Symposium shakeup

Education offers more networking, in-depth workshops and roundtables

More networking. More peer-to-peer engagement. More in-depth workshops. More team building. Each of these represents a recurring suggestion of what attendees expect from the Best Show in Snow. SIMA is delivering with a revamped educational lineup for the 21st Annual Snow and Ice Symposium.

This year’s planning committee is shaking things up with new offerings that we believe will make this year’s show the best yet.

Our goal was to expand the education tracks to appeal to a broader audience so that more people will benefit from attending the Symposium. From people with boots on the ground to in the boardroom, our hope is that the changes we’ve implemented will deliver additional value for your investment.

All of the details can be found at www.sima.org/show, but following are a few of the program’s new highlights:

Best Practices Skills Competition. In lieu of a traditional pre-conference event on Tuesday, June 26, we’re encouraging companies to bring their team to take part in a head-to-head competition with other companies. The team-building event will see how well your teams understand industry best practices in safety, operations, calibration and site management.

Workshop Wednesday. Traditionally, the Symposium features one or two deepdive workshops on a targeted topic. This year, we’re dedicating most of Wednesday to eight 2-hour sessions focused on a wider variety of topics. Attendees will be able to choose from two of the eight sessions. Even better? The workshops will be included in your registration fee. This year’s topics:

• Snow Operations Audits
• Equipment and Maintenance Management
• Managing Risk and Liability
• Recruiting, Hiring and Retaining Talent
• Job Costing and Estimating
• Applying Enterprise Risk Management Theory
• Time Management and Productivity

Role-based Roundtables. Following the Wednesday workshops, we’re taking a page from our Season Opener playbook and creating in-depth roundtables focused on specific roles in a snow and ice management company. Attendees will engage with others in similar roles to discuss a variety of topics and trends important to them:

• CEO to CEO
• Operations Management and Techniques
• Billing, Administration and Service Verification
• Sales and Negotiations

Pro Talks - Life and Leadership in the Snow Industry. Once you achieve a certain level of success in snow and ice, many of the traditional educational sessions may be less pertinent, leaving some attendees to wonder: "What’s in it for me?" Patterned after the popular TED talks, we’ve asked six speakers to share insights and captivating stories that will resonate with attendees at every stage of their career, but especially those CEOs, business owners and upper-level managers who are looking for self-improvement and fresh perspectives.

Tech Talks & New Products Pavilion. One of the biggest draws of the Symposium is our trade show. This year, attendees will be exposed to 140,000 square feet of the newest products and services, all focused on snow and ice management. To complement the trade show, we’re adding a new products pavilion that will allow attendees to see the newest products on the market. In addition, we’re bringing education back to the floor with 12 Tech Talks, presented by a supplier with subject matter expertise (non-product specific):

• Sidewalk Management Optimization
• Route Management Technology
• Weather Forecasting and Documentation
• Plow Technology that Optimizes Production and Salt Use
• Spreader Technology that Optimizes Production and Salt Use
• Salt Use Optimization: Implementing Brine & Liquids
• Chloride Alternatives: Solutions to Reduce Reliance on Salt
• Service Verification
• Equipment Maintenance and Repairs
• Small Company Solutions
• Site Engineering Solutions
• Safety & PPE

That’s a lot of change for one year, but don’t worry! Our most popular Symposium events remain: Snack & Chats, networking receptions, the closing event and sessions focused on all areas of operations are returning. I encourage you to take a look at the Symposium brochure and start plotting your path to Cleveland. It’s going to be a great show. We can’t wait to see you!

Visit www.sima.org/show for registration, a schedule of events and more.