January/February 2012
After a two-year break, ReMA returns to Las Vegas and the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, bringing with it more opportunities to make your business stronger.
When you’re talking about the ReMA convention, what happens in Vegas definitely should not stay in Vegas. That just doesn’t make good business sense. The smarter move is taking everything you learn and the connections you make at the 2012 ReMA convention and exposition—which returns April 15-19 to the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas after two years in California—and using them in your business to be more professional, more informed, and more profitable.
This year’s ReMA convention is all about helping you “Be More,” continuing the theme of the association’s recent membership campaign. As always, the world’s largest show for recyclers gives scrap buyers and sellers the information and networking opportunities they need to succeed. Come see the latest technology, equipment, and services to make your operation safer and more efficient. Hear from experts about how to improve your business and your company’s image in your community. Learn about issues and challenges facing the recycling industry locally, nationally, and worldwide. And don’t miss the opportunity to network with colleagues, vendors, and consumers from around the world. Last year’s ReMA convention drew people from 47 countries, 49 U.S. states, and the District of Columbia—all potential business associates for you. Here’s an advance look at the plans for the don’t-miss recycling event of the year.
Podium Pundits
ISRI’s 2012 convention highlights include two keynote speakers who are sure to inform and motivate. First and foremost is George W. Bush, the 43rd president of the United States. With Bush, who will speak at the chair-elect’s general session April 19, ReMA continues its tradition of showcasing former presidents at its convention, a tradition that began with Ronald Reagan in 1989 and continued with George H.W. Bush in 1997 and Bill Clinton in 2009. Since leaving the White House in 2009, Bush has turned his attention to developing the George W. Bush Presidential Center at Southern Methodist University (Dallas), which will consist of the presidential library and museum, archives, and the George W. Bush Institute.
The chair’s general session on April 17 features another dynamic speaker, Michael Maslansky, an expert in effective communication. He analyzes why people remember some messages and not others, and why the right word at the right time can mean successful communication. He’ll explain that what you say is not as important as what others hear. As CEO of Maslansky Luntz + Partners, based in New York and Washington, D.C., Maslansky advises Fortune 500 companies, industry associations, and professional communicators on language strategies that shift perceptions and move markets. His book, The Language of Trust: Selling Ideas in a World of Skeptics, explores new words, phrases, and communication techniques. This program will feature an onstage focus group, which will provide a glimpse into how people communicate.
ISRI will offer simultaneous Spanish and Chinese translation of both keynote speeches as well as other sessions held in the general session room.
Educational Opportunities
ISRI is putting the final touches on its convention workshop schedule, but you can
rest assured that its commodity spotlights and educational sessions will remain the heart of the event. The spotlights, which have become world famous, provide insights into the factors and trends that are likely to affect global commodity markets going forward. This year, the convention will shine the spotlight on aluminum, copper, ferrous, nickel/stainless, paper, electronics, plastics, lead/zinc/tin, and tires/rubber. Also, ReMA plans to reprise the popular spotlight on the economy to help attendees navigate through today’s economic turbulence.
Beyond the spotlights, the educational workshops will offer something for everyone. Attendees can choose sessions focused on a single commodity, such as paper, tires/rubber, or electronics, or mix it up by attending sessions that address a variety of commodities and disciplines. Among the programs returning to this year’s convention are materials identification workshops and toolbox talks, in which experts discuss what’s new in recycling-related equipment and technology.
The Soul of the Show
The commodity spotlights and educational workshops might be the heart of the ReMA convention, but the exposition is its soul. The exhibition space this year will span 370,000 square feet, making it the largest hall in ReMA convention history. More than 260 exhibitors are expected to occupy 464 booth spaces, and vendors have reserved more than 62,000 square feet for equipment displays.
The ReMA exposition once again will feature a silent auction to benefit the Recycling Research Foundation, ISRI’s charitable arm, which funds industry research and provides scholarships to the children of workers associated with the scrap recycling industry. The auction’s proceeds support research projects that advance the industry. Books, collectibles, artwork, event tickets, trips, gift certificates, and scrap handling equipment are among the items RRF has auctioned in the past. The foundation continues to seek donors of auction items to aid this worthy cause. Contact Tom Crane at 202/662-8536 or tomcrane@isri.org for more information or to donate items.
Just the Facts
Registration. The 2012 ReMA convention registration fee for ReMA members and their guests is $775 per person through Jan. 31, $875 from Feb. 1 to March 16, and $975 after that date. The nonmember registration fee is $1,300 per person through Jan. 31, $1,400 from Feb. 1 to March 16, and $1,500 afterward. Member tickets for the trade show only (April 17-18) are $450 per person through Jan. 31, $500 from Feb. 1 to March 16, and $550 from March 17 onward. Nonmember tickets for the trade show are $700 per person through Jan. 31, $750 from Feb. 1 to March 16, and $800 afterward.
Registering online at www.isriconvention.org is the easiest way to sign up, but you also can register by mail or fax. To register by mail, fill out a registration form (available online or in the mailed ReMA convention brochure) and send it with full payment or credit card information to ReMA Convention, 1615 L St. NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20036-5664. To register by fax, send your completed registration form with credit card payment information to 202/624-9257. ReMA plans to send confirmations within two to four weeks of receipt of properly completed registrations. Contact ReMA if you do not receive a confirmation by then.
Please note: ReMA won’t process registration forms not accompanied by payment in full or the required credit card information. It will process all registration forms received after April 6 as on-site registrations.
Lodging. The 2012 ReMA convention offers hotel options at a variety of price points, all on the grounds of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino and a short walk to the Mandalay Bay convention center. The Mandalay Bay offers 550-square-foot rooms, which have luxury beds, dual closets, floor-to-ceiling windows, flat-panel TVs (even in the bathroom), an iPod-compatible alarm clock radio, and more. The all-suite THEhotel property offers even more amenities, starting with rooms that measure at least 725 square feet, while the Four Seasons features top-of-the-line service. Both THEhotel and the Four Seasons have separate entrances, lobbies, and elevators. Visit www.mandalaybay.com, www.mandalaybay.com/thehotel, or www.fourseasons.com/lasvegas to review floor plans, photos, and additional features of the various properties.
The ReMA rate for the Mandalay Bay is $184 a night; THEhotel suites start at $214 a night; and Four Seasons rooms start at $259 a night. (All room rates are for single or double occupancy and do not include tax.) Secure those rates before the March 16 cutoff date by calling the hotels directly: 877/632-7000 for the Mandalay Bay or THEhotel; 877/632-5000 for the Four Seasons (mention the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries room block). If you prefer, you can make your room reservations online through the links at www.isriconvention.org/hotels.
For the latest schedule information, an interactive look at the exposition floor, and other convention news, visit www.isriconvention.org.