The 2008 Connections Conference and Exhibition left the coastal confines of Clearwater, Fla., this year and headed east to Orlando and the Hilton at Walt Disney World, May 14-17.

The Conference was never intended to rival its big brother, The Connections Convention and Trade Show taking place this fall in Las Vegas, Sept. 24-26. Rather, it was positioned as a technical conference, with a strong focus on education.

This year it scored a coup: the major keynote address presented by Dennis Frare of The Disney Institute, “Quality Service,” offered an in-depth look at how a simple concept, when successfully applied and implemented, can lead to phenomenal results. It’s not the size of the company that matters, Frare said, it’s how well that company services its clients.

Other sessions were just as strong. Howard Partridge examined the “12 Critical Components of Every Highly Successful Business.” Jon-Don’s Bill Yeadon later took center stage with a marketing seminar on “Creating a Big Brand With a Little Budget.” Rick Gelinas; Steve Marsh; Sherman Guffy; Dan Bernazzani; Phil McLaughlin; the list goes on.

The Connections Conference, like the Convention and Trade Show, would not be possible without the support of 13 trade associations throughout the U.S. and Canada: the AWCC; the CFI; the CRCII; the CCINW; the FIO; the LMCCA; the MSPCA; the NEIRC; the NYRCI; the PCUCA; the PCRA; the SCRT and the TRSCA.

The Connections events also receive a great deal of support from a number of sponsors throughout the industry. The year the Conference sponsors included the Carpet and Rug Institute; Dri-Eaz Products; Releasit/Excellent-Supply, Inc.; Phenomenal Products; the IICRC; Jon-Don, Inc.; Pro’s Choice and Prochem (as well as ICS Cleaning Specialist).

In 2009 the Conference and Exhibition will return to Clearwater; details will soon be available at www.connectionsconventio.org.