The American Bio-Recovery Association’s 11th Annual Conference, Sept. 21-24, kicked off in high gear at the Luxor Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

ABRA is a nationwide non-profit association of crime and trauma scene recovery professionals who are dedicated to upholding the highest technical, ethical and educational guidelines of the biohazard remediation industry.

Following opening remarks from ABRA President Dale Cillian, Day One featured presentations from Will Marling of the National Organization for Victim’s Assistance; Bill Jenkins, author of What To Do After The Police Leave; and Dan Levy, president of Parents of Murdered Children.

Vendor exhibits were open on and off throughout the conference, spotlighting the latest innovations and technologies from the likes of The Thornell Corp.; Vaportek; Max Air Systems; Abatix and Equipment Innovators.

Day Two saw the conference turn its eye to business, with keynote speaker Peter J, Crosa dissecting the art of “Soft Selling Hardened Claims Adjusters.” Breaking down the various types of agents, adjusters and how they operate with regard to claims, Crosa laid the groundwork for developing better relationships and expectations for dealing with what some contractors view as their arch nemeses.

After lunch, ISOTECH’s Mike Masterson, lead “verminator” on the Discovery Channel series “The Verminators,” discussed pest control problems and some of the situations he’s encountered in his years in the industry.

Check back soon for more images from the show!