Industry trade shows are great events. They’re informative, educational and they open our eyes to new products, policies and techniques, not to mention the networking opportunities. That’s why a lot of folks were disappointed when it was announced that Connections would dissolve after a 10-year run, effectively ending Connections events. But now a new trade show, from the founders of the new ICRA association, has emerged – The Experience. In case you’re still puzzled about how everything went down and what the future holds, we put together a timeline detailing when things happened that can hopefully clear some things up:

Sept. 4, 2012: The 10^th-anniversary Connections Convention and Trade Show begins at the LVH Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

Sept. 7, 2012: The Connections Convention and Trade show ends, amid rumors and speculation about future Connections events.

Sept. 24, 2012: The Connections Events Inc. Board of Directors released an official statement announcing that Connections will dissolve, thus ending Connections events. “We, the current Connections board representing 14 member associations, have worked diligently during this past year with legal assistance to help us resolve key issues surrounding Connections,” the Board of Directors said in the statement. “After much debate and failure to ratify a new management services contract, we unanimously agreed to dissolve the corporation.

Oct 3, 2012: “The Experience” events are officially announced. Plans include hosting cleaning/restoration trade shows in 2013.

Moving forward…

April 18-20, 2013: The Experience Conference & Exhibition is scheduled to be held in Clearwater Beach, FL.

Sept. 4-6, 2013: The Experience Convention and Trade Show is scheduled to be held in Las Vegas, NV.