MSA Next Meeting

The MSA Winter Meeting will be held at the MGM Grand Hotel - Detroit, a Vegas-style resort featuring luxurious guest rooms, three signature restaurants, five dazzling lounges, and a world of dynamic gaming. MSA is offering two exciting tracks of education seminars: the EMC Track and the Technical Track. Plus MSA is subsidizing by $20 per night the cost of each sleeping room reserved by MSA members. Instead of the $169 charged by the MGM Grand, you pay only $149 (plus tax) per night. Click here for a meeting registration form.

Schedule of Events

Thursday, February 19
3:00 pm	MSA Board of Trustees Meeting
6:00 pm	Reception & Banquet
Friday, February 20
7:00 am	Breakfast, MSA General Meeting
	Track One: Sales		Track Two: Technical
	8:30 am	Selling Advertising, Not Signs	8:30 am	Energy Savings For Illuminated Signage
	11:15 am	Debunking the Myths of Selling EMCs	10:30 am	IBC Affects Sign Design & Engineering Sign Details
12:30 pm	Luncheon
1:30 pm	Fighting Regulation of EMCs

Selling Advertising, Not Signs
Do you sometimes feel that you are missing opportunities in your market area? Have you ever driven by a business and said, “I need to call on that business" and never did, only to see a new sign go in that another company put up? Do you want to increase your sales and earn more money? Bill Smillie, Time-O-Matic, will bring his successful 16 years of selling signs as advertising in a powerful simple step-by-step system. The program includes Bill's hands-on experience in the art of prospecting, presenting and closing. Bill has successfully worked with hundreds of sign companies and salespeople on selling value, creating a need, and bringing new opportunities to your marketplace. We are in an exciting time in our sign industry. Why not take advantage of the opportunities? Learn how to educate yourself and your prospect on "how good signage can make money for both of you."

In order to be successful at selling, the first thing is for you to understand and believe that we offer the most cost effective advertising medium available. Once you understand this and put it into practice, the belief will come from the businesses' owners as they begin to see the results. Learn how to put together case studies and testimonials from businesses you have helped. People love to talk about themselves and their businesses. Learn what questions to ask in order that you may help them. Learn to ask the right questions so that you can help your prospects when it comes time to "ask for the order."

Learn how to put a professional presentation together and maximize your time in order that you may be as efficient as possible. Learn what tools are available and how to put them into use. Sales is about filling a need and being able to satisfy that need; however, signage is often overlooked as a critical component to the success of a business. Sometimes we need to create that need in order to satisfy it. Learn how to overcome objections such as price and zoning in order to take the sales cycle full circle and get an order. Find out what the real objections are and provide answers in order that you may help your prospect understand that you are there to help him. Learn to put together the features and benefits that you and your company offer, and learn how to sell value. "Mr. Prospect, how can I earn your business?" Learn how to earn it!

Debunking the Myths of Selling Electronic Message Centers
Selling electronic message centers just isn't like selling static signage. While it's easy to find prospects who want an EMC, it is much more difficult to identify those who will pay for one. And once you have found a qualified prospect, how do you keep him from fainting when you quote? This session details a unique EMC sales process that anyone can put to use. It begins with intelligent prospecting, builds by adding reasonable yet compelling estimates of the increased business an EMC provides, and concludes with a hard-hitting, fact-based ROI analysis virtually guaranteed to get the order!

Jeff Bauman, Electro-Matic Products, will show you how to generate a list of qualified prospects for EMCs to maximize the return on your sales time investment. You will learn how to realistically estimate the increase in sales an EMC is likely to deliver to your customer. You will see how to organize incremental revenue and cost data into a compelling ROI analysis that is bound to help you close the deal!

Energy Savings For Illuminated Signage
In order to remove "price" in bids and become more valuable to your customer, it is imperative that you be able to provide accurate alternatives to meet his needs when considering "his image." You will learn lighting alternatives to consider in this "eco-friendly" atmosphere of today. John Boyd, Ventex Technology, Inc., will explain emerging lighting technologies that can reduce energy consumption in illuminated signs. These technologies will be quantified to show what can be expected in terms of energy savings and effects on sign illumination when using neon, fluorescent or LED lighting systems and how they will affect your customer.

IBC Affects Sign Design & Engineering Sign Details
In this seminar Louis Cortina, PE, Michael Brady, Inc., will compare the 1999 Standard Building Code (SBC) with the 2006 International Building Code (IBC) and will show how the IBC affects sign structure design. He will review the wind force on a sign, the occupancy/importance factor, the exposure category, pole size difference, the spread footing and augured footing comparisons, and the sign cost comparison, along with other code differences. Louis will review the information the structural engineer needs to design a sign. Also included are do's and don'ts of concrete, steel, wall signs, and considerations for special inspections.

Fighting Regulation of EMCs
We will discuss controlling the brightness of EMCs. You will learn how to describe this technology to city officials who are often unsure what they are dealing with. You will see the various methods available to control the brightness of EMCs and the most popular methods of measuring brightness, along with ways cities currently attempt to regulate signs, and recommendations for sample sign code language.

Roger Brown, Daktronics, will review how LED signs display movement and the normal usages of on-premise and off-premise signs. He will explain some of the default software capabilities built into most signs which allow easy compliance with regulations and how cities are attempting to regulate movement and review sample code language. You will learn advocacy tips and tools for negotiating with a jurisdiction preparing to draft new sign code regulations, what your goals should be, and how best to achieve them.

Accommodations

MGM Grand Detroit provides a true resort setting with unparalleled amenities and superior service. The ultra chic hotel features Wolfgang Puck Grille, Bourbon Steak, and Saltwater restaurants, five Vegas-style lounges and entertainment, and a huge variety of table games, the latest slots, and video poker games. MGM Grand is easily accessible at I-75 and M-10 in downtown Detroit (1777 Third St., Detroit MI 48226).

Hotel Reservations

Make your reservations at MGM Grand by calling 888-MGM-DETR (646-3387). MSA’s special room rate is $149, plus tax, single or double. (MSA's contract sleeping room rate is $169. However, MSA is subsidizing every sleeping room by $20 to encourage even more participation in this special and unique venue. The MSA room block will be released on January 23.

Meeting Registration Fees

Early Registration(By 2/2/09)

Late Registration(After 2/2/09)

Full Meeting with Track One Seminars & Afternoon Seminar
(Includes all meetings & meals on 2/19-20)

$185

$210

Full Meeting with Track Two Seminars & Afternoon Seminar
(Includes all meetings & meals on 2/19-20)

$185

$210

Single Day - Thursday Only
(Includes reception & banquet)

$75

$90

Single Day - Friday Only - Track One Seminars & Afternoon Seminar(Includes breakfast, lunch & seminars)

$130

$150

Single Day - Friday Only - Track Two Seminars & Afternoon Seminar
(Includes breakfast, lunch & seminars)

$130

$150

Child's Meal at Banquet
(Contact office for more info)

$8