Last week, LP Magazine was in Fort Lauderdale to support the 2018 Innovision Conference where leaders and decision-makers working in the loss prevention industry came together to network, learn, and share best practices among peers.
Very soon the national conferences will once again be on our doorstep. Industry conferences provide a tremendous wealth of information and opportunities for those in attendance, opening doors and minds to the possibilities across the industry and the promise of prospects, expectations, and ideas on the horizon as we move further into the coming year.
Unfortunately, not everyone has the opportunity to attend one of the national conferences. Limited budgets and limited resources often pose significant challenges for industry leaders despite their desire to invite more of their deserving team members to these types of events. Taking their teams to national conferences would typically mean taking their best players out of the field for a number of days. The costs associated with travel, rooms, and additional expenses can also be prohibitive, despite our best intentions. Every leader wants to provide these types of opportunities to their teams, but the reality of the business often makes these aspirations impractical.
As an alternative, some industry professionals have proposed more regional events. There are opportunities available through some of the organized retail crime associations (ORCAs) that can open some of these doors. There are events like the “Education Days” that have been offered in the past through the Loss Prevention Foundation and other similar offerings.
Still, such events can be expensive and time-consuming to organize, and require highly organized, well-planned, and well-attended efforts in order to make them successful and cost-effective.
What do you think? Should the loss prevention industry do more to organize and support these regional events?
We look forward to your insights and opinions! Please feel free to candidly share your thoughts. All responses to the survey will remain anonymous.