The Specialized Carriers & Rigging Assn., Fairfax, Va., will hold its annual conference, April 12-16, at the Wild Horse Pass Resort & Conference Center in Phoenix, Ariz.

The annual conference is expected to attract more than 500 attendees from all facets of the industry.
The five-day schedule includes educational sessions, networking events and committee meetings. Among the anticipated highlights are the Products Fair with as many as 58 exhibitors; Rigging and Hauling Jobs of the Year Competitions; the Annual Awards and Recognition Dinner; golf, tennis and fun run events; and the Pandora’s Box Dinner/Dance.
Educational sessions will feature five acclaimed speakers:
* Opening general session speaker Doug Lipp is an expert on customer service, leadership and diversity. He is author of five books and a featured guest on National Public Radio and Bloomberg Business. His presentation on The Changing Faces of Today’s Customer, based on his book of the same title, will examine how businesses can attract and retain an ever expanding base of diverse customers and employees.
* Larry Winget is a top business speakers and author of Shut Up, Stop Whining and Get a Life, a recent No. 1 title on The Wall Street Journal list of best-selling business books. Known as the “Pit Bull of Development,” Winget will make two presentations: Hardcore Self-Help That’s Funny! and Success Is Simple, Money Is Easy, and Life Is a Hoot! Both demonstrate how to achieve success, happiness and prosperity.
* Garrison Wynn is host of PBS television specials and national radio programs. He has worked with some of the world’s most effective corporate leaders and salespeople, from multibillion-dollar manufacturers to top New York Stock Exchange wire houses. His presentation, Making the Most of Difficult Situations: Changing Markets, Changing Times, will examine the challenges everyone faces and show how to laugh at our problems while using them as catalysts for success.
* Robert Stevenson is a former Morehead Scholar and All-American athlete who has owned several companies, sold internationally in more than 20 countries, and established and maintained hundreds of accounts worldwide while managing a worldwide sales force. His presentation on How to Soar Like an Eagle in a World Full of Turkeys, based on his book of the same title, will offer winning strategies on becoming an extraordinary person.
* Donald Malecki is a principal of Malecki Deimling Niedlander & Associates, LLC, an insurance risk and management consulting firm. He is publisher of Malecki on Insurance, a monthly newsletter on commercial insurance subjects, and author or coauthor of 10 books. His presentation will be Buyer Beware -- Know Your Coverage Features, Limitations and Potential Exposures.
For more information on the conference or on the Specialized Carriers & Rigging Assn., visit www.scranet.org.