Another year is passing and the annual conference with the Florida Auctioneers Association is closing in. This year’s event will be held in Orlando, Florida, at the Rosen Center. Just off International Drive with all the attractions close by including restaurants and shops galore. Ok so why Orlando? Well for one it is the center of the state and the board of directors debated this looking at all angles. The common sense thought was to have the conference located as central to everyone as possible, yes we all know some are closer, just like Auctioneer Alan Frenkel.
He is right there in Orlando and that is perfect because he was instrumental in getting decent room rates and meeting spaces that are up to speed with the culture of Auctioneers from around the country (and no he did not rub the tea pot and then a Geni pop out, he did so pretty tough leg work to make things happen). Some will travel a little farther, but this year’s conference will be well worth it. So make your reservations now, the room rates are really good for the time being so get busy and reserve your sleeping quarters.
Let’s take a look at some other changes within the association starting with board’s decision to hire a person to help manage the day to day business of this association. We all know how busy Auctioneers can be and yes, that is a great thing. So the board, with authority under the bylaws, sent out notifications that The FAA would accept applications for a position to assist the executive committee and directors and that position has now been filled. With a thorough vetting process and a try out or two the board has filled the position. Kathy Baber, a dedicated administrator and director of Associations of Auctioneers has been contracted for this position as a consultant and she brings a wealth of experience to the table. She has hit the ground running full speed and we have already accomplished a great deal of work through the summer.
We have set in motion the winter conference to be held November 13th – 15th. The schedule has been set and is published at FloridaAuctioneers.org and is now open for sponsors and vendors to have the opportunity to showcase their product lines to support the ever trending business of Auctioneering.
A great line up of speakers are standing ready to speak on industry topics: Auction law with Mike Brandley, 100 years of auction strategies with Scott King and Joseph Mast, The Chief Auctioneer for Barrett Jackson, Multi-Million Dollar Horse Auctioneer and all around great guy will be talking about Bid Calling in diverse markets and how to keep your stage presence in tact, he is a World Champion you know.
There will be additional seminars like how to turn your personal or business bio into relevant content when published to the web. This is very important in this day in time, turning content into gold can be accomplished if you learn the tactics and get first-hand knowledge of how to do it right. Multi-dimensional tools that can help you be on the top of the search engines when consumers type those keywords into their devices. This is important stuff for your business so do not hesitate to be there in person.
The election of officers and directors will take place at the annual business meeting, so if you are a leader and you want to be a part of the movement of Auctioneers that looks at the continual growth of the Florida Auctioneers Association then ask how you can be a board member and the requirements thereof. To be a member of the leadership takes giving from your great talents with a strong commitment to carry out the vision set forth by the membership of past decades and the present devotion of men and women drawn to building a sound and just voice for all who are a part of this great association.
Member benefits have always been at the forefront of every board meeting, with the ever ringing question of how can we make things better for Auctioneers. Education is always at the forefront of the discussion and we are delivering with a panel of speakers designed to have you leaving with nuggets of gold in your notebooks, on your minds and ready to implement into your business. Networking is always a vital part of what happens at conference, the ability to sit and talk with great business minds, the chance to hold a conversation with decades of experience or the possibility of new business ventures abounds within the halls and around the table tops with as much conversation as you are willing to be entwined in.
Another member benefit is the use of the website FloridaAuctioneers.org. The site went under the microscope with a major overhaul during this last year. Now members have the opportunity to expand their visibility to consumers that are buying and selling real estate and many other products that auctioneers are eager to sell. So how does this work, a common term is search engine optimization, other terms like search engine marketing, social media marketing and user experience are part of the rapid growth of Internet Marketing. The recent Designation Course AMM (Auctioneer Marketing Management) was just held in Tampa back in May. This was a huge success with Auctioneers from many states in attendance. If you were there you have a better advantage in marketing your auctions, if you did not get to attend there is still hope…better yet there is still opportunity to get marketing advantages by getting your landing page or multiple pages on FloridaAuctioneers.org or the ability to showcase auctions with the use of banners ads to be placed in from of thousands of consumers who are looking for auctions and auctioneers in Florida. Ask a member of the website committee how this opportunity can help your visibility.
Imagine a consumer doing a keyword (all searches have some sort of keyword phrase in the search bar) search from their computer or mobile device and the search reveals your landing page at FloridaAuctioneers.org, would you accept the interaction through that channel, presumably you would. Would you say this would be a benefit to your business, again presumably you would…ok would that be worth a few hundred bucks to have this opportunity, for the last time I say, I presume it would. Developing a fully optimized website could cost well over 10,000 dollars. Having a landing page at your fingertips or let me rephrase…at the fingertips of consumers, is a large benefit. Ask how that can be accomplished or just click here for the link that will get your started.
Fellow Auctioneers, I have to say that it is a great time to be in the Auction Business, if you are looking to being motivated on a higher level the time is now. The Florida Auctioneers Association has a strong foundation and dynamic history with Florida producing some of the best Auctioneers ever to call sales anywhere on the globe. It is the vision of the Florida Auctioneers Association that its members will be the preferred auction professionals used within the State of Florida. Allow yourself to join the mission of the Florida Auctioneers Association:
Thanks to everyone who is a part of this organization, we invite all auctioneers and those who support auctioneers to join us November 13th – 14th – 15th in Orlando, Florida, and Celebrate 50 years of Golden Memories and open the Doors to 50 more years of Golden Opportunities.
Printed in Part:From the Florida Auctioneers Post:
Strategic Planning Sessions
Our Mission:
The purpose of the Florida Auctioneers Association is to support and educate members and consumers while promoting the value of the auction method of marketing within the State of Florida.
Our Vision:
Florida Auctioneer members will be the preferred auction professionals used in the State of Florida.
Our Core Values:
Excellence
We will strive for excellence in everything we do; in our services, in our product offerings, in their value, in our relationships and in our financial performance.
Quality
We are committed to continuous improvements in the quality of all our products and services provided to members. We believe quality is a key to member satisfaction.
Trust
We build trust through transparency.
Sustainability
We will look to create programs and services with long-term sustainability, not short-term quick fixes.
Inspiration
We create programs and services that will inspire auctioneers. We look to add hope and joy to the lives of the people we encounter.
Integrity
The Association’s integrity is the foundation for all our activities. Professional. Reliable. Trustworthy. Our integrity is a critical asset and we are committed to upholding it. We set high standards, and we abide by them as we practice business fairly and behave ethically. We share our expectations with each other and strive to maintain an environment built on mutual values and trust.
Honesty
We are committed to doing what’s right, without exception. Every decision we make and every action we take must follow the highest ethical and moral standards. We will be honest and truthful, striving to keep all commitments.
Teamwork
We work in partnership with the National Auctioneers Association to achieve mutual goals. Trust and respect are the foundations of our team approach.
Respect
Respecting each other and treating each other like we’d like to be treated is critically important to us. We will look to develop our members to their fullest potential, working together to accomplish our mutual goals