Editor's Notes Issue No. 57 - Fall 2001

Industry's Relentless March Forward Continues In Denver

Leaders of the worldwide, ever-evolving commercial barter industry will be gathering in the mile-high city of Denver, Colorado, this September 20 to 23 for the International Reciprocal

Other Noted Speakers
On Tap

The keynote speaker this year will be Vilis Ozols, an expert in business leadership and an award winning motivational speaker, who has spoken all
over the world.

The MBA holder and former member of the Canadian national volleyball team
will share invaluable coaching skills on motivating and leading in his presentation, "The Manager As Coach."

Jerry Layo, renowned trainer for the barter industry, will lead two general sessions, "Recruiting And Retaining Your Team" and "Leading And Managing Your Team Effectively."

Finally, customer service guru, John Tschohl, will present two of his hottest topics, "Retain Your Customers Through Great Customer Service" and "E-S
ervice: E-Communications With Clients Via E-mail And Broadcast E-mail."

Industry Experts Share Knowledge And Experience At General Session

As always, knowledge from the street will be shared by the industry experts...and some exciting ones are scheduled, which include seminars on "Media," "Upgrading Your Sales And Brokering Approach To Take Advantage Of The Recession," "Corporate Barter Trading Between Countries," "Trading
Between Corporate Barter Companies And Retail Trade Exchanges," and "Marketing And Creating Awareness For Your Company."

Trade Association's "Odyssey Barter Congress."

The venue for IRTA's 22nd annual convention is the Westin Westminster, a first-class hotel located just 15 minutes from downtown Denver.

The commercial barter industry's ultimate value could well lie with industry standardization, which would create enormous new trading possibilities through a vast worldwide barter network.

The rarified air, coupled with the spectacular Colorado Rocky Mountains as a backdrop, should prove to be an exhilarating location for the industry's forward thinkers-from some twenty nations-who will be making the odyssey to Denver.

NATE Plans Regional Meeting
In Buckeye State

The barter industry's National Association of Trade Exchanges has scheduled a regional convention in Akron, Ohio, October 4 to 6.

Remarkable progress continues unabated from year to year, as these entrepreneurially-driven trade exchange and corporate barter company owners, from whatever corner of the world they venture forth, unite with one another each fall to re-connect and become re-charged.

It will be the third year since the industry gained extraordinary attention by attracting outside funding from some renowned venture capitalists.

Unfortunately, money alone wasn't the answer for catapulting the industry to the next level, although many thought (or hoped) it would be.

Instead, and for two decades now since IRTA's inception, it's been obvious that the real dynamics and creation of wealth by the commercial barter industry will revolve around the companies within the industry cooperating with one another-sharing information, availabilities, and networking together.

That's because ever increasing trading power comes from an abundance of clients' goods and services. Plus, each additional client increases the network's value; subsequently the value of every barter company that is plugged into the vast worldwide network.

And that's why there's interest from within the industry to once again hear more from Bernard Leitaer, an international money expert and the architect for the highly efficient Central Bank of Belgium.

It was at last year's convention that Leitaer spoke about the structural problems with the world's conventional currencies which, he believes, will grow into a crisis.

Leitaer says the growing monetary instability along with today's enormous speculation in foreign exchange will open the door for the barter industry's alternative currency to flourish.

Conceivably, an international barter currency could be attained (if some changes are made by us within the industry) that he suggests will even rival, in a couple of decades, today's banking industry!

A year ago Leitaer expressed the belief that our commercial barter industry had unlimited potential. But, he emphasized, it must seize the moment and act upon the opportunity now present for industry standardization--by developing a universal clearinghouse for barter transactions over the Internet.

Is the industry ready to move forward and accept such radical and cooperative thinking? Could "industry standardization" be the answer? Is it possible we could take the first step which would ensure global expansion of the industry's reach and influence? Regardless, IRTA's Denver convention will give us a glimpse of the future.