How to maximize your restoration team’s INTRConnect 2026 experience

To help you make that a reality, here are some important strategies to maximize your team’s conference experience.

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Map your team to the programming

Start by looking at the role-specific tracks and think about how they would align with your team structure. Ideally, you want someone from each key function – business owners, business operations, sales & marketing, field operations, and water mitigation – so they can return as champions and trainers for their respective teams.

But don’t feel like you have to stick strictly to job titles that match track names. For instance, your operations manager might benefit more from the sales and marketing track if customer communication is a challenge. And your newest field tech might get more value from the business operations sessions if they're showing leadership potential.

As you’re thinking through these assignments, keep in mind that this year, we are also offering in-track technical training. Field and water mitigation professionals get hands-on workshops built into their tracks, while the technical Estimating Bootcamp remains available to anyone writing estimates with Cotality Workspace™ or Estimate™.

For companies with someone who regularly trains others on these estimating tools, there's also a Train the Trainer certification program. This officially certifies your internal expert as a Cotality Trainer, giving them access to updated training resources and the ability to strengthen your onboarding process. It's especially valuable if you're bringing on new estimators regularly or running a training program across multiple locations.

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Divide & Conquer

Here's where bringing multiple team members really pays off: you can cover more ground without anyone missing critical sessions. But this only works if you coordinate.

Before you arrive, assign primary coverage areas. Your field supervisor might own the water mitigation workshop, while your project manager may join the field operations sessions. Your customer service lead can cover sales & marketing, as well as networking sessions, while your owner attends the business owners’ programming.

The key is making sure someone from your team is in every session that could impact your business – not that everyone is in every session together.

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Keep your team aligned

Don't wait until you're back in the office to start connecting the dots. Schedule brief team check-ins during the conference – perhaps 15 minutes at the end of each day to share the most important takeaways while they're still fresh.

No need for detailed recaps. This is more about flagging the most important insights that need to be discussed further and identifying connections between different sessions. When your ops manager mentions a workflow solution and your field supervisor says, "that's exactly what they talked about in my session," that's when you know you're onto something actionable.

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Maximize the keynotes

While breakout sessions are role-specific, the keynote presentations are designed for everyone. This is where your whole team gets the same foundational understanding of industry trends and challenges. These big-picture insights from the main stage will then be translated into practical, hands-on applications during your role-specific sessions.

With the theme of "Intelligence Beyond Bounds™" at INTRConnect 2026, you can expect that many of our speakers will be pushing everyone to think differently about limitations and possibilities. Make sure your team is ready to capture ideas that might not necessarily fit their current role but could spark innovation across your organization.

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Build your action plan framework

Before you even leave for D.C., set up the structure for turning insights into action. Block calendar time the week you return for dedicated planning sessions. Assign someone to take notes on implementation ideas during the conference. Create a shared document where team members can log their key takeaways in real-time.

Here’s where AI can be your secret weapon: after the conference, upload all your team’s notes into ChatGPT or Gemini and ask it to identify common themes and actionable next steps. These AI tools can quickly synthesize insights from multiple perspectives and help you spot connections that your team might have otherwise missed.

This isn't about creating more work during the conference; it's about making sure the momentum doesn't die when you get back to your daily routine.

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Establish a networking strategy

With hundreds of restoration and insurance professionals attending, the networking opportunities are huge. But they're also overwhelming if you don't have a plan.

Divide and conquer here too. Have different team members focus on different types of connections – vendors, peers in similar roles, companies you want to learn from. Make introductions between team members and contacts when it makes sense.

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Plan your post-conference debrief

The real work starts when you return. Within the first week, hold comprehensive planning sessions where everyone can contribute their specialized insights to your unified strategy.

Don't try to implement everything at once. Pick the top three initiatives that emerged from the conference and create detailed action plans with owners, timelines, and success metrics.

Remember: the companies that get the most from conferences aren't the ones that learn the most. They're the ones that implement the best.

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Ready to plan?

INTRConnect 2026 offers an incredible opportunity to accelerate your team's development and your company's growth. But opportunity without strategy is just expensive inspiration.

Take the time to plan your attack. Your January investment will pay dividends all year long – but only if you're intentional about how you approach it.

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INTRConnect 2026 runs January 20-22 in Washington D.C. Early bird pricing is available through November 30th, and restoration companies can take advantage of the "bring four, get one free" team deal. Register today.