NSCA will bring its Business and Leadership Conference to Tampa, Fla., for the 17th edition of one of the systems integration industry’s most highly regarded gatherings.
The event boasted its highest attendance last year with more than 300 people heading to Dallas for three days of business advice, frank discussions and sharing of information that’s unique to this show, and organizers expect a similar crowd to gather in Florida from Feb. 26-28.
We asked some people who have been to the BLC in the past and will be there for this year’s edition what they’d tell the audience if they got five minutes, an open mic and a soapbox. The results were fun, interesting and instructive. Enjoy!
Thomas Berry Jr., president & CEO of Verrex, says…
I love a good fight. I like to go up against a competitor that’s potentially better, stronger and bigger. In doing so — win or lose — my company grows, learns and is better prepared for the next round. This outcome is only possible if the competitor is a worthy one, meaning they have contributed something more than just a low price to the betterment of our industry and the clients we serve.
I have seen a very positive shift over the past year. We have focused our attention on questioning the practices and players that paint our industry, as a whole, as commoditized. We need to continue this push to raise awareness of the level of professionalism, skills and expertise that are required to truly create value for clients.
As solution providers, we should all continue to differentiate ourselves and clearly define our value — find our niche markets and how we can best serve clients. If your value is based on price alone, you will become irrelevant to your clients very quickly. Equally as important, you will become irrelevant to our industry.
We are a community and are all responsible for ensuring its growth and relevance. That can only be accomplished by focusing on innovation in terms of technology and how we do business, not on how much lower we can go on price than our competitor.
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