NECA Convention 2009 Seattle: The Blog

You told us what you wanted, and we listened! NECA 2010 Boston will reflect many great suggestions that will make it an even better event – for you and your company!

1. More family-friendly.
The 2010 NECA Show will be open to all children accompanied by an adult. All they need is a badge for admission!

2. More peer-to-peer networking.
The new NECA Women’s Peer Group and Safety Roundtable are just a few of the opportunities for special groups within the association to meet and discuss the special concerns they face.

3. More opportunities for your entire company.
Newly launched by NECA President Rex Ferry, the “Contractors Challenge: Motivate, Reward, Recognize” is a program any NECA member can customize to help bring talented employees to NECA 2010 Boston. More details can be found online!

4. More access to innovation.
Find more energy solutions across the entire exhibit hall. Companies offering green energy innovations will be identified with NECA Energy Solutions logos on their booths, in the Show Guide and on www.necaconvention.org. Attendees will also be asked to vote for their favorite exhibitors for the first time as part of ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR’s Show Stoppers awards.

5. First-Timer Orientation
Will NECA 2010 Boston be your first time at NECA’s annual convention and trade show? Don’t get lost or overwhelmed. First-time attendees will have a special orientation session from NECA and Boston chapter staff about determining and following a path that makes the event work best for you.

Revolutionary Power. Renewable Solutions.

For more than 80 years, the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) has been bringing the nation’s leading electrical contractors together with manufacturers, innovators, suppliers and service providers to help make our electrical construction industry the strongest in the world. In 2010, NECA will host its annual Convention and Trade Show to Boston, Oct. 2-5.

NECA’s convention and trade show are the leading events for the electrical construction industry, featuring classroom and hands-on education, active networking opportunities and open discussion forums where electrical contractors can address the critical issues facing their industry.

“The NECA convention is where I come to get recharged,” said Rocky Sharp, Madsen Electric, Tacoma, Wa. “No matter how tough a year it may have been, I know I’m going to hear some kind of good news there. Either it’s a new product that saves time on a job, or a new way to connect with customers – it always helps. It always gives me a new perspective and a renewed outlook.”

“We broke all previous attendance records for our 2009 pre-convention workshops and management seminars in Seattle, largely because our training focuses on topics that matter to electrical contractors,” said Beth Ellis, NECA executive director, convention/exposition. “We ask them what issues are affecting how they do business, what aspects of the industry they want to learn more about, and sessions are led by experienced instructors. Contractors know that the NECA convention is the best deal when it comes to management education.”

NECA 2010 Boston will also feature an expanded Energy Solutions Zone with new “building green” resources at the NECA Show; special safety sessions for line contractors and a keynote speech from ocean explorer Bob Ballard, who located the wrecks of the Titanic, Yorktown, and more.

Learn more about NECA 2010 Boston at www.necaconvention.org, become a fan of NECA Convention on Facebook, and get updates via Twitter, twitter.com/NECAConvention.

Hi everyone!

I’m Beth Margulies, NECA’s director of public relations, and I’ll be live-blogging NECA’s convention and trade show in Seattle this week on blog.necaconvention.org.

I hope you’ve been reading the blog to keep up with new sessions and special offers, but now with everything in full swing, we’re shifting our coverage on-site, with daily reports on sessions, speakers and scenes from the Show floor. If you see something you like here, use the Social Media tools on each post to share it on your own Facebook, Twitter or MySpace page.

But this blog isn’t the only way you can keep up with everything that’s going on in Seattle.  You can become a fan of the NECA Convention on Facebook to receive important updates before the events and while they happen.

Or follow us on Twitter, twitter.com/necaconvention for quick updates about new blog posts, room changes, and raffle drawings.  Ginger Wilson has already tweeted tons of pictures and reports from pre-convention workshops and as the Show floor takes shape. If already on Twitter, you can tag your own tweets with #NECA09 to let your followers know you’re tweeting about NECA 2009 Seattle.

For NECA 2009 Seattle attendees who aren’t familiar with everything social media can offer electrical contractors, you might want to attend the management seminar I’m leading on Tuesday, Sept. 15 at 8 a.m., What is Social Media and How it Can Help Your Business.  Details about NECA’s own social media can be found on our website, too.

There won’t be a lot of time to spare in Seattle, so take advantage of NECA’s social media for event updates and to stay in touch!

The New & Featured Product Room at The NECA Show focuses exclusively on new and outstanding innovations in electrical construction. It’s the ideal platform to showcase technological advances – and Show-goers report they never miss it! Click here for your online preview!

Did you know many of our exhibitors have put up press releases about their products and services on our site for you to view?

Check it out! Go to the NECA 2009 Seattle website, NECAConvention.org, and click on the Press Release tab to view.

The NECA Show is your place to find thousands of product and service solutions for your company’s projects. These cost and labor saving options give you the flexibility to provide the answers and solutions your customers are looking for. Register today!

A full listing of NECA 2009 Seattle exhibitors, can be found at NECAConvention.org.