Talking Technology with NPMA

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January 4, 2016

illustration: ©istock.com/Hilch

illustration: ©istock.com/Hilch

It doesn’t seem like all that many years ago I went to Pest Management Professional (PMP) Editor-at-Large Jerry Mix, who at the time was publisher and editor-in-chief, and told him we simply had to get an email address for the magazine.

He looked at me like I was crazy (a not altogether uncommon look he’d give me during our many years working together), but agreed the digital writing was on the wall.

Now, less than 20 years later, you likely could not fathom running your business without email. Even elementary school children are assigned email addresses through which they can turn in homework and log onto educational websites. In fact, the younger generation tends to look at electronic mailing as rather old-fashioned compared to texting and Instagram.

Alexis Wirtz, CMP, vice president of conventions and meetings for the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) in Fairfax, Va., recalls how the first PesTech came about several years ago because a growing number of professionals were feeling the way Mr. Mix did: They had little idea of how to use the evolving computer technology, but there was a growing anxiety the industry was missing the boat.

“People who were bright and innovative and knew how to manage pests had almost no idea about what technology was available or how to use it,” she says. “That’s where the idea for PesTech was born: Create a venue where the program is devoted to digital technology.”

The inaugural PesTech in 2001 was so successful it was brought back the following year. But then, as Wirtz points out, two things happened.

“As quickly as technology was changing, it wasn’t changing quite quickly enough to justify an annual meeting. A tentative change was made to offer the meeting every second or third year,” Wirtz says. “About the same time, the sponsor was acquired by another company with different priorities.”

“We’ve been thinking for several years that the time has come to do it again,” she says. “Just as in the late 1990s, lots of new technology is now available, and there are few industry-centric opportunities to learn about it.”

Will there be a PesTech4.0 in 2017? It’s too early to confirm, but the NPMA’s focus on technology will continue regardless.
 

Leveling up

Wirtz says PesTech3.0 is a chance for pest management professionals (PMPs) who are already using some form of technology in their businesses to learn how to take themselves to the next level.

The conference offers a mix of outside-the-industry technology experts in a keynote format, with breakouts focused on how those in the pest management industry are using technology to advance their business. It’s also a chance for attendees to share the triumphs and challenges they have experienced with the ever-changing world of technology. The goal of the meeting is to help attendees move to the next level in using technology in their businesses, and to look at what’s on the horizon.

The NPMA Technology Committee was instrumental in creating the programming, Wirtz reports, noting how members focused on future and current trends and what technology advancements can be used in the pest management industry.

“One really important concept that came from some fact-finding was, now that companies are collecting more customer data through technology, how can they use that data to increase sales to better serve their customers?” she says.

Other topics that will be addressed at the conference include getting the best return on investment for new technologies, and how technology can be wielded in the office and field to make employees become more efficient, saving time, money and manpower.

For a brief look at this year’s scheduled events, click here.

You can reach PMP Editor Heather Gooch at hgooch@northcoastmedia.net or 330-321-9754.

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