{"id":12083,"date":"2026-07-08T09:28:34","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T09:28:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/listselfstorage.com\/us\/industry-insights\/?p=12083"},"modified":"2026-07-08T16:21:18","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T16:21:18","slug":"we-asked-we-listened-we-built-the-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/listselfstorage.com\/us\/industry-insights\/we-asked-we-listened-we-built-the-show\/","title":{"rendered":"We Asked. We Listened. We Built THE Show."},"content":{"rendered":"


\n\"\"<\/a>As publisher of Modern Storage Media, I\u2019ve had the privilege of attending more self-storage conferences and trade shows than I could possibly count. Some have been outstanding. Others…not so much. But over the years, one thing became abundantly clear. No matter where I went, I kept hearing the same comments.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI hate having to choose between educational sessions and spending time on the trade show <\/span><\/span><\/span>floor.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere just isn\u2019t enough time to really network.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI want education I can actually use when I get home.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

When we began planning THE Show, we didn\u2019t start by asking who our keynote speakers should be or what venue we should use. Instead, we asked ourselves one simple question:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

What are the biggest complaints people have about today\u2019s trade shows?<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Then we challenged ourselves to address every one of them.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

That philosophy became the foundation for everything we\u2019ve built.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

One of the first things we changed was eliminating the conflict between education and the exhibit hall. We intentionally designed the schedule so attendees don\u2019t have to choose between learning from industry experts and spending valuable time with exhibitors. You should be able to do both.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

We also focused on creating meaningful networking opportunities and practical education that attendees can put to work the moment they return home.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Most importantly, we wanted people to leave Atlanta feeling they had made a worthwhile investment\u2014not just of money, but of their time. That\u2019s a high standard, but it\u2019s the one we held ourselves to every step of the way.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Another thing that makes this year\u2019s event especially significant is that\u00a0THE Show is the only national self-storage trade show being held east of the Mississippi in 2026<\/b>. If you\u2019re planning to attend just one national event this year, Atlanta is where the industry will come together.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

One thing I\u2019ve always believed is that a great conference shouldn\u2019t just make you a better storage operator\u2014it should make you a better businessperson. That\u2019s why we looked beyond our own industry when selecting keynote speakers.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

On\u00a0Wednesday at 9:00 a.m.<\/b>, we\u2019re honored to welcome\u00a0Congressman Jefferson Shreve<\/b>\u00a0of Indiana and\u00a0Congressman Troy Downing<\/b>\u00a0of Montana. Both are successful self-storage operators who also happen to serve in Congress. Their unique perspective from both the boardroom and Washington promises to be an engaging and insightful discussion.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Then, on\u00a0Thursday at 9:00 a.m.<\/b>, less than 24 hours after the midterm elections,\u00a0Scott Jennings<\/b>, senior political commentator for CNN, will take the stage. Regardless of your political views, the election results will influence the business climate we all operate in. I believe Scott\u2019s perspective on what those results mean for business and the economy will be one of the most timely presentations you\u2019ll hear all year.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, a great conference is about more than education.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019ll kick things off with an unforgettable Opening Night Reception at the\u00a0Georgia Aquarium<\/b>, where attendees will network while enjoying a reception catered by legendary chef\u00a0Wolfgang Puck<\/b>. Then, on Thursday evening, we\u2019ll celebrate our industry\u2019s finest at the\u00a0Red Carpet Awards Gala<\/b>, where we\u2019ll recognize the\u00a0Manager of the Year<\/b>\u00a0and\u00a0Facility of the Year<\/b>\u00a0winners live on stage.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

For now, I simply wanted to share how it all began\u2014with one simple question.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

What would happen if we actually listened to what attendees wanted from a trade show?<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This November in Atlanta, I think you\u2019ll see the answer.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I look forward to welcoming you personally.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Contact<\/u>:
\n<\/span><\/span><\/span>Poppy Behrens
\n<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span>Publisher
\n<\/span><\/span><\/span>Modern Storage Media<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As publisher of Modern Storage Media, I\u2019ve had the privilege of attending more self-storage conferences and trade shows than I could possibly count. Some have been outstanding. Others…not so much. But over the years, one thing became abundantly clear. No matter where I went, I kept hearing the same comments. \u201cI hate having to choose between educational sessions and spending time on the trade show floor.\u201d \u201cThere just isn\u2019t enough time to really network.\u201d \u201cI want education I can actually use when I get home.\u201d When we began planning THE…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":12084,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6,21],"tags":[],"gutentor_comment":0,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/listselfstorage.com\/us\/industry-insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12083"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/listselfstorage.com\/us\/industry-insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/listselfstorage.com\/us\/industry-insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/listselfstorage.com\/us\/industry-insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/listselfstorage.com\/us\/industry-insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12083"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/listselfstorage.com\/us\/industry-insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12083\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12115,"href":"https:\/\/listselfstorage.com\/us\/industry-insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12083\/revisions\/12115"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/listselfstorage.com\/us\/industry-insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12084"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/listselfstorage.com\/us\/industry-insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12083"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/listselfstorage.com\/us\/industry-insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12083"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/listselfstorage.com\/us\/industry-insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12083"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}