In today's hectic world, attending an industry event may not be your top priority, however, what you gain from attending could ultimately help your bottom-line. Profit is important to our business and we often make investments that will improve profitability. Time is also more valuable than ever to most of us. Why then, should we invest our time and money to attend industry events?

Recently we attended the CHBA conference in beautiful Banff, AB for Housing Week in Canada. Our thoughts on investing time into this conference can be summarized as follows: where else can you network, make valuable industry connections, explore new and innovative products, practices, technology and absorb a wealth of knowledge in such a short time? There is so much value in attending industry events. This is not limited to conferences! Whether through dinner meetings, social mixers, Advisory Group meetings, or volunteering on a committee:

• You'll better understand where the industry is heading
• You'll have access to industry innovation, new ideas and technological advances
• You'll discover market trends and industry opportunities to help your business stand out
• You'll learn new best practices and identify what successful strategies you can implement in your business
• You'll connect with others in the industry to add new perspective while supporting your industry
• You'll develop new skills through workshops and roundtable sessions within the industry
• You'll have a bigger presence in your industry which increases brand awareness and connection

With so many benefits, how could you afford not to getting the most value out of your Association membership through industry events? And how do you decide which events to attend? Take a look at the Association's latest newsletter, select the events that most interest you and that you believe will bring the greatest benefit to your company. This will directly contribute to that bottom line in the long-term. Make it count and I can't wait to see you at future industry events!

Donovan Williams is the current President of the QHBA. He has lived in the Quinte region his entire life, born in Belleville, and residing in Stirling. Donovan was drawn to the industry early on in high school, excelling in technical skills and trade. Through a co-op program which progressed Donovan full time into the trades (HVAC), it gave him a huge head start into becoming licensed, and on to ownership/startup of his local HVAC business by the age of 19. Donovan has owned and operated an HVAC business in the Stirling region for the more than ten years, servicing the entire Quinte region. Donovan made the decision to invest time into the industry by serving on the QHBA Board beginning in 2016 as membership chair, then serving as Treasurer on the Executive and this year becoming the Association President. Donovan believes that this experience has allowed him to gain tremendous knowledge and connections in our fast-paced industry, and positively grow in all aspects of his professional and personal aspirations. Today, Donovan has transitioned himself to a multi-faceted company, Excalibur Group, building custom homes and providing full HVAC services to the Quinte Region.