Last week, a colleague and I went to New Orleans for the Community Association Institute’s (CAI) annual meeting. The CAI is an organization comprised of Home Owners Association members, management companies, and the companies, like Outdoor Lighting Perspectives, that service them. Outdoor Lighting Perspectives recently joined as corporate members, so we made the trek to Louisiana to learn more about the group.
Amongst the beignets and Bourbon Street, it was great to see the enthusiasm that CAI members have.Numerous members have been part of the organization for upwards of twenty years, building their businesses through the relationships they form at their meetings. They are focused on getting and giving business, but they have fun while they do it. Visiting with the Washington Metropolitan Chapter, we saw first-hand how much fun a meeting could be (think lots of loud conversations and laughter).
My favorite part of the meeting was their keynote speaker, Joel Zeff. He used improvisational games with volunteers to illustrate the importance of support, laughter, and being in the moment. The volunteers were great, and I’m positive I wasn’t the only one crying with laughter. His enthusiasm was infectious and really brought home the idea that we all need to have fun at what we do, whether it’s installing lights or making speeches.