Preparing for CAMEX Learning

Make the most of your CAMEX educational experience by adding the following strategies to your plan for CAMEX:

1. Take control of your own learning. Prepare for your CAMEX learning experience.
2. Attend sessions and events with an open mind. Push yourself out of your “comfort zone”!
3. Engage in learning and social activities with the goal of receiving new knowledge and enriching experiences.
4. Focus on the application and scalability of ideas, processes, and practices you learn about at CAMEX to your operation. Don’t focus on why you CAN’T do it.
5. Document ideas and goals that you want to implement in your store upon your return.
6. Make a commitment to follow through on the goals you set for yourself during CAMEX .

As part of your preparation for your CAMEX learning experience, volunteers from college stores have developed a list of things you “Must Know” about your store in order to best participate, network, and glean ideas from CAMEX sessions. See how you do and consider putting together your list of Must Know information prior to arriving in Salt Lake City!

1. Your store’s customer base / Your target audience(s)
2. The status of the relationship between your store and the campus; The reporting structure; and The impact of that structure/administration’s expectations
3. Obstacles and “workarounds” you currently face in taking your store forward
4. The defining characteristics of the community the institution is located in; The local market
5. What challenges currently exist for you/your store; What challenges do you anticipate on the horizon
6. What you hope to achieve through strategic relationships; Your goals and desired direction for the store
7. An overview of your competition / competitive environment
8. Your biases; The lenses through which you filter information and ideas
9. An understanding of the direction the industry is heading; the critical issues; major trends
10. The budget limitations, funding options, and current/potential financial partners of your store
11. What don’t you know? Where are your blind spots? Now is your chance to look to new places for fresh perspectives
12. Your thoughts and hunches on the role of technology in the future of the industry and your store
13. HOW MUCH TIME YOU HAVE TO COMMIT TOWARD IMPLEMENTING NEW PROGRAMS OR INITIATIVES. Your capacity to put into action ideas you bring home from CAMEX.

Learn more about adult learning styles, assess YOUR learning style, and determine how you can best learn while attending CAMEX sessions.