CEDIA to host management conference in March

Jan. 7, 2009
Conference to offer attendees insights into strategic planning

INDIANAPOLIS (January 6, 2009) – The 2009 Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association (CEDIA) Management Conference will deliver a one-two punch of strategy and motivation March 3–7 at Carefree Resort & Villas in Carefree, Ariz. The strategy-based event, which will close with a powerful keynote address from boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard, will send attendees away with both a firm tactical plan and the inspiration to implement it.

After an enthusiastic response to the strategic planning elements of the 2008 conference, CEDIA has chosen to make strategy and sustainability the focus of the 2009 event. Each session of the Management Conference will relate to a different element of the one-page strategic plan, a document attendees will formulate onsite in order to help guide their operations going forward.

"Setting a strategy and truly following it is the most important action you can take in your business. It aligns your team, unifies communications and sets a course for a common goal," said Buzz Delano, president of Delano Associates, CEDIA board member, and chairman of the 2009 Management Conference.

"This year’s conference will provide attendees a more in-depth level of understanding the one-page strategic plan and show them how to use strategic planning effectively across all areas of their business. It’s a great way to tune up your business in these challenging economic times."

The strategic plan is built on seven key components: core values, purpose, targets, goals, actions, schedule and accountability. Organizers have structured the conference to help attendees analyze how these building blocks apply to their company, identifying each session by which of the key components it supports (see visual aid at www.cedia.org/management_conf/attende09_main.php). When complete, the strategic plan will serve attendees as a long-term steering document that both embodies the company’s core mission and indicates the next right tactical move.

The Management Conference will conclude with a Keynote Speaker hand-picked to give attendees the motivation to immediately begin implementing what they learn at the event. Sugar Ray Leonard’s presentation, The Power to Win, will use his experience as an athlete as the backdrop for a universal message about the fundamental tools for success. Widely regarded as a charismatic and engaging speaker, Leonard will drive the conference’s message home with stories of overcoming challenges to become first a champion in the boxing ring and later a successful entrepreneur.

For more information on CEDIA’s Management Conference, visit www.cedia.org/mc. Registration is now open, with special pricing available for those who register before February 4.