RS2 Technologies LLC, Munster, Ind., a provider of access control systems, announced that its third Annual Dealer Conference (held February 22-25 in Phoenix) received rave reviews from participating dealers, sponsors, presenters and suppliers. The four-day event, whose theme was “Riding the New Economic Wave,” featured new product and marketing presentations from some of RS2’s strategic marketing partners, technical presentations from experts in smart card and other technologies, and RS2 presentations on its own new products, such as Access It!® Lite.NET and First Step Plus.

The conference, held at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa in Phoenix, also featured industry experts and speakers, such as luncheon keynote speaker Lou Trammel, director of the Arizona Department of Emergency Management. Trammel, the 2007 “Arizona Emergency Manager of the Year,” spoke on the unique security challenges facing a state that has an international border and six ports of entry. Steve Rogers, a recognized expert on FICAM and HSPD-12, spoke on the impact of the recent White House OMB memorandum on implementation of HSPD-12 and PIV credentials. Joseph Clouatre, an industry marketing veteran, spoke on the need for what he calls “extreme customer service.”

Participating suppliers included many “veterans” such as Schlage, ASSA ABLOY, Mercury Security, Farpointe Data, March Networks, AWID, HID Global, and Bruder Mfg., and “newcomers” such as EasyLobby. Suppliers were universally enthusiastic in their praise of the event. Steve Shepard, North American sales manager at Farpointe Data, said, “The RS2 Dealer Conference was — in a word — awesome. It has become one of the best industry networking opportunities of the year. I’m already looking forward to next year’s conference.” Julie Davenport-Beach, regional manager,  OEM and strategic integration at Ingersoll Rand, commented that the RS2 conference “is always very valuable to us. It’s a terrific opportunity to interact with RS2’s great dealers all at one time. We’ll definitely be back next year.”
RS2 dealers from near and far were equally enthusiastic in their praise.

In summarizing the 2011 Dealer Conference, RS2 director of dealer development Dave Barnard commented, “Each year, we try to raise the level of the conference, in terms of content, venue, and level of dealer and supplier participation. Our objective is to give our dealers something that makes them more competitive in the marketplace and increases their revenue. It’s as simple as that.”