The Florida Home Builders Association-sponsored Southeast Building Conference - now in its 27th year as the largest regional building industry trade show and educational conference in the South - will be July 14-16 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando. The SEBC is a favorite of many members of the Northeast Florida Builders Association. The online registration process is now open at www.sebcshow.com.
Former New York Mayor and likely 2008 U.S. Presidential candidate Rudolph Giuliani is the keynote speaker. This year’s SEBC - themed “Building Strength Through Leadership” - offers powerful educational benefits for Northeast Florida Builders Association members, their employees and associates. Discounts are available for multiple registrations from the same firm and for one-day registrants.
The event showcases more than 850 exhibits of building industry products and services - including the Code Central collection of exhibits featuring hurricane-mitigation materials and construction techniques - and is expected to draw over 15,000 housing professionals. Each day of the show major prizes will be given away in the exhibit hall. Free exhibit hall passes are available to association members, their employees and associates and can be accessed at the SEBC Web site.
Education is the cornerstone of the SEBC and Florida contractors can use the event to collect all 14 hours they need every two years to renew their contractors’ licenses.
The annual Sales Rally on July 15 is the focal point of comprehensive education for sales and marketing professionals.
Back by popular demand is mold and moisture expert Joseph Lstiburek, a forensic engineer from Westford, Mass., who recently conducted a study of water intrusion issues in Florida homes. Other top speakers include renowned lecturer and author Sarah Susanka (The “Not So Big House”), veteran Colorado housing consultant Chuck Shinn (25 Sure Ways to Improve Profitability), and Texas sales and marketing pro Beverly Koehn (Selling Value Not Price).
SEBC is home for the best remodeling education in the South. This year’s lineup of remodeling seminars - which offers courses leading to the professional designations of Certified Graduate Remodeler (CGR) and Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS) - includes two seminars by noted remodeling expert Victoria Downing of Fulton, Md. The seminars are entitled “Low-Cost, Hard-Hitting Business Strategies” and “Managing Conflict: Dealing with Difficult Issues.”
The New Southern Home is always a highlight of the SEBC. This year’s showcase home will feature a dramatic transformation of a 1950s Brittany farmhouse into a 6,900-square-foot European villa. The home will be open daily during the SEBC.
SEBC hosts two of the industry’s most prestigious awards competitions: The Aurora Awards for design excellence and The Excel Awards for sales and marketing achievements. The Excel Awards are presented on Friday, July 15 during a reception and the Auroras are presented on Saturday, July 16 at a gala at the Rosen Centre Hotel.
The Rosen Centre and the Peabody are again offered as the primary hotels for the SEBC and contact information on both properties is available at www.sebcshow.com.
The FHBA Summer Builders Conference will be held in conjunction with the SEBC. The Summer FHBA Board of Directors meeting is set for 9:15 a.m. on Sunday, July 17, at the Rosen Centre Hotel.