EDUCATION Attending ALOA Events — At All Costs us in the past. So lodging costs, addressed. Class costs. Yes, they are high compared to the classes you take at a vendor show or similar settings. But they are also, generally speaking, more hands-on and topic-related, not brand-specific. Because of this, we not only pay our instructors and cover the same lodging and travel costs you incur, but we also have to pay for shipping of the materi- als used in these hands-on classes. Is there a solution to lowering the price of classes? There are several, most of which lower the quality of the class, which we are striving to increase. But there are a few op- tions out there that might lower the cost, all of which are being looked into by the ALOA board and staff at this time. Cost of lost revenue while you’re away. This, unfortunately, is another item ALOA can’t help with directly. However, in most cases, when you have learned a new skill or enhanced an existing one, does that not generally equate to more income? When you learn something at these classes that increases your ability to service an expanded customer base or take care of more of your existing customer’s needs, doesn’t it stand to reason that your income will go up, not ne- gating but mitigating some or all of that loss? Hey, it’s all theory and conjecture until you try it. The education department at ALOA has been attempting for the past 18 months to organize a couple of regional “Educa- tion Weekends,” with classes in parts of the country that expressed their feelings of neglect by ALOA in getting education near them. The problem is that when these were attempted, registrations were so low that we were forced to cancel the sessions. Does that mean we won’t try again? Ab- solutely not. In fact, I will ask again for you to email me and tell me what part of the country you would like to see classes and where you believe there is enough support to host them. Once again to invoke the spirit of Mr. Dawson, “And the survey says ….” We lis- ten. We hear you. We understand, and we are trying very hard. And by the way, if you think there is enough support in your area for ALOA classes, email me and let us come to you. ancock, CML, CMST, A’s education manager, n his locksmithing ca- r at the age of 8 in his dfather’s lock shop fport, MS. He has ed in every aspect of usiness, from shop tech bile tech to operations gement. In 2003 and , he was presented with ructor of the Year. You g or (214) 819-9733. A SECURITY BONANZA July 19–25, 2015 Trade Show July 24–25, 2015. 56 KEYNOTES NOVEMBER 2014 WWW.ALOA.ORG
