference & Trade Show |
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June 25-29, 2008 Old Town Alexandria, Virginia |
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Quicklinks: Conference Program Take the Conference Survey Conference Sponsors and Exhibitors 2008 Conference Schedule of Events View Conference Photo Album Become a Facility Member Become a Corporate Member |
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A record number of vendors and more than 230 attendees created a buzz at the new Westin Hotel in Old Town Alexandria, VA, from June 25-29, at USIndoor’s Eighth Annual Facility Operators’ Conference & Trade Show. Experienced operators, startups and vendors took in the sights of Washington, DC, mixed education with entertainment, and created USIndoor’s most successful conference to date.
For the second year in a row, the CAO class received great feedback from the 40-plus attendees. Some of the most respected industry leaders and authorities on indoor facility management led the program, along with Program Director Jim Cline.
Whether learning about the recently renovated, state-of-the-art, Sports Network and Fitness, orhow the Fairfax Sportsplex has successfully stayed in business for 17 years, attendees received first hand experiences of operating a facility in the Washington DC metro area. The tour provided lots of fun from facility to facility with trivia, games and prize giveaways. “The variety of features and design styles that we witnessed– from the brand new to the older, more established facilities, was great. It really gave me a lot of ideas to bring back to our facility,” said Bill Bianchi from Total Sports Experience.
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General Session Friday kicked off with the General Session and Keynote Address, sponsored by 02HR. Board members and Committee heads gave brief reports including updates from the Tournament Committee, CAO, Referee Program, and Members-Only Committee. An awards ceremony followed, honoring USIndoor's 5-year member award winners: Discovery Sports Center, Boyds, MD; Epic Center, Williamsville, NY; Hudson Valley Sportsdome, Milton, NY; KEVA Sports Center, Middleton, WI; PSA StarCenter, Plano, TX; Soccer Dome, Jessup, MD; Sport Systems Unlimited Corp., Waterloo, Ontario; Total Sports Experience, Rochester, NY; and SoccerTots, Spokane, WA. Bill Parisi, founder and CEO o fthe Parisi Speed School, gave the Keynote Address: "Secrets to Unlocking your Full Potential in Business and in Life." Bill’s keynote brought the attendees to their feet, literally. The passionate presentation challenged the audience to stand up and reach as high as possible. When pressed to reach higher, attendees quickly stretched a little more, going as far as to stand on chairs. The message was that without a set goal, there is no action. Bill’s example was if offered $100,000 to reach the highest, the entire room would have scrambled to climb walls, etc. However, without that motivation, the audience’s first attempt to reach as high as possible was simply a raised hand.
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Educational Sessions Each year the conference features educational sessions for existing operators and startups. USIndoor had the privilege of featuring several new speakers this year, including two professional, seasoned industry presenters, Sheila Birnbach and Beth Standlee. Sheila Birnbach led a two part session called Creating Great Employees. Along with being the President and Founder of G B Associates, Inc, she has had many years of first-hand experience such as serving the faculty of the United States Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for Organization Management and authored several articles that have made her an excellent coach to managers and owners in various organizations. She was named one of the "Outstanding Young Women of America" in 1980. Sheila’s presentation provided valuable tips on how to get the most out of your of employees. Beth Standlee, founder of TrainerTainment in Ft. Worth Texas, also held a two part session: Ramping Up Revenue Through Birthday Parties. With a sales and family entertainment industry background, TrainerTainment focuses on event planning, team training, and great customer service. Standlee works with many different fun centers, writes and publishes various articles, and is a member of the IALEI board of education. Attendees of her sessions left with new ideas as to how to create additional revenue opportunities. Other breakout sessions included:
Existing Facilitator Track:
Trade Show
Friday evening opened with cocktails and hors de’oeuvres at the 2008 President’s Reception and Trade Show, sponsored by Monument Sports Group. The Exhibit Hall quickly filled with attendees eager to visit a record turnout of vendors and to learn. Whether testing the latest technology or learning about new soccer programs for children, operators and startups gathered new ideas that will increase revenues. Vendors from almost every aspect of the indoor facility industry were represented, including: soccer and fitness programs, web services, administrative software, turf, soccer boards, building services, insurance, human resource services and digital signage. Trade show attendees are now armed with product discounts and new business partners that will develop new opportunities for their facilities.
Saturday Evening Social Events
The other event was the Potomac River Dinner Cruise. The cruise took attendees down the Potomac River passing Washington DC’s beautiful skyline in Washington’s most famous fine-dining cruise ship, the Nina’s Dandy. Attendees enjoyed a 5-course meal with a soothing jazz piano playing in the background. After dinner, guests strolled the outdoor observation deck, taking in famous sites such as the Washington, Lincoln, and Jefferson monuments as they awaited the DJ to bring the boat alive. PSA StarCenter’s Mary Margaret Taylor concluded, “The Potomac Dinner Cruise provided extraordinary views of Washington, DC, while we enjoyed a gourmet meal, great music and better company.” All 70 attendees of both social events also received a new soccer ball thanks to Brine, the sponsor for both social events.
“What better way to end the week with our new found friends from the conference, then to spend several hours at RFK stadium being served a great buffet lunch and then watching Becham and Donovan play soccer in the MLS match up between LA Galaxy and DC United. It was truly the ‘frosting on the cake’ and a great time.” said Tom Teager. However, Luciano Emilio stole the show with two goals and an assist and Jaime Moreno added a goal and an assist to lead D.C. United to an emotional victory upset before 35,979 rabid soccer fans. It was D.C. United’s fourth consecutive win as the club extended its unbeaten streak to six games after losing seven of its first nine of the season. During a press conference after the game, Galaxy superstar David Beckham admitted the intense heat of the day got to the L.A-based team, and to him personally, but he was gracious about the defeat. “The heat played a factor, but it was the same for both sides….DC played a good game. In the end, it’s about winning, and we couldn’t do that today.” Comments from Feedback Forms Startups "The tradeshow was great!" Exhibitors Looking Ahead... USIndoor is also excited to continue the momentum from this year’s event and immediately begin planning for next year’s conference, which will be the most anticipated conference to date. The 2009 Facility Operators Conference and Tradeshow will be held at the Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel & Casino, June 22-26, 2009. On behalf of the USIndoor leadership and staff, we would like to again thank all of our generous 2008 Conference Sponsors: Gold Sponsors: O2HR and The Monument Sports Group, Silver Sponsors Brine, Bollinger Insurance, EZ Facility and Zoom Media Corp., and Bronze Sponsors: Becker Arena Products, Medallion Athletic Products and Sports Pins International for their demonstrated commitment to the industry. USIndoor remains dedicated to serving its members’ best interests. Thank you for your commitment to all that USIndoor represents and for your involvement and support where possible. Respectfully submitted,
Don Shapero
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The Conference kicked off with the second annual Certified Arena Operator (CAO) Class. For those with careers in recreational sports management, the CAO program is essential in providing measureable skills and knowledge needed to take on their complex positions. To receive the certification, attendees must successfully complete a take-home test. Annual recertification can be obtained by paying an annual fee and obtaining continuing educational units.
On Thursday, the Bus Tour, sponsored by Zoom Media, took attendees on a trip through the greater D.C. area to see four diverse facilities. The tour included visits to the Fairfax Sportsplex Inc, Dulles SportsPlex, Sports Network and Fitness, and the Discovery Sports Center. This year there was a wide range of facilities, differing in sizes, styles and programming options. Providing such a wide range of facilities enabled attendees to consider numerous initiatives as to how their own facilities can increase revenue and athlete participation.
On Thursday, June 26th USIndoor’s Director of Officials, Said Sanhoury, conducted a referee certification and training class, as well as an Instructor’s Training class. USIndoor’s program is the number one certification course for indoor soccer referees in North America, teaching Official Rules, mechanics, player and bench management, and customer service. Attendees of the class walked away with several benefits, including USIndoor’s “Official Rules of Indoor Soccer”, USIndoor’s Certified Referee Badge, subscription to USIndoor’s referee newsletter, access to exclusive indoor soccer referees’ forum, and insurance coverage through USIndoor’s official provider, Monument Sports.
Tying indoor facilities into his message, Bill left the audience excited to challenge themselves and their employees to improve business on all levels. 
“I never anticipated we would have the opportunity to meet Clyde Simms while experiencing the fun and entertaining atmosphere of Georgetown,” said Tish Cotton from Medallion Athletic Products. “USIndoor’s social events continue to out due themselves every year.” 
On Sunday, a group of 25 Conference attendees extended the Conference to watch the MLS highlight game, DC United vs. LA Galaxy. The group started the day off with a brunch buffet in the stadium’s VIP restaurant, the Champion’s Club, overlooking the field. Following the first class meal, the group sat down to watch two of soccer’s greats; David Beckham and Landon Donovan battle it out against DC United. 
United
States Indoor Soccer Association