Wireless Leadership Summit | Enterprise Wireless Alliance

Join us at the 2019 Wireless Leadership Summit, October 23-24!

Make plans now to attend EWA’s Wireless Leadership Summit, October 23 and 24 at the InterContinental Kansas City at the Plaza, in Kansas City, Missouri.

The industry's top leaders and EWA members, including sales and service provider business owners, manufacturers and vendors, and business/enterprises will be there to network and discuss what the future holds for their businesses and the industry. With expert-led sessions, ample networking opportunities, and a vendor showcase, the Wireless Leadership Summit is where you can explore new technology solutions, benefit from actionable information, collaborate with your peers, and be inspired.

Register now to take advantage of early registration rates. Please note that Harris, Hytera, JVCKENWOOD and Motorola dealers can apply co-op funds to their registration. The last day for early registration is September 20.

Click through the tabs in the green bar to discover exciting details about this year's event.

Have questions?

Attendee Information
Tracey Petitt
Tracey.Petitt@EnterpriseWireless.org
703-797-5113

Exhibitor Information
Elaine Walsh
Conference Director
Elaine.Walsh@EnterpriseWireless.org
520-620-0063

We are looking forward to seeing you in Kansas City this October!

Wireless Leadership Summit Program

The Wireless Leadership Summit program includes an informative mix of regulatory, technical and business management topics, in sessions led by industry experts.

The 2019 program is below and will be updated with new information on sessions and speakers. If you are not a member of EWA, please email Membership@EnterpriseWireless.org to receive Leadership Summit updates.

Certification Training

Co-located with the Wireless Leadership Summit, EWA’s Private Wireless Education Council is offering two 2-day training courses: DAS/BDAs and General Communications Technician Level 1. Each course concludes with ETA certification testing. More information is available at the "Certification" tab of this site.

This program is subject to change

Wednesday, October 23
8 a.m. – Noon	Special Interest Group Meetings (to be announced)
10 a.m. – 1 p.m.	EWA Board of Directors Meeting (closed meeting)
1 – 2:30 p.m.	Lunch on Your Own
2:30 – 4 p.m.	What Everyone Ought to Know about Regulatory and Political Trends Affecting the Wireless Industry The 2019 Summit opens with the EWA Annual Membership Meeting and State of the Industry, led by EWA Chairman of the Board David Reeves and Mark Crosby, EWA President. At the forefront of the discussion will be 2020 Spectrum Initiatives and top advocacy issues, offering insights and action items for attendees.
4 – 4:14 p.m.	Break
4:15 – 5:30 p.m.	Twinning Your Competition: Why 86% of Your Prospective Buyers Can’t See the Difference In this 90-minute fast moving and interactive workshop, you’ll learn why buyers may not see your company as different from your competition and what you can do about it. You’ll get tools to help overcome being price-shopped, losing the sale to a competitor or not getting meetings with decision makers. In this dynamic session, you’ll learn new competitive strategies: Why spending more time and money on your marketing and selling doesn’t work. Top 5 mistakes you may be making in your messaging Why your marketing doesn’t strike a chord with your key prospects. Steps you can take right now to start being recognized for being truly unique. Presenter: Chala Dincoy, the Repositioning Expert for B2B Businesses and owner of the Repositioning Expert. A featured expert on CBS, Fox, NBC and many other media outlets, Chala has worked with major brands and specializes in medium-sized business strategies.
5:30 – 7:30 p.m.	Welcome Reception in Exhibit Hall Network with fellow attendees and exhibitors to kick off the 2019 Leadership Summit. Visit exhibitor booths to see items included in this year's silent auction benefiting the EWA-Joseph B. Vestal Endowed Scholarship. The Silent Auction is open through Thursday's closing reception.
Thursday, October 24
9 – 9:15 a.m.	Are You Taking Advantage of all EWA Has to Offer? Every year, EWA adds new services, which are all available to you as a member. Get the low-down on how these services, all designed to give your business a competitive edge, can streamline your business, saving you time and money.
9:15 – 10:15 a.m.	Winning the War for Tech Talent Are fewer candidates responding to your job opening, and the ones that do, aren’t the right ones? The wireless industry is facing more challenges than a tight labor market, there is also a problem with perception. The old methods of recruitment and retention no longer work. How can you make a job at your company the most appealing possibility for the best candidates? In this session, you’ll identify seven innovative ways to improve your outreach and appeal to — and hire! — the right candidates. Presenter: Jeff Butler is a third generation Silicon Valley entrepreneur, worked for Nokia, founded three tech companies, and is the author of two books on “the new workplace.”
10:15 – 10:30 a.m.	Break
10:30 – 11:15 a.m.	The Future of the LMR Industry: A Look into What’s Next The wireless industry’s leading manufacturers will share insights into what they may have going on their R&D department and this round table discussion and Q&A goes beyond the equipment to share their views on trends in technology, insights into competitive pressures, the ever-shifting customer profile and how they see the importance of the wireless sales and service channel.
11:15 a.m. – Noon	Position Your Company for the Next Market Shift Recently available spectrum holds tremendous market potential for the wireless sales and service providers that are ready for it. Stay at the forefront of the industry with a deep dive into 3.5 GHz, 1.4 GHz and 4.9 GHz: the regulatory issues, capabilities and limitations of the spectrum and the market opportunities for your business.
12:15 – 1:15 p.m.	Lunch in the Exhibit Hall Enjoy lunch and the opportunity to talk with fellow attendees about the morning sessions, while visiting the exhibitors.
1:15 – 3:30 p.m.	Exhibit Hall Open
3:30 – 4:15 p.m.	Your Opportunities to Benefit from the Exploding Industrial IoT Market What are the opportunities for wireless sales and service providers to be top of mind as trusted suppliers as business and public safety users expand Industrial IoT deployments? Industrial IoT technology will transform digital communications in every organization and is on target to be worth $771.72 billion in the U.S. by 2026. How does your business get a share of that? Some of the new private networks that power IIoT applications are familiar to you, using spectrum that has been around for a long time; others are based on newly available and even unlicensed spectrum. Learn about the challenges and opportunities for your business in capturing a slice of this exploding tech sector.
4:30 – 5:15 p.m	Your Future in In-Building Wireless While providing robust in-building coverage is the perfect fit for wireless sales and service providers, your company may face unexpected competition and other challenges when you market your business. Learn how to position your business to take full advantage of in-building wireless opportunities through unexpected collaborations, understanding the latest state of NFPA and other regulations and learning new methods for selecting the right vendors.
5:30 – 7 p.m.	Closing Cocktail Reception in the Exhibit Hall Join fellow attendees for an evening of conversation and collaboration. Browse the booths to discover and discuss the latest products and offerings from the exhibitors. Now is the time to place final bids for the silent auction. All auction proceeds benefit the EWA-Joseph B. Vestal Endowed Scholar Fund at Old Dominion University.
6:30 p.m.	Winning Bids Announced for the EWA-Joseph B. Vestal Endowed Scholarship Silent Auction

Certification Training Hosted by the Private Wireless Education Council

The two-day courses are made available by EWA’s Private Wireless Education Council, and will feature instructors from IWA Technical Services Inc.

Distributed Antenna Systems and BDAs (DAS)

Monday, October 21 and Tuesday, October 22 (8 a.m. – 4 p.m.)

This two-day course, made available by EWA’s new Private Wireless Education Council, is for anyone interested in learning the fundamental theories, components, installation, maintenance and support of in-building Distributed Antenna Systems. This course focuses on the application and optimization of active and passive BDAs used in today’s DAS systems. Students completing this course will better understand how DAS systems function, how they are designed, and why the design is critical to proper operation. Exposure to RF energy and related safety subjects will be addressed (detailed topics covered).

Course cost: $899.

General Communications Technician – Level 1

Wednesday, October 23 and Thursday, October 24 (8 a.m. – 4 p.m.)

This two-day course covers all of the principal areas of land mobile radio communications that the technician and/or engineer will encounter in the business/industrial or public safety radio field. Students who successfully complete GCT1 (detailed topics covered) are able to take the GCT2 and then GCT3 courses.

Course cost: $899.

About the courses

These courses provide the necessary instruction for ETA certification and are open to anyone in the industry regardless of experience level or job classification. Each course culminates in a proctored certification exam onsite.

Wireless Leadership Summit registration is not required for Certification Training registration. However, separate registration is required for the Summit.

About the Instructor

Ira Wiesenfeld PE, CETsr
President/Consulting Engineer
IWA Technical Services Inc.

Ira Wiesenfeld, PE, CETms(RF), is the president and principal engineer at IWA Technical Services Inc. (IWATSI), which provides engineering services and technical training in the land mobile radio (LMR) and paging industry. He has a BSEE from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX; holds an FCC GROL; has an Extra Class amateur radio license (WA5GXP); and is a licensed professional engineer in the State of Texas. He is a lifetime senior member of IEEE. His experience includes broadcast engineering; LMR system design, installation, and maintenance; manufacturing; training on electronic and communications systems, including PIM and Antenna Line Sweep testing; utilization of communications service monitors; radio paging systems; and military communications systems.

Ira is currently Vice Chairman of the Electronics Technicians Association-International and has played a pivotal role in the development of new certifications including the WCM, USMSS, FDR/LAS, GCT 1, GCT 2, GCT 3, RFIM, and PIM. He also was a major contributor in the development of the FCC GROL currently used today. Ira has authored and co-authored numerous books, and has also authored over 55 magazine articles on radio related technology and applications.

Early Registration Rates Last Through September 20

EWA Member (Rate increases to $545 after September 20)	$395
Non-Member (Rate increases to $645 after September 20)	$495
Guest (Spouse/Non-Company guest with paid full registration, exhibit hall access only)	$215
Certification Training for DAS and GCT1, two-day course and exam	$899

Registration for the Wireless Leadership Summit is not required for Certification Training registration.

Registration Reimbursed Through Most Co-op Programs

Harris, Hytera, JVCKENWOOD USA Corp., and Motorola Solutions offer co-op reimbursement for the cost of registration for the Wireless Leadership Summit. Please check with your manufacturer for details.

If you must cancel your reservation, email Tracey.Petitt@EnterpriseWireless.org.

Cancellations received before September 27 entitle the registrant to a refund minus an administrative charge of 25% of the gross registration and activities fees; cancellations received after September 27 are not eligible for refund.

Substitutions can be made at any time for a pass of equal or lesser value. (There is no fee for substitutions.)

Wireless Leadership Summit Headquarters Hotel

The InterContinental Kansas City at the Plaza Image result for westin denver downtown
401 Ward Parkway
Kansas City, MO 64112

We are pleased to announce that the InterContinental Kansas City at the Plaza is the headquarters for the 2019 Wireless Leadership Summit. Book online or by calling 866-856-9717 and use the group code "WLS" to receive the discounted group rates starting at $219.

The InterContinental Kansas City is a 4-star hotel, located across the street and an easy walk from the iconic Country Club Plaza, with hundreds of shops, restaurants and bars. See an overview of the hotel and the area from InterContinental Hotel’s lead concierge.

Travel

The InterContinental Kansas City is 30 minutes from the Kansas City International Airport (MCI). Shared rides can be booked at the MCI Shuttle page, starting at $43 per person. Uber and Lyft both operate between MCI and the hotel.

Regional Attractions

Kansas City is known as the city of fountains, easily seen on the numerous walkways throughout downtown, and it is recognized as the city of national museums. Kansas City is the home of the National World War I Museum, the American Jazz Museum, the National Airline History Museum and the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum. National Geographic named Kansas City one of the Best Trips of 2019, for its wealth of attractions as well as its deeply entwined joint heritage of jazz music and barbecue.

Exhibiting and Sponsorship Opportunities

The Wireless Leadership Summit (WLS) is designed so that your company can forge new collaborations with leaders in the wireless industry and promote your solutions and services to key decision makers. In this increasingly digital world, face-to-face interactions have never been more important. In two days of networking and education, you will have several opportunities to make lasting connections with EWA member attendees, who are the owners and operators of America’s leading private wireless sales and service provider companies.

Ready to exhibit? Download the 2019 Exhibitor Contract and Booth Map.

In addition to exhibiting, you can create a stronger connection with attendees through sponsorship. As a sponsor, your company can take advantage of value-added benefits, such as pre-event, on-site and post-event recognition. Leadership Summit attendees report every year that they are more likely to buy from companies that show support of EWA through sponsorship of the Leadership Summit. Explore 2019 sponsorship opportunities now.

Secure your sponsorship and exhibiting opportunities now by contacting Conference Director Elaine Walsh by email at Elaine.Walsh@EnterpriseWireless.org or by calling 520-620-0063.

Exhibitors at the 2019 Wireless Leadership Summit

AEA Technology	Motorola Solutions, Inc.
CALL24 Wireless Callbox Systems	Opt-In Wireless
Consortium of Certified Service Centers	Ormandy Software
CSS-Mindshare	RFI Americas
CTI Products	Sunny Communications, Inc.
Diga-Talk Plus	Systems Implementation, Inc.
EMR Corporation	Talley Inc
Enterprise Wireless Alliance	Unication USA, Inc.
Freedom Communication Technologies	VIAVI Solutions
Icom America	Westell Technologies, Inc.
JVCKENWOOD USA	Zetron, Inc.
Leonardo
M4D
MissionCritical Communications/RadioResource Media Group

Click here for a list of exhibitors at the 2018 Wireless Leadership Summit.

Why Exhibit?

Over 200 land mobile radio sales and service provider business owners and top managers attend the Wireless Leadership Summit annually. This is their key event to learn about new regulatory requirements, network with their fellow professionals and discover new technologies in the exhibit hall.

Networking is the Key to Sales
Imagine having one-on-one conversations in a relaxed atmosphere with the business owners for the largest wireless system operators and service organizations in the U.S. That’s what the Wireless Leadership Summit delivers

Align Yourself With the Leaders
Participating in the Leadership Summit sets your company apart as a leader in the industry. Companies that sign up early get months of exposure to attendees on the Wireless Leadership Summit web site.

Why Exhibitors Return Year After Year
It's the year's leading opportunity to make lasting connections. You will have unparalleled access to decision makers. With two exclusive networking events held in the exhibit hall, you have excellent opportunities to meet and engage with prospects.

Learn While You Network
The Wireless Leadership Summit is planned so exhibitors have full access to conference sessions. Learn about the crucial regulatory and technology issues that concern your customers and take the opportunity in sessions to talk with prospects.

Download the 2019 Exhibitor Contract

Current exhibitors can access Quick Facts and Shipping Labels at this link.

Sponsorship Opportunities

Become a sponsor of the Wireless Leadership Summit, and take advantage of value-added benefits, such as pre-event, on-site and post-event recognition. Leadership Summit attendees report every year that they are more likely to buy from companies that show support of EWA through sponsorship of the Leadership Summit.

Explore the 2019 sponsorship opportunities now.

Learn more about available sponsorship opportunities by contacting Conference Director Elaine Walsh at Elaine.Walsh@EnterpriseWireless.org or 520-620-0063.

You are here