NEWS

officebroker.com Attend 23rd Annual OBCAI Conference in Miami

Ever mixed conferences with cocktails? Andy Haywood and Billy Knauss from officebroker.com did when they attended the 23rd annual OBCAI conference in Miami, Florida last week.

Miami - host of 2010's OBCAI Conference

Last week, Miami's exclusive Biltmore Hotel hosted the 23rd annual OBCAI conference. With an information-packed four-day agenda and the chance to meet old friends and make new acquaintances in the 'Magic City', the event was certainly one to remember.

OBCAI's Board of Directors kicked off proceedings on Wednesday 22nd September, followed by the President's Mojito reception. According to Vice President Billy Knauss, this was followed immediately by the LMN/Broker event which was co-sponsored by officebroker.com, where over $4000 was raised for distribution to the local LMNs from the event, and all its sponsors.

"There were a lot of vendors participating," commented Billy, "especially at the President's Mojito reception and the LMN event."

Commenting on attendance, Billy says that there were many more new faces at the event compared to previous years.

OBCAI - Office Business Center Association International

"The attendance was up substantially from last year, from around 160 people in 2009 to around 280 people attending this year. There were a lot of the smaller providers that were absent last year but in attendance this year which was great to see."

Thursday and Friday saw an informative agenda with discussions on IT, technology, and industry best practices, and experts invited from the field to give guest talks on subjects ranging from the future of officing and the changing workforce, to social media and HR policies.

The evening entertainment was the perfect way to relax after the busy daytime schedule, and the OBCAI committee pulled out all the stops to make sure there was plenty of choice on offer.

"The night out in South Beach was a lot of fun, ending up in Mango's - a local bar with live music and dancing, and four bars at last count!" said Billy, commenting on Thursday night's entertainment.

Biltmore Hotel, Miami - host of this year's OBCAI conference

Friday evening brought the curtain down on a memorable week with an energetic, high-octane show by Soul Survivors, as part of OBCAI's annual dinner gala event. According to Billy, the Gala Event was "probably one of the best attended final events ever."

He added: "It was a well-organized event with a great venue. The Biltmore hotel was amazing with lots of opportunities built into the program to socialize with your peers in the industry and learn some new things."

All in all it was another fantastic event with great people, expert talks, and of course plenty to see and do throughout the week. We are already looking forward to next year's event - will you be there too?

More information about OBCAI and future conference events can be found online at www.obcai.com.