For Immediate Release For More Information Contact:
Aug. 22, 2013 Brent Hoskins
Executive Director
Business Technology Association
(816) 303-4040
BTA East to Host Grand Slam, Sept. 26-27, in Baltimore
Kansas City, MO — On Sept. 26-27, 2013, the Business Technology Association's (BTA) East district will host Grand Slam, its annual educational and networking event, at the Hyatt Regency Baltimore in Baltimore, Md. The event will feature a keynote presentation by Tod Pike, senior vice president of the Enterprise Business Division at Samsung Electronics America Inc., five additional educational sessions presented by industry leaders and a dealer panel focused on current industry changes.
Dealers will be able to participate in networking events that will allow them to connect with their peers, including a welcoming reception on Sept. 26, and a trip to OriolePark at Camden Yards to see the Boston Red Sox take on the Baltimore Orioles on Sept. 27. In addition, there will be time to visit with exhibiting sponsors, many of which will hold drawings for great prizes during the event. Dealer attendees can also enter on site for a chance to win one of five $100 American Express gift card from BTA East.
Grand Slam begins at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 26, with one-on-one vendor/dealer meetings that will be held until 3:15 p.m. These meetings will give dealers the opportunity to earn $30 for each 15-minute one-on-one meeting attended, up to $210 per dealership. These meetings have been established to allow quality time with the vendors of the dealer attendee's choice and help to defray travel costs. For more information, visit www.bta.org/East15MinMeetings.
At 4 p.m., the event will kick off with opening comments and Pike's keynote presentation, "Embracing Change: The Future of the BTA Dealer." Following the keynote, attendees will have time to network with peers and exhibiting sponsors during the welcoming reception, which will be held from 5:30 until 7 p.m.
Breakfast will begin at 7 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 27, followed by the dealer panel, educational sessions and lunch. After lunch, the final educational sessions, closing comments and prize drawings will be held. Breaks will be held during the day to give attendees time to network with peers and sponsors. On Friday evening, attendees will see the Boston Red Sox take on the Baltimore Orioles at OriolePark at Camden Yards.
In addition to the keynote presentation, the Grand Slam educational sessions will be: "All Hits & No Errors = Dealer Success," with Bob Goldberg, BTA general counsel; "Leadership vs. Management: Which is More Important?," with John Hey of Strategic Business Associates; "Strategies for Success in Managed IT Services," with Milton Bartley of ImageQuest; "The Evolving Dealership — Developing a Message That Integrates Hardware, Services & Solutions," with Darrell Amy of Dealer Marketing Systems; and "Building the 21st-Century Sales Force," with Troy Harrison of SalesForce Solutions.
The dealer panel, "Our Industry is Changing! Where Do We Go From Here?," will be moderated by Frank Cannata of Marketing Research Consultants. The panelists: Rick Bastinelli, founder and president of Centric Business Systems, Owings Mills, Md.; Leo Bonetti, founder and CEO of Flo-Tech, Middletown, Conn.; Brad Cates, president and CEO of ProSource Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio; Bill Fraser, president of Fraser Advanced Information Systems, West Reading, Pa.; and Greg Gondek, president of Advanced Copy Technologies Inc., Cromwell, Conn.
BTA General Counsel Bob Goldberg will also be available during the event to provide free legal consultations to BTA members.
The exhibiting Grand Slam sponsors: BEI Services, Crawford Thomas, Densi, Digital Gateway, DocuWare, ECi FMAudit, EDA, Esha Corp., ESP Energy Intelligence, Falcon Technology Solutions, Frontier Imaging, Global Printer Services, GreatAmerica Financial Services (Sept. 26 Reception Sponsor), Image Star, Katun (Sept. 27 Breaks Sponsor), LEAF, LMI (Sept. 27 Breakfast Sponsor), MSE, Muratec, NA Trading and Technology, OKI (Sept. 27 Baseball Game Co-Sponsor), Polek & Polek, Printer Essentials, Smart Power Systems, Supplies Network, Synnex, TonerCycle/InkCycle (Sept. 27 Lunch Sponsor), Toshiba, Universal Laser Systems and West Point Products.
BTA member dealer registration with a baseball game ticket is $165, which includes the Thursday and Friday educational sessions, Thursday welcoming reception, Friday breakfast, lunch and breaks, and the baseball game. Non-member dealer registration with a baseball game ticket is $215.
For more information, including full session descriptions and the registration form for the event, visit www.bta.org/BTAEastEvent.
Founded in 1926, the Business Technology Association serves office technology dealerships, resellers, manufacturers, distributors and service companies. Its core members — office technology dealerships — consult, sell and service hardware, software and supplies with the goal of helping businesses maximize their investment in devices and technology. Through the association's various educational programs, information, research, legal services, publications and guidance, BTA member dealerships are positioned to be the premier source of the office technology used by businesses throughout the United States every day. For more information on BTA, visit its Web site at www.bta.org or call (800) 505-2821. The fax number is (816) 941-4838. You may also write to: BTA, 12411 Wornall Road, Kansas City, MO 64145.