by Andy McDonald, SVP, Government Affairs, OAAA
OAAA’s 2024 Safety Seminar was held this past week in partnership with Formetco in their state of the art showroom on its corporate campus in Duluth, Georgia, which from overhearing many of the attendees is one of the most impressive presentation facilities they have ever seen. The welcome reception, sponsored by Associated Posters, Inc. (API), was held the evening of October 1st at Nacho Daddy’s in downtown Duluth, where attendees networked, ate some incredible Mexican food, and enjoyed some beverages API took great care of all attendees, the same as it does all of its printing customers.
The Safety Seminar kicked off on the morning of October 2nd with a catered breakfast sponsored by Daktronics, a prime manufacturer of digital sign displays. Following breakfast, the attendees got down to the business of brushing up on, and in many instances, increasing their safety knowledge and industry best practices through presentations ranging from OSHA’s Area Director and Compliance Assistance Specialist to one of the nation’s leading OSHA defense attorneys; from USDOT compliance and safety to Digital Billboard Maintenance and Recycling; from Structural Upgrades & Inspections to a discussion of hot topics in a State of the Industry panel, as well as an introduction in sustainability to a nonprofit focused on upcycling used billboard vinyl for use as emergency tarps for storm victims.
Attendees were busy taking notes in the notebooks sponsored by Meadow Outdoor Advertising. Bob Chesonis, VP of Environmental, Health & Safety at OUTFRONT, said of the Seminar, “it was a home run,” while Ken Guy, VP of Real Estate and Operations for Link Media Outdoor, said it was “one of the best [Safety Seminars] ever.”
In addition to the Safety Seminar’s sponsors, the Seminar’s tabletop vendors, Tritech Fall Protection and OutdoorLink, were provided an opportunity to educate attendees on their companies and latest products. Tritech’s knowledge and expertise in the OOH industry allows its fall protection systems to specifically address industry needs, and everyone knows of OutdoorLink’s SmartLink system and its 5G controllers that allow for digital displays, media players, and routers to be remotely rebooted when needed.
Not only did Formetco host the Safety Seminar, for those attendees whose return trips home were not until October 3rd, Formetco graciously hosted a farewell reception at Truck & Tap in downtown Duluth. Food and drinks were second only to the conversations and sharing of favorite parts of the Seminar, while discussing how the next one can be even better.
OAAA thanks its partner and host, Formetco, and its sponsors, Associated Posters, Inc., Daktronics, and Meadow Outdoor Advertising, along with its tabletop vendors, Tritech Fall Protection and OutdoorLink, as well as all of the attendees who traveled from far and wide for the incredible support in helping make its 2024 Safety Seminar a great success!
Published: October 4, 2024