Cost
RCA Member Companies: Unlimited, no-charge registration (does not include golf event)
Retailers: No charge
Architects: First registration from each organization, no charge; additional registrants $199
Refunds: Refunds will be made for any cancellations received on or before March 1. Substitute names may be provided at any time. No refunds will be given for golf if the course decides to cancel the event for weather-related reasons.
Note: The RCA Annual Conference is open to member GCs, prospective members, retailers, architects, and developers. Our only vendor attendees are our sponsors. If you are interested in sponsor opportunities, you can view them here or contact [email protected].
Lodging
Reserve through the SPECS room block. Click here for venue information.
You must be registered for the conference to get the group rate. Access code for the room block rate will be provided in your event confirmation email.
Friday, March 8, 2024
6:00pm–8:00 pm
Welcome Reception
Vineyard Terrace (weather backup: Yellow Rose Pavilion in the Gaylord Atrium)
Saturday, March 8, 2024
All conference sessions are in High Plains 1-2-3 (Vineyard Tower)
7:30–7:45 am
Hot Breakfast Buffet & for Roundtable Moderators
7:45–8:30 am
Hot Breakfast Buffet
8:00–9:00 am
Roundtables (topics to be announced prior to the conference)
9:00–9:15 am
Welcome Remarks & Sponsor/Underwriter Recognition
Eric Handley, RCA President
9:15–10:15 am
The HERO EFFECT®
Kevin Brown, Leadership Speaker, Entrepreneur, & Author
Kevin Brown’s unconventional path to business and personal success has taught him that winning in business and in life requires anything but conventional thinking. His blue-collar roots taught him the value of hard work and determination. With a streetwise aptitude and a never quit attitude, he worked his way from the front lines in business to the executive boardroom.
Kevin understands what drives organizational excellence and customer loyalty. He knows first-hand how great brands think, feel and act. He spent the last 20 years of his corporate career as part of a leadership team that built a little-known family business into the number one franchise in their industry with annual revenues exceeding $2 billion. Since 2016, he has traveled the world pursuing a mission to share The HERO Effect® message with as many people and organizations as possible.
The HERO Effect® is a simple philosophy that separates world-class organizations and high-performance people from everybody else. Kevin is passionate about helping people expand their vision, develop their potential, and grow their results. He has spoken to a wide variety of organizations including American Express, Delta Airlines, PayPal, ExxonMobil, Nationwide, H&R Block, Sprint, Ernst & Young, Million Dollar Round Table, Merck, Booz Allen Hamilton, and many more.
10:15–10:30 am
Break
10:30–11:30 am
Economic Update
Anirban Basu, Chairman & CEO of Sage Policy Group, Inc.
Sage Policy Group is a Baltimore-based economic and policy consultancy he founded in 2004. He serves the Chief Economist function for many organizations, including the Maryland Bankers Association and Associated Builders and Contractors. The Baltimore Business Journal named him one of the region’s 20 most powerful business leaders in 2010. In 2022, he entered the Daily Record newspaper’s Circle of Influence. He is the Distinguished Economist in Residence at Goucher College, where he teaches History of Economic Thought. He holds four graduate degrees, including a J.D. and a Ph.D.
11:30 am–1:00 pm
Business Meeting
- Introduction of New Board Members
- State of the Association
- Strategic Planning
- Regional Events
Board Transition
- Recognition of Outgoing Board & Advisory Board Members
Greetings from SPECS
Deena M. Amato-McCoy, SPECS Program Director, Chain Store Age
Gary Esposito, Vice President, Group Publisher Chain Store Age; SPECS Chairman
Roundtables (topics to be announced prior to the conference)
1:00 pm–2:00 pm
THE Coming AI Disruption: How artificial intelligence will impact your business and the decisions you need to be making now
Gene Marks, The Marks Group
You've read about ChatGPT, Google's Bard and other AI tools that will be changing the way we work, both in the short and longer term. As a business leader you want to leverage this technology to increase both productivity and profits. So what should you know now? Where should you be investing?
During this fast-moving, informative and entertaining presentation, Forbes Technology columnist and consultant Gene Marks will share his thoughts on the biggest AI trends that will affect your business in the near and long term and help you make the right investment decisions to fully take advantage of this new technology. Gene will bring you up to date by discussing and recommending AI tools, platforms, services and software that will:
- improve your recruiting, management and productivity of your workforce;
- help to minimize security threats and play a crucial role in fraud prevention for businesses;
- help to ensure compliance with industry regulations and standards
- significantly enhance customer experience;
- decrease your sales cycle, help close more deals and enhance your marketing campaigns;
- build a more valuable company through better analytics and data integrity;
- And much more!
2:00–2:15 pm
Break
2:15–3:00 pm
Panel Discussion: AI Case Study
3:00 pm
Sponsor Door Prize Drawings
Closing Remarks
Eric Handley, RCA President
6:00–10:00 pm
Dinner & Casino Night
Cocktail reception, buffet dinner, casino nights & prizes. Dress your Texas Best!
RCA will provide shuttle service to/from Cowboys Golf Club.
- 6:00 pm Cocktails
- 6:30 pm Dinner
- 7:00 pm Casino Night & Lawn Games
- 9:00 pm Late Night Snack
- 9:30 pm Prizes Announced (must be present to win)
Sunday, March 10, 2024
9:30 am arrival; 10:30am shotgun start
Golf Tournament @ Grapevine Golf Course
3800 Fairway Drive, Grapevine, TX 76051
Transportation to Golf Tournament is individual responsibility. Scramble format with prizes for top foursome, closest to the pin, longest drive, and more. Additional fee to register. Foursome and individual registration are available. Retailers can register at no charge. Registration includes breakfast buffet, snacks and soft drinks on the course, and lunch. Rental clubs available for an additional fee of $75+tax (payment is made direct to course on day of event).
Individual Golfers: $150 / Foursome: $600
SPECS Information
Chain Store Age magazine and SPECS offer RCA members* a discount for the annual SPECS event. The "RCA Members Only" discount includes an exclusive second and third person rate (other GCs are limited to one additional attendee).
SPECS 2024 will be held at the Gaylord Texan, Grapevine, TX, March 10-12, 2024. As part of RCA’s continued partnership with Chain Store Age and SPECS, RCA members can take advantage of discounted registration fees.
For 2024, the RCA Advance Member Rate (by January 31, 2024) for the first registration is $1,999. SPECS is offering an additional second and third person rate of $1,899 each. In order for RCA members to receive the SPECS 2024 registration rate, they must register at the same time, be a verified member of the RCA, meet the SPECS criteria for GC attendees*, and stay at the event hotel during the SPECS event. After January 31, the rate is $2,399 per person.
Registration fees include all meal functions, sessions, exhibits and evening receptions. These rates compare to the non-RCA registration rate of $2,799 (by 10/31/2023), $3,299 (by 2/29/2024), and $3,799 (after 2/29/2024), with only one additional person allowed from each General Contractor.
For more information on SPECS and to register, visit specsshow.com. The RCA member discount will be applied at checkout and verified by SPECS.
*To qualify as a non-exhibiting GC company, companies must build stores from the ground up and/or provide total store renovations/remodels. Companies must not offer any facility management/maintenance programs or services. Subcontractors/installers do not quality as a GC. Companies will be evaluated on an individual basis.
