I am thinking of attending the expo in nashvile oct7-10. Has anyone been there and is it worth the $? I am looking at building a storage unit and have never done this type of project before so i was thinking of the tuesday developers class, plus the classes the rest of the week and the legal seminar on friday. Has anyone been to the classes? is it worth the time and
$?

As a vendor, my viewpoint may be biased but if you are considering the industry, then an expo is decidedly worth it. Vendors covering every aspect of the business will be there so you can see product up close and the trade show environment tends to NOT be hard sell. In addition, there is any number of industry experts in a variety of areas, from consultants to financial folks to marketeers, etc etc.

Too many get into storage thinking it's going to be an easy path to a fast buck, evidently forgetting that no such thing exists. While storage can be lucrative, and you'll see plenty of people who have made good money at it, it is still work and has its own unique set of requirements for owners.

The information you pick up and contacts you make are well worth the cost of attending. Even if you decide against building, what you pay for the expo pails to what you'll pay for financing a bad decision.

I went to the Las Vegas Expo last Feb. and it was great! I have been a manager here for about 4 years and I learned so much. The legal classes were the most important to me. Legal issues are very sketchy to say the least when it comes to storage. Every state has a different statute, and they are not easy to understand. They can be interpreted differently by different people. I say "GO" and "LEARN" as much as you can. And have a good time too! The vendors are great, very informative, and everyone has fun!

Should you attend? YES YES YES
I started my self storage business 23 years ago with no previous experience in this field. It was trial and error for 9 years. Very frustrating! Then in 1994 I attended an ISS Expo in Nashville. Since then I have never missed a year of attending one or more ISS Expos somewhere across the country. Still I learn something at every show to take home with me and implement. Truely the best money I have ever spent.
Hope to see you there. Good Luck
p.s. In my opinion the ISS Inside Self Storage Magazine is also a must. More money well spent.