Chester Springs, PA – (October 24, 2018) – Azione Unlimited’s recent fall conference, The Donnée in Denver, broke-free from traditional conference offerings with new Inspiring Insights talks, small group presentations, and charity-based team-building events, complemented by plentiful networking opportunities to help build a stronger sense of community and camaraderie.
“Within the first five minutes of being at the Donnée in Denver, I was overwhelmed by the spirit of camaraderie and community. It was literally palpable, and felt like I was amidst a group of friends more than a group industry colleagues,” says Giles Sutton, Senior Vice President of Industry Engagement for CEDIA.
New for the Azione Fall Conference was a series of Inspiring Insights talks which explored a multitude of interesting topics energetically delivered by thought-provoking speakers from both inside and outside of the AV industry. Small Group presentations led by members of Azione and One-on-One sessions with Azione vendors armed attendees with sound and strategic business insights to help companies learn, grow, and overcome challenges. In all, more than 250+ like-minded individuals, including home technology professionals, manufacturers, service providers, and industry affiliates attended the event.
Inspiring Insights
Akin to a popular global speaking series, Azione’s Inspiring Insights talks were delivered by nine different speakers from a broad range of backgrounds 15 minutes to talk about a variety of topics, such as finding and keeping talent (Kathleen Brenk) and rethinking how to sell to your next customer (Tim Costello), as well as philosophical approaches like how to stop selling and start delivering joy to customers (Alex Capecelatro). Jeremy Glowacki, executive editor of Residential Tech Today gave a thought-leading talk on Blockchain and how businesses can prepare for its inevitable role in their operations. Inspiring subjects, like transforming dreams into reality were explored by Jason Romero, a legally blind man who ran across the U.S. and how to take risks in business (Eric Higgs), were a huge success with attendees. Perfect Light by Ann Shiffers covered not only how to get into the lighting category, but more importantly a deep dive into education, how and why lighting has evolved and why human-centric lighting is so important. Tim Sinnaeve discussed working more effectively with the Architecture and Design community. Eric Thies closed out the series with a powerful talk about focusing on one’s business.
Small Group Presentations
Even as Azione continues to strategically add new dealers and vendors in 2018, the buying group remains intimate, with members committed to full transparency and idea-sharing. During small group meetings, subject matter experts and dealers, alike, explored essential business concepts and shared tips. Highlighted sessions included growing your business, onboarding employees, how to run a profitable service department, using marketing to book your business, and more. One of the most heavily attended sessions was a panel led by Gretchen Gilbertson of Séura, exploring how to work with interior designers.
One-on-One Meetings
A mainstay of Azione events, one-on-one meetings allow dealers and vendors the time and space to learn about new program incentives, products, and technologies, while building stronger relationships.
“The Donnée in Denver encouraged members to consider the aspects of the industry they’ve accepted as ‘truth’ and explore whether these beliefs still hold true,” says Azione President Richard Glikes. “With the industry changing so fast, members must change the way they think about concepts like service, talent recruitment, the adoption of new technologies like AI, and forays into new markets, like lighting.”
“We hope that after the Donnée in Denver, Azione members feel stronger, more capable, and better armed with advice and actionable insights to help them navigate business and rise above any challenges they’re faced with in the future,” says Azione President Richard Glikes.
About Azione Unlimited
Azione Unlimited, the education and buying group for integrators, is a consortium of like-minded custom installers, home technology professionals, and vendors. The organization helps its members achieve greater levels of prosperity, technical acumen, and sophistication in running their businesses and serving customers. Founded by industry veteran Richard Glikes and headquartered in Chester Springs, PA, the organization hosts two high-energy, information-packed conferences per year, Azione provides its members with a host of benefits, from product discounts to educational middle management meetings and marketing tools.