Managers On A Mission Attends AEMA Convention 2013

Two Red eye flights and 3323 miles later, two of Managers On A Mission’s Executive Board Members returned home from a successful trip to Las Vegas. The purpose of the trip to Vegas was to attend the Athletic Equipment Managers Association’s (AEMA) annual convention. Here is one of the attendees, Chris Herkenhoff's, first hand recollection of the trip.

Despite landing a little after midnight local time, we stepped outside of the airport and were instantly engulfed by the heat. After a short shuttle ride to the hotel, and checking into our room Drew and I called it a night despite the allure of the slots and card tables just feet away.  Waking up refreshed and excited to connect with fellow equipment managers, we set up shop in the lobby after a light breakfast.  With no official convention events taking place until late afternoon, we patiently scoped out familiar faces and caught up. Before we knew it, it was time to attend the new member meet and greet. This event turned out to be a perfect time to meet some new managers and spread the word about MOAM. This event also allowed Drew the privilege of connecting with one of the equipment industries most respected figures, Jon Falk of Michigan.  

After the meet and greet, next on the docket was the convention’s General Meeting. At this meeting AEMA afforded MOAM the wonderful opportunity to give a two minute plug introducing everyone to our new organization. Despite little time to prepare, Drew Boe delivered a great informational speech about MOAM and its mission. Being able to speak in front of the 300 plus attendees, this opportunity alone was worth the trek to the “sin city.” Following the closing of the general meeting we quickly hopped into a cab to attend the Under Armour reception, taking place down the strip. Again this was a valuable time for us to connect with several interested individuals. Surprisingly after the Under Armour social we were able to evade the call of the casino and again were in bed, or the floor for some of us, shortly after midnight.

Wednesday morning kicked off with the privilege of MOAM to speak at the Conference USA’s conference meeting. Even though this was much smaller in scale compared to the general meeting, it was still a success as many of the C-USA managers expressed interest in the MOAM program. Following the C-USA meeting it was time for vendor exhibits. With the likes of Riddell, Schutt, Nike, Under Amour and many other vendors in attendance Drew and I split up in hopes of connecting with each vendor. The rest of Wednesday consisted of varying continuing education seminars, capped off in the evening by the Riddell reception. Again, this reception provided another amazing opportunity for Drew and myself to connect with numerous equipment managers.

Thursday, the third and final day, was much a day of wrapping up. With several attendees leaving town early Thursday morning we followed up with those that were still at the convention. However, we MOAM constituents had some time to burn, as we were catching another redeye flight. So, yes as expected, we were finally able to get a little gambling in. I sadly report neither of us left profitable. Still with some time to burn we made one last walk down the strip, grabbing dinner. Despite deciding to walk to the airport, which I would not recommend for future purposes, we still arrived well before our departure time. 

Managers on a Mission would like to thank everyone who took the time to connect with us at the AEMA convention.  A special thank you to AEMA president Dan Siermine, Rich Worner and the rest of the Conference USA, in addition to MOAM ambassadors Kyle Gergely, Nathan Hinkley and Peter Murray.

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