As we march into the second week of January, the self-storage industry's biggest event, the Inside Self-Storage World Expo at the Paris Hotel & Resort in Las Vegas, is now just two months away. An excellent place to get a jumpstart on the learning is Self-Storage Talk (SST), specifically the expo-related section of the forum.

In advance of the show, SST, the largest online community in the industry, is hosting pre-seminar discussion threads from all of the scheduled speakers. Posting and asking questions in these threads helps the presenters shape their sessions. Two good examples of in-progress threads are "Hey Managers, You'd Better Check This Out," which previews the Management Workshop, and "New Format: Finance Symposium," which shares details about the finance-related panel.

In both cases, the presenters are already responding to online questions and taking notes about what they should be discussing in person in March. Mel Holsinger, president and CEO of Professional Self Storage Management, is an SST moderator, so he fully embraces the opportunity to interact with other industry members on the forum. Shawn Hill and Devin Huber from The BSC Group, who will be participating in the Finance Symposium, are also engaging in the conversation and promptly answering questions. Threads about other sessions will continually pop up over the coming weeks, as well.

Another way to learn more about to scheduled speakers and their topics is to tune in to the Sounds of Storage podcast. Sponsored by SST, the podcast is in the middle of its "Speaker Series," bi-weekly Friday interviews with the leaders of some of the most-anticipated expo sessions. Shows with Jim Chiswell of Chiswell & Associates, as well as Brad North of Advantage Consulting & Management, have aired already, so take a few minutes to listen. Bookmark the podcast page or subscribe via RSS to make sure you don't miss any of the upcoming episodes. The next podcast is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 20.

If you're still on the fence about attending or sending some of your employees to attend the ISS Expo, you might want to read the thread "Your Vegas Expo Status" and vote in the poll. Several regular attendees, including facility owners and managers, have shared the learning experience at the ISS Expo is unparalleled and worth the time and resources investment. As always, SST will have a significant presence at the event. The forum will have its own booth in the same vicinity of the Inside Self-Storage booth in the exhibit hall. The SST booth will feature a "Where in the World Is SST?" world map, allowing registered members to place a pin on their hometowns. The booth also will be constantly occupied by yours truly and a steady stream of other members stopping by to say hello and socialize.

If you're still not a part of the SST crew, allow me to invite you and encourage you to get involved before the expo. You'll get more out of the event if you start the learning and networking right now. Register a free SST username by visiting www.selfstoragetalk.com and clicking "register."