Having just returned from four days in Salt Lake City for the 2010 YMCA General Assembly, I find myself re-energized for the work we do with YMCAs.  The conference, which had 3,000 attendees and was last held in Nashville in 2006, is the single largest gathering of YMCA staff and volunteers, and is therefore the largest gathering of DAXKO customers.

The conference, from the session speakers and tradeshow floor to the one-on-one interactions and group activities, was a fantastic event.  I applaud all those involved in its planning, including those that organized our participation, namely Amy G. and Natalie F.

The event acted as a reminder of our position as the clear market leader in the Y Movement.  It might sound a bit boisterous, but with over 400 associations as customers, it is simply a fact.  What this meant for us over the past few days was that we were constantly reconnecting with both customers and “future customers” from all over the country.  As we walked down the streets in Utah, waited for flights in the airport, and moved throughout the event center, we were always running into people we knew.

The event had an all-star roster of speakers and the content was inspiring, but there was also plenty of time for personal connections and fun…whether it was dinner with the teams at Louisville and Raleigh, lunch with the group from Boise, our happy hour reception with a couple hundred attendees, an early-morning run with Steve Tarver and Journey Johnson or celebrating at the Bash. 

Along with our annual customer conference, General Assembly is among my favorite DAXKO experiences.  We were glad to hear that they have increased the frequency of the event, now taking place every three years.  We are already looking forward to the 2013 YMCA General Assembly where we’ll once again spend time with a few thousand of our closest Y friends.