For those of you who are regular readers, this week’s post is a little different. If you are new to this blog, welcome (what took you so long?). I’m at a conference this week. This may not seem like big news, but it is and that’s why I bothering to tell you so!
Many people think it’s great and think it means I’m on a vacation and “isn’t it great that you get to go to Salt Lake City”. I mean, it is nice, but it is certainly not a vacation. I’m in meetings from first thing in the morning, usually through dinner, and sometimes evening events after dinner. That doesn’t mean I don’t still have all my “regular” work to do so I’m putting in very long days so I can attend these meetings and still keep up with my daily duties. I’m still keeping up with my regular clients, meeting writing deadlines, and squeezing in meetings.
As a small business, this trip is coming out of my budget. And conferences aren’t cheap. Not only the airfare, hotel, and meals, but there’s also the conference registration fee and more. When I go to some of the big national conferences, this can be thousands of dollars.
If this sounds like I’m complaining, I’m not. If these meetings didn’t provide value to me, I wouldn’t be going and spending the money on them. So why do I go and exhaust myself with double the work and expenses?
First and most importantly, the information. The valuable insights I gain at these conferences helps me help my clients better. I get the newest scientific research, often that hasn’t been published and won’t be published for at least a year. This means I can give my clients the best information ahead of everyone else in my industry so they can do better and be more profitable. I can solve their tough pest problems faster, give them the best products to use for each situation, and provide the most up-to-date training they can’t get anywhere else. Consider this: just yesterday I learned about research that is showing incredible results against many ant species.
Second, I get to talk to some amazing people. Those of us in technical positions working in urban entomology are a relatively small group of people. We know each other and many of us communicate back and forth and help each other out. If I have a problem accessing a certain scientific paper, I know a researcher to call to help me. When I’m looking for more info on solving a mosquito problem, I know a technical person who has dealt with something similar. I do not know it all! But coming to these events lets me reconnect with my amazing group of resources.
Lastly, I get to meet new people. These could be people I can help in the future (potential clients), individuals that can assist me (researchers, product manufacturers), and even folks that will be looking for opportunities down the line (potential new employees).
I get so much out of these conferences both professionally and personally. Ultimately, I want to provide my clients with the best, most current, and most accurate information so they can service their clients better. By staying current and relevant, I’m able to do that. It’s not just conferences, it is ready scientific literature, researching products and equipment, and following ongoing research.
If you’ve been looking for someone to help with this and you want someone who is staying current, we can help!
360 PFCS – your urban pest control consultants.