The American Rental Association has announced that it will no longer hold regional fall conferences with trade shows. The ARA board made the decision during a meeting at its convention and trade show in February.

While ARA executive vice president Chris Wehrman acknowledged that the decision was disappointing to the California Rental Association, which was working closely with ARA on the canceled Western Rental Summit r& Equipment Expo, originally scheduled for October, “I think they understood the need to make good business decisions as an association,” she said.

The association will now focus on its 2003 annual convention, to be held in Anaheim, Calif., in February. But ARA will continue to provide support for regional educational and training programs, Wehrman promised.

She noted that ARA's new RenTech program picks up where the fall shows left off. With RenTech, ARA provides logistical, promotional and organizational assistance to local, state and regional areas conducting anything from seminars to demonstration days. According to Wehrman, the flexible RenTech program “will allow people at the employee level to be involved — people who may not have the opportunity to attend one of our national shows.”

American Rental Association
1900 19th St.
Moline, IL 61265
800/334-2177
www.ararental.org