The Western & Central Florida Cooperator’s Condo, HOA & Co-op Expo offers board members and managers an opportunity to earn educational credit, gather free advice from legal experts, and meet face-to-face with more than 150 professionals from every corner of the co-op, condo and HOA industry.

Admission is FREE for the December 10, 2015 trade show (tampa-expo.com), which will take place at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Tampa Condo Expo, now in its second year, is a day-long event that keeps getting better and more diversified every year. More than just another trade show, the Expo is the perfect venue for board members, property managers and other key decision makers to connect with the professionals and service providers they need to make their communities run more smoothly. It’s a one-stop custom-built marketplace for vendors, products and ideas that you can’t afford to miss.

Property manager Brian Sawyer attended primarily for the seminars but noted that he was surprised at the wealth of information he received from vendors. “The seminars were the most important item for me, but the fact that I was able to directly connect with vendors and support contractors was also a vital aspect of the Expo that attendees cannot afford to miss,” he said.

A Learning Experience

Board members, managers, and owners come to the show to learn new things. The free educational seminars are a draw for anyone involved in the administration and management of a residential building or homeowners association.

An as an added bonus, you can even earn continuing education unit credits by attending one or more of our timely educational seminars. The 2015 seminar panels will explore financial management, legal operations, emergency preparedness and state rules and regulations. Seminar presenters include Associa, SNAP Collections, the Hillsborough County Anti-Drug Alliance, and the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation (DBPR).

The Western & Central Florida Cooperatorwill also host several seminars. All presentations are free for all attendees, and conclude with a Q&A session at the end to allow audience members to get direct feedback from panelists. Expo seminars always attract standing-room-only crowds, so make sure to arrive early. Check back for more information at tampa-expo.com.

Ever try getting free advice from a lawyer? Well, you actually can at the Expo. In addition to networking and education opportunities, the Expo will feature free advice booths staffed by professionals from a wide array of industries, waiting to answer any and all community association and building-related questions you might have. If you have legal questions about your association, financial questions, or questions about day-to-day management of your building community, you can stop by one of the booths for answers from leading legal, management, maintenance and financial professionals.

A Win-Win Situation

And if that’s not enough, one of the more popular attractions of the Expo are dozens of raffles and giveaways throughout the day—including the $2,500 Grand Prize Reserve Fund giveaway, courtesy of The Western & Central Florida Cooperator and Yale Robbins Publications LLC.

Tracy Wallace, grounds director at Strathmore Gate East HOA in Royal Palm Beach, is excited to have won the 2014 prize for her association. Wallace has been on the seven-member board the past five years, and has attended the Tampa expo each of the last two years. Strathmore consists of 186 units in one-story villas, she said. The community has a clubhouse, tennis courts, a pool complete with a barbecue area and beautiful wooded grounds and landscaping, to which the award winnings were applied.

She has found attending the Expo to be invaluable. “We are always looking for new vendors, whether it be a management company, a concrete paver, or landscaping services. I loved pretty much all of it,” she said.

And the money, which was allocated to grounds and landscaping improvements, came at a most opportune time, she added. Several trees were lost on the property and had to be replaced. “It was fantastic timing. We were so glad to have won.”

Another winner will be selected at the 2015 show for a $2,500 contribution to their building or association's reserve fund. A check for the winnings will be made payable to the winner’s association, care of their management company. Only board members qualify to enter the reserve fund drawing, and attendance at the Expo is required for eligibility. For complete details on how to enter the reserve fund drawing, visit the Expo website, tampa-expo.com.

So follow The Western & Central Florida Cooperator for updates and new additions to the Expo’s exhibitor and seminar roster and remember to visit us at the Tampa Convention Center on Thursday, December 10th. For more information on who is exhibiting, to sign up as an exhibitor or to register for this exciting event, go to tampa-expo.com.