May 8th, 2008, St. Louis, Missouri - The Independent Computer Consultants Association (ICCA) will hold its 31st annual conference June 6-8th in Washington, D.C. Focused on how to “recession-proof” the computer service and consulting businesses, this year’s conference will offer a variety of work sessions designed to help small to medium size business owners develop and hone their business skills.
The conference will kick-off with a special presentation by Robin Robins, one of the most well-known marketing consultants for small business owners in the world. Ms. Robins will outline the nine critical elements of a comprehensive marketing plan, including the creation and proper targeting of high rate of response mailers. She will also tell attendees how to tap into trends to create new revenue.
Following Ms. Robins’ marketing seminar will be a panel discussion by five best-selling authors on the habits that make a successful service business.
Saturday’s program begins with a keynote by Robert Clements, colleague of Michael Gerber. Mr. Clements will speak on “E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It.”
The rest of the day is devoted to work sessions on making money from blogging, triggers on when and how to hire, moving from a one or two-person shop to a multi-person business, making the transition to managed services, and reducing anxiety for small business owners. Speakers include Stuart Crawford, Robert Clements, Matt Makowicz and George Sierchio.
Saturday’s program concludes with a keynote by David Gerwitz, author, editor and forensic specialist, that will discuss how the White House email problems mirror those of other organizations, and how the Homeland Security really begins at home.
On the final day of the conference, the recession proofing focus continues with keynote speaker Erick Simpson’s “Maximizing Service Delivery Profits during Economic Downturns.”
Other speakers and sessions include: Karl Palachuk on perfect project management, Kimberla Fairley on projecting confidence, credibility and professionalism when verbally speaking to your clients and capturing customer attention and loyalty, John Avellanet on marketing without cold calls, and August Bequai on avoiding legal pitfalls.
The original founder of the ICCA, Steve Epner, will close the conference with a keynote speech on innovation and business survival.
Throughout the conference, technology vendors will be exhibiting new tools to help small business owners and consultants.
The conference will be held at the Crystal City Marriot Hotel. To learn more and register, visit http://www.icca.org/conferences.php
The Independent Computer Consultants Association (ICCA) is an international not-for-profit trade association that provides professional development opportunities and business support programs for independent computer consultants and their business clients worldwide. For additional information, contact the ICCA at 11131 South Towne Square, Suite F, St. Louis, Missouri, 63123 • 314-892-1675 • email: execdirector@icca.org • website: www.icca.org.
