Pool and Spa Networking Event Held Texas

Pool and Spa News recently hosted PSN Connect Live, a networking event for Top 50 Builders, in The Woodlands, Texas. The event, held from October 19-21, marked the return of PSN Connections, which was launched in 2019 but put on hold due to the pandemic.

PSN Connect Live was designed as an alternative to traditional trade shows. Rather than walking a show floor, attendees arrived with personalized schedules of meetings preapproved by both sides.

Event Format

The format allowed suppliers to have dedicated time with decision-makers they wanted to reach, while builders met with companies relevant to their operations. Appointments ran in two-hour morning and afternoon blocks on Tuesday, October 20, in a meeting room with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the resort’s trees and water.

Suppliers set up around the room at draped tables backed by pull-up banners and company displays. Laptops, product literature, and equipment covered the tabletops, and one supplier set up a display of its variable-speed equipment beside its table. Builders moved from table to table on personalized schedules, with each conversation focused on products, programs, and partnerships.

Keynote Presentation

The keynote luncheon, hosted by POOLCORP, featured Crystal Lengua, vice president of Canadian operations for Cover Valet. Lengua discussed how AI should support human expertise, not replace it, and outlined its potential benefits in sales, marketing, customer experience, operations, and decision-making.

Lengua’s presentation, “AI in Business: From Overwhelm to Opportunity,” addressed why the technology intimidates many business owners and how the shift compares with earlier waves of new technology. She then outlined where AI is already delivering results in sales, marketing, customer experience, operations, and decision-making, citing its ability to handle repetitive tasks, speed up workflows, and reduce human error. Lengua, who uses AI daily in her own work, focused on steps attendees could take right away with the software and systems they already have.

The event also included social activities, such as the opening reception hosted by Lyon Financial Monday evening, where attendees gathered by the water at sunset. Heritage Pool Supply Group followed with After Hours Singo, a music bingo game that filled the resort’s banquet room. Reia Group hosted breakfast Tuesday morning ahead of the first appointments, and Heritage Pool Supply Group hosted the closing cocktail reception that evening. The program ended with “Take a Prospect to Dinner,” which encouraged suppliers to continue the day’s conversations over a meal with a builder.

PSN Connect Live is planned to return in 2027. Lyon Financial served as premier diamond sponsor and hosted the opening reception. Gold and silver sponsors were Hayward, MOOV, POOLCORP, Azoria Pools, and Heritage Pool Supply Group. RB Retail and Service Solutions and Anchor Industries were marketing sponsors, and Reia Group hosted Tuesday’s breakfast.