19366_Authority_August

municipalauthorities.org │ 39 Not sure you want to stand up in front of a group of supportive authority members? That’s ok, public speaking is not for everyone. How about an article for The Authority magazine? Informative articles about our industry are always in demand. Attendance at a training session doesn’t require you to be a presenter. If you need continuing education credits for your P.E., operators license, or even your attorney license, many of the offerings are preapproved to provide these credits. Speaking with your fellow audience members before or after a presentation is covered with the price of admission. How to get involved with PMAA – Everyone’s Story is Different Have you ever attended an event and met someone and realized how much you have in common? While that is an interesting experience, learning and sharing the path you traveled to get to that point in your life is much more interesting. This process is truly amazing and can impact future changes in your life as you grow as a person and gain from the experience of others. Everyone involved with PMAA has a story to tell of how they reached this point in their life and why it is important. It often starts with something small, such as attending a regional meeting, having some polite conversations, meeting a few new people, listening to the speakers, learning some new things, and gaining a better understanding. Over the next year, a couple more meetings similar to the first with interesting speakers, more people to meet and you become more comfortable with the group and the organization. You might attend the annual conference and get exposed to the full organization and realize the importance of PMAA to the state of Pennsylvania. Someone may ask you to join the Conference Committee. If you are not really sure what needs to be done, just a small amount of time is involved. You need to review White Papers ( see page 41 ) submitted by possible conference speakers, attend the Conference Committee meeting, meet more people, support the proposed sessions that you want to attend, and agree to moderate one session - no big deal. Relationships in the Exhibit Hall and Beyond The annual conference and the exhibit hall hours are a special time providing great opportunity to meet new people and build relationships with potential clients but the relationships with other associate members / exhibitors are often just as valuable. I have learned about every imaginable product or service that is needed by municipal authorities from the relationships I have built with other exhibitors. This includes engineers, attorney’s, investment bankers, insurance brokers, accountants, software programmers, pipe inspectors, tank maintenance experts, procurement experts, and many others. These relationships start with getting a general understanding of the product or service offered and lead to a discussion of common clients and projects that need collaboration. Coordination of complex projects is much easier with individuals you already know and have built a relationship with over many years. T HE BEST WAY TO BUILD THOSE RELATIONSHIPS IS TO GET INVOLVED AND PARTICIPATE .