Inland Empire SMC Dazzles with Fun, Innovative Events
The Los Angeles marketplace is competitive and crowded, yet the Inland Empire SMC routinely draws more than 300 people to its meetings, 1,100 people to its annual awards program, and continues to grow membership over 600. This is no easy task, but because of their thoughtful planning and detailed execution, the Inland Empire SMC is a success.

Keys to Their Success
While the Inland Empire SMC is successful on many levels, they really shine when it comes to event planning. Whether it’s a monthly meeting at a Harley-Davidson dealership, a motivational sales rally, or a gala awards program, the SMC finds a balance of fun and education, and recognition and innovation in their programming.

The Right Mix of Events
The SMC looks for Program Committee co-chairs who are familiar with event planning, and are therefore knowledgeable of the necessary details — from the planning to the execution of an event. Each year, the SMC Board of Directors goes on a retreat to plan the following year. When it comes to planning events and programs, the Program Committee brings ideas to the retreat. The SMC Board then hashes out their ideas, looking for a balance of events that “meet our educational goals and at the same time are fun and interesting,” said Randy Hlubik, 2005 SMC President. “We strive to find topics that are timely and appeal to builders, and also plan events at new venues, so we don’t recycle the same event over and over.”

Finding that right mix of location, speakers, timing, and topics, is a challenge, but with the work of the Planning Committee and the Board, the SMC “holds good quality programs at interesting places,” said Hlubik. And the without Program Committee Co-Chairs Tad Creasy and Peter Altuchow, the events would not have been as successful in 2005.

Focus on Education
To build their educational programs, the Inland Empire SMC has focused on holding CSP and IRM courses much more intently than before. By listening to their members, the SMC learned of an increased demand for IRM courses, and delivered by supplying them. The SMC recognizes those who take IRM courses by publishing their names in the SMC newsletter, which adds to the value of these courses. Additionally, they hold two sales rallies each year — one in the spring and one in the fall. The SMC partners with other area SMCs to produce the sales rally. The SMCs share the revenues, but it also allows them to bring in “bigger, more visible speakers,” said Hlubik. Education co-chairs Cynde Combs and Ric Hernandez ensure the success of the education program by listening to their membership and delivering education that the membership wants.

Inland Empire's marketing for Laurel Awards program

Bring Out Builders
The Inland Empire SMC works to build a bridge between their membership and that of the BIA. SMC Board members hold seats on the BIA Board, and BIA Board members are encouraged to join the SMC Board. This cooperation “has helped foster stronger industry ties with greater participation,” according to Hlubik.

The SMC and BIA often hold joint monthly meetings together, as they did with their August meeting. Not only was it a meeting of the two organizations, but they generated plenty of “buzz” before the event. The meeting was scheduled at a new master-planned community in the area — The Retreat by Empire Companies — which had been visible in the local media because of the scale, pricing, and amenities of the community.

Before the meeting, shuttle buses ran every 10 minutes on a model home tour. The tour was followed a social hour with a Latin jazz band, then dinner and the meeting. SMC and BIA Board members were recognized at the meeting, furthering the connection between the two organizations. Not only did the meeting offer a chance for BIA and SMC members to interact, but it also had “good food and fun times,” said Hlubik.

Recognition for Members
The Inland Empire SMC’s premiere event for the year is the Laurel Awards – the annual sales and marketing awards program. This awards program drew 1,100 attendees in 2005. The SMC promotes the event through the year, including ads in the LA Times and other outlets. Because of this visibility in the community, builders are anxious to publicize their winnings to the public, which generates even more media attention. The awards program is key in capturing builders, or “bringing them into the fold,” said Hlubik.

Another facet of their recognition is a quarterly sales awards program, which rewards “dedicated sales associates” in six categories of home prices. Winners are announced at the spring and fall sales rallies.

Eye-Catching Marketing Pieces
The SMC takes a multi-pronged approach when marketing their events. Several SMC members work at ad agencies, and a few are active Board members who share responsibility for designing the ads and marketing pieces. With each design, they use the same SMC masthead for branding and consistency, but give each piece a different and eye-catching design.

To market the events, they post the flyers on the website, send two e-mail blasts, and also drop a direct mail piece. SMC Board members take the promotional materials to BIA meetings, and the ads run in local media outlets. With this approach, the SMC reaches as many members as possible. Hlubik also credits their marketing success to “word of mouth by members who talk up our events.”

Fun Events at Different Venues
Venue selection is an integral key to their planning, and the SMC definitely keeps their events fresh and fun with new locations. The Laurel Awards was held at the Pechanga Resort Casino — a dazzling, new casino in Southern California. One of their monthly meetings was held at the Harley-Davidson dealership. These events create a buzz factor and also bring out members who might not attend a typical meeting.

For the Harley-Davidson event, motorcycles were moved out of the showroom and tables were set up. The meeting topic was focused on branding, and the highlight was the renaissance of Harley-Davidson in recent years, and how the company has reinvented itself. A consultant on branding addressed attendees, and the event also featured a surf band and motorcycle photo ops. While the event was fun, the SMC also ensured that it was educational and informative for participants.

The End Result
The fun and innovative events the Inland Empire SMC plans merely scratches the surface of their success. But no matter how successful their other committees and programs are, the Inland Empire grows and retains membership by staging unique and useful education, recognition, and meeting events. [ return to top ]