The New York Self Storage Association (NYSSA) will host its 2014 conference and membership meeting, Oct. 15-16, at the Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, N.Y. The two-day event will feature educational seminars, vendor exhibits and a cocktail reception.

The first day of the conference features a Real Estate & Finance Symposium in which industry professionals will evaluate and discuss the New York self-storage market. Topics will include acquisition strategies, facility refinancing and development. Also on day one will be three workshops: “Legal Issues at the Point of Sale,” presented by Joseph Miller of Miller & Lee LLP; “Cross-Cultural Sales and Customer-Service Strategies,” presented by Tron Jordheim, vice president of marketing for StorageMart; and “Own the Phone: 10 Reasons to Follow Up Within 10 Minutes,” presented by Kyle Shelton, sales-team lead at SpareFoot.

The second day of the conference will feature a seminar on technology and operation, presented by Syrasoft President Tom Garden, who will talk about ways in which technology can improve a self-storage business. Also on day two will be a Building Design & Development Panel, in which national builders and manufacturers will discuss the evolution of the self-storage product; a seminar titled “Maximizing Profitability through Electronic Payments,” presented by Sherry Burris of PayPros; and a Legal Panel focusing on issues specific to New York state.

The annual conference is open to the public, and interested parties can register for $125, which covers both days. Association members who sign up by Oct. 8 will receive a 20 percent discount. The cost to attend the workshops is $50 per person. Details are available at www.nyselfstorage.org.  

Last year’s event garnered the largest attendance on record, according to an NYSSA press release. Formed in 1982, the NYSSA is a nonprofit that provides education and legal support to self-storage professionals in New York.