Community Communication Corner
by Bob Gourley, MyEZCondo Founder, Member of CAI CT Board of Directors

Telling the Story of the CAI-CT Trade Show

Psst. I know someone who wants to get to know you better. In fact, I think they want to start a relationship with you. Are you interested? Meet me at the Crowne Plaza in Cromwell on March 8 at 8:30 a.m.. Don’t be late or you could miss out on the relationship of a lifetime…

Every year, home owner associations throughout our state spend millions of dollars on purchases. Everything from asphalt for the roads to shingles for the roofs has to come from somewhere. Over time, relationships with trusted vendors blossom into true partnerships where both the client and the vendor benefit from doing business together. But where do these relationships get started? How can your community find the businesses they can trust to look out for their best interests as well as provide the quality goods and services they need?

Welcome to the world of the CAI-CT Trade Show. Every year, CAI-CT hosts an event where community association leaders and members can meet and mingle with the best service and product providers servicing the CT community association marketplace. These vendors provide goods and services targeted specifically to condominium and homeowner associations. There is simply no better place to begin a relationship with a quality firm that is eager to provide you with the goods and services you need.

I can back up what I am talking about from personal experience. 3 years ago, my wife attended the CAI-CT trade show with me. I had the honor of being a guest speaker at the event. While I was giving my presentation, my wife ventured through the exhibit area and viewed lots of products and services. When I met up with her a short while later, she showed me her bag of goodies collected from the vendors and let me know that she had seen some beautiful new replacement windows for our condominium. She also took me directly to the A & S Windows booth so I could see for myself and meet the folks working there.

After meeting with Diane Servos-Newman and Michael Gold of A & S Windows, it became clear to me that I had met a vendor of quality that I would recommend to my own Board of Directors at our next meeting. Several years later, the relationship with A & S Windows and my association is strong and healthy. They have already replaced windows and sliders in several units here at Captain’s Walk to the delight of the unit owners who have used them, including myself and my wife.

What impressed me the most about Diane and Michael wasn’t their products (although the quality is excellent). It was their knowledge of how community associations work and how their approach at working with my association would make them a nice fit for us. My daily newspaper is filled with advertisements from firms that want to sell me windows and sliders. The only thing these vendors have in common with a vendor like A & S is they have a product to sell. Only A & S understood that I didn’t just need windows and sliders, I needed a team approach to get me through the process of Board presentation, specification review and approval before the first window could be installed. Selling products to homeowner associations is tricky work. It is always in your best interest to work with a vendor who specializes in that type of work.

Vendors who specialize in working with condominium and homeowners associations is exactly what you’ll find at this year’s Trade Show on March 8 at the Crowne Plaza in Cromwell. And much more. The theme of the show is “Carnivale”, so you can expect some pretty colorful displays and hot topics on hand. But most importantly, you will find caring and concerned professionals who have chosen to do business with community associations. They understand the joys and challenges of community association living and are eager to meet you and help you solve problems with creative solutions, products, and services.

There is such an abundance of resources in one place at one time; it is truly an overwhelming experience that is best shared with others. I encourage you to bring not only yourself but many members of your community to the show, as well as your spouse or significant other. While you’re there, fill your dance card with all of the fine vendors who want to get to know you and your community better so they can provide you with the good and services you need. Hey, it’s “Carnivale”, so go ahead and Samba if you want to!

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