A+ for IGA

Yup, I was there.

I saw you.

Did you see me?

At the IGA Conference, I mean.

Let me tell you, I went grudgingly because a friend was going and we thought we’d hang out by the pool and enjoy a few of the “attractions” in Vegas—a little recreation on the company’s dime, if you know what I mean.

We figured we’d cruise on in and get our badges, show up at the cocktail party and not much more. It was a great plan. Except it never happened.

We got sucked into the seminars the first day and ended up going to almost every one of them. I had so many notes I filled up eight pages in that spiffy notebook they gave us. Let me say, the educational program was excellent. The first day was devoted to legal issues, the second to steering and the third was more technical.

Now if you know me, you know I’ve been critical of IGA in the past, and about 24 to 30 months ago, I wouldn’t have placed a bet on their future. But, make no mistake; these guys have their act together. It’s obvious they care about their members. You could see and feel it. Their board is an active bunch, the staff is young and energetic and they are starting to have some progress.
The comic book—and yes, okay, I was laughing at the idea for months before—the comic book is actually pretty darn good. I’ll eat crow on that one.

I saw a couple of new things at the show too. In all, it was time and money well spent and there are not many things you can say that about these days. I especially liked Scott Orth’s presentation about the Internet. The way it’s being used to drive auto glass work can sober you up—even in Vegas.

The insurance panel was interesting not only for its content, but also for the posturing by some of the participants.

And the Feeney presentation? Well, not since Joe Kellman gave a speech at one of the conferences in the 1980s has their been such a landmark. (More on that next post.)

Some suggestions for next time: First, allot more time for each seminar. The NAGS presentation could have gone another hour and many others left me begging for more, too.

Second, try to find a place in a hotel so we don’t have to take a bus, although one of the board members told me that everything will be one hotel next year. That’s a good move.

Three, bring back Corey Hemperly. What an outstanding presentation he gave. He is just a regular guy out of some Western state but he went through what he does to fight steering in an organized, detailed way. Awesome.

I’ll continue to take IGA, or anyone else, to task when it’s warranted. But not this time. IGA gets an A+.