– November 2017 CRA Ontario Newsletter –

– Presidents Message – 

This industry truly is amazing!  Where else do you have the privilege to freely speak, network, and share ideas with your peers, suppliers, and competitors?  Your CRA Ontario Board of Directors is working hard at planning exciting upcoming events for future meetings.  You are a vital part of this association and your presence and support does matter!

On November 15^th close to 60 rental operators and associate members joined us at Wacker Neuson in Mississauga.

What a great evening we had! The modern facility was quite impressive with numerous pieces of shiny new equipment ready to be shipped out to the customer. The hospitality shown by Dean Nasato, District Manager – Ontario/Manitoba for Wacker Neuson, and his team was second to none.  I would like to extend our thanks to Mike Kirwin, Senior VP of Business Development, and Ryan Mallough, Senior Policy Analyst for Ontario from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business for their very informative of upcoming changes to Ontario’s Employment Standards Act.

It certainly is mind boggling the amount of new legislation from our government coming down the pipeline, that could affect all of us. It is an ever-changing world that is becoming increasingly more complicated with more and more regulations.

The next members meeting is scheduled to be held at Higgins Event Rentals in Etobicoke on January 17, 2018. Mark your calendars and join CRA Ontario as we learn from Paul Tobey, CEO and Founder of Training Business Pros. We hope to see you there!

• Lawrence Gingrich, CRA President

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Upcoming January 2018 Meeting

Register today!

Download the Registration form here!

 

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Trifecta Pays Off for CRA (Ontario) in Windsor

 By: Gord Ellis, Associate Director

The combination of Riverside Rentals (Tecumseh, ON), Festival Tent and Party Rentals (Maidstone, ON) and Economy Rental Centre (Leamington, ON) paid out huge winnings for the attendees of the CRA (Ontario) Members’ Meeting in the Windsor area on October 18^th.

It has been some time since CRA held a meeting in that part of the Province, and the three Co-Hosts did not disappoint the almost 40 members in attendance. The day started with guided tours of each of the Co-Hosts’ facilities. Needless to say, the people on the tours were witness to three uniquely different and professionally run operations.

After the tours, the attendees gathered at the Windsor Yacht Club, where they were treated to breath-taking views, World Class hospitality, and mouth-watering cuisine. Guest speaker, Officer Matt Mitchell, Enforcement Officer from the Ministry of Transportation Ontario (MTO) was peppered with dozens of questions relative to MTO regulations, CVORs, non-compliance issues, etc. Officer Mitchell handled the barrage well, answering all questions with his own down to earth and matter of fact answers. Troy Grey from Orangeville Equipment Rentals was heard saying, “this guy is one of the best Speakers we have had in a very long time”.

Huge thanks goes out to Phil Morand (Riverside Rentals), Lea-Ann Suzor (Festival Tent and Party Rentals), and Greg Hutchinson (Economy Rental Centre) for Co-Hosting such a great event.

Windsor, just a word of warning…WE WILL BE BACK! Sooner than later!

 

 

What’s In It For Me? 

Why Attending “The Rental Show” is Good For Your Business
For those who have had the opportunity to attend The Rental Show in years past, you may agree that the following descriptions come to mind when thinking about your experience; Inspiration, Creativity, Motivation, Networking, Opportunities, Professional Growth, Knowledge and Profitability… to name a few.

With registration now open for the 2018 Rental Show, rental companies across the globe are deciding if they are attending The Rental Show 2018 in New Orleans. Furthermore, decisions are being made on who they are sending to represent their company, what they are hoping to buy from the tradeshow floor and what they are excited about learning from the many educational seminars.

By attending the rental show along with your team, you are investing in your staff and therefore investing in your company. You value the time, dedication and input these members of your team offer to your company. You see these employees as key stakeholders in your business and want to provide the tools necessary for them to continue to grow professionally and continue to be a strong representation of your company. The many industry professionals they will meet, the tips & tricks they will learn and the new and innovative products they will have the opportunity to see, are crucial in the professional development of your employees and will ensure they feel valued and motivated to assist in the successful growth of your company.

At a recent committee meeting at ARA headquarters in Moline, IL, a fellow committee member (Thanks Billy Haas, Crown Rental Inc, Minneapolis!) threw out the acronym “WIIFM” = What’s In It For Me?. Each business owner and employee hold value to the many different components of the rental show; some find value in the tradeshow floor and getting out there to see in person the new items being offered, trying that new pieces of machinery or touching that new fabric of linen. Some feel that the seminars hold the most value where they are able to learn a new marketing strategy, put their financial goals into play or learn all about new trends and how to implement them into their inventory. Some attendees feel that the networking opportunities are the key highlight to their rental show experience; reconnecting with fellow industry professionals you’ve met at past rental shows, which hopefully have resulted in word of mouth business & referrals. Regardless of your own personal reason to attend The Rental Show – the important part is that you attend and here’s a few reasons why you need to be there.

The Rental Show is a closed show which means that only rental industry professional are eligible to register and attend. There are no other tradeshows of it’s size, specific to our industry, to attend and network with people just like you and your staff. Across the globe, rental companies share the same issues and are more than happy to share experience, make suggestions and lend a hand to fellow industry professionals. In addition to networking with your peers, the tradeshow floor hosts more than 700 exhibitors with over 350 Show-Only Specials.

If you are a Tent & Event company, you have a day all to yourselves full of party specific seminars lead by and attended by likeminded rental operators. If you are a Construction & General Tool company, The Rental Show seminars are open ended and all-encompassing for both party & event and general tool & construction. Seminars being offered cover everything from sales to operations, marketing to installations, trends to problem solving; there is something for everyone regardless of your role in the company, age, experience or interests.

Getting to The Rental Show is a simple few click process using the travel tips and resources available to you via the ARA. Shuttle buses, exclusive post-show cruises, flights, rental cars, accommodations and airline transportation are all available to you via therentalshow.com. Booking your hotel has never been easier with all available options and pricing laid out in one resource via ONPEAK.

Each year, attendees look forward to the Keynote Speaker, who in the past have included big names such as Jay Leno, Magic Johnson, Peyton Manning and this year, the stars of HGTV’s “Property Brothers,” Jonathan and Drew Scott! For the first time at the Rental Show, the dynamic duo will be on the tradeshow floor after their keynote for a meet & greet and photo op – how cool is that!

Your Regional Reception are a great opportunity to kick back and relax with some of your local industry friends who you may not have seen in the seminars or on the tradeshow floor yet – there are after all, nearly 6000 attendees from over 2500 rental companies. Another great evening even is the Young Professionals Network which are always a fun way to unwind and have some fun with your colleagues.

Don’t forget to visit all of the hot spots New Orleans has to offer; Bourbon Street, the French Quarter, Jackson Square, Frenchmen Street, Steamboat Natchez, the Garden District. Hop on a bus tour to get the real history of NOLA and make sure to set aside a few hours to sit on the patio of Café Du Monde and enjoy a piping hot cup of coffee with a plate of the world famous Beignets all to yourself.

Last but not least… we cannot forget about the world famous rental show bag you get upon registration! Who doesn’t love collecting all of the tradeshow floor swag including product books, samples, mini skids and scale model size machinery? One might even suggest bringing an additional suitcase strictly for the show swag you will collect and bring back to your colleagues and clients.

Take what you have learned at The Rental Show and share it with your staff. Pass along the motivation and ideas you collected for those who stayed behind to hold down the fort. For more tips and tricks on taking what you learned at the Rental Show and putting it into action – check out our CRA Ontario March 2017 newsletter article “YOU’RE BACK FROM THE RENTAL SHOW… NOW WHAT? Putting What You Learn at the Rental Show Into Action!” http://www.crarental.org/fileuploads/CRS_CRANewsletter_MAR17_JLR-FINAL.pdf

By: Michelle Nicol, CERP | Account Manager & Festival Specialist, Higgins Event Rentals | Director At Large, CRA Ontario