Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM SEPTEMBER 2021 64 COMING BACK INTO THE BRIGHT LIGHTS! PSA returns to Las Vegas for their 31st Annual Convention I t's been a while. PSA last held its annual convention, the longest running show in the appliance service industry, back in 2019 when we held our 30th annual event in Chicago. Along with many of our guests, we looked forward with great anticipation to our next convention in Orlando in 2020. We all know what happened. That's why PSA is so excited to welcome all our industry guests to our 2021 convention at the Westgate Resort in Las Vegas, November 8-11, 2021. As we prepare to get back into the swing of things with our (once again) annual convention this fall in Las Vegas, we know that the world we now inhabit is somewhat different than the one we left back in Chicago in 2019. We tend to look at things a little closer, take more precautions than perhaps we did then, and to some degree, even pull back from the easy camaraderie that everyone traditionally enjoys at industry events. It's both understood and understandable. Even as the world opens back up, however slowly, we know there is more attention to little things. There will be hand sanitizers available at the Westgate, of course, and the property has re-imagined its housekeeping practices to meet their guests' renewed expectations. Many people will want to wear a mask, and that's fine. The Westgate gives us lots of room for meals and the trade show, so we think people will appreciate the space. Vegas has been opening throughout the summer after the very hard hit the pandemic put on it, and by the time we come to town we're confident that you will see the Las Vegas you remember. In short, PSA and the Westgate are going to do our level best to make sure our attendees will enjoy their experience and have a great time in a safe and friendly environment, as we always strive to do. As I write this, there remain concerns over the COVID variant, but to date we don't believe there will be any specific requirements for attendees. We continue to monitor the situation closely with Las Vegas officials and will share any specific information with guests as it becomes available. We anticipate providing our guests with a great week, with technical classes headlined by the leading appliance manufacturers, along with the usual mix of business and personal skills enhancement training, and more focused business sessions led by our industry partners. There's always certification training, running from Sunday into Thursday morning, and the popular Trade Show will once again begin Tuesday evening and continue through early Wednesday afternoon. The Top Tech competition will be back in 2021, as we crown the winner of our technician skills contest. We'll cap the busy week with our banquet dinner on Wednesday evening, and the ever-popular prize drawing afterward. We hope to announce our keynote speaker for this year's convention real soon, and we're sure it will be an enjoyable and engaging talk. Be sure to keep an eye out! A couple of changes this year. PSA will offer electronics training classes by vendors such as Samsung and Hisense throughout the week, so if you are supporting both appliances and electronics, this is the meeting for you. In addition, the convention will close after lunch on Thursday rather than continue through the afternoon, as it will help everyone heading out to get better flights and get home to their families a little earlier. Putting on an event of this magnitude is always a challenge, and when you've been forced to take a year off it's amazing how much needs to be re-learned. The PSA staff are locking in on what we can do to make this event the top-shelf convention it has always been. We're working hard to put on a great show for you, and we're confident you'll be pleased with how we've emerged from the challenges of 2020. So get ready for a little warm weather this November, and we'll see you in Las Vegas for PSA's 2021 Convention! Check psaworld.org for additional information and registration, or contact us at 888-777-8851 if you have any questions. S E R V I C E D E P A R T M E N T RO Randy Carney- Executive Director- PSA

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