"Day with DISA" is the second-largest annual drug testing conference in the U.S. and has been hosted and developed by third-party administrator (TPA) DISA Global Solutions since 2018. The conference was created to provide employers with better knowledge of the rapidly changing employee screening industry. With sessions on drug and alcohol testing, background screening, transportation compliance and general employee screening, attendees are able to dive deeper into trending topics in the industry with a number of professionals. Those who are interested in attending Day with DISA 2020 can register at www.daywithdisa.com.
About Day with DISA
Day with DISA has doubled in attendance from over 400 in 2018 to more than 800 in 2019, making it one of the largest employee screening events in the U.S. DISA carefully hand-selects and invites subject matter experts to present on a number of subjects, giving attendees accurate, up-to-date and critical information from a multitude of employment screening industries. Hosted in Houston each year, the conference gathers attendees and industry experts from across the U.S. to spend a day sharing insightful and instructional employment screening information at no cost. This free event helps ensure that companies remain compliant with employee screening requirements and meet industry standards.
Attended by HR and safety employees across several safety-sensitive industries, including the oil and gas, chemical and transportation industries, Day with DISA provides comprehensive industry knowledge key to building and implementing employment screening policies. Each year, the sessions are organized into different industry tracks, but attendees are free to mix and match the sessions based on what information they feel is most beneficial to them.
Some of the most sought-after session presentations from the past two years include:
- "State Marijuana Laws and Litigation Strategies for Employers"
- "CBD Oil -- What Employers Need to Know!"
- "Creating the Drug-Free and Safer Workplace"
- "DOT Drug and Alcohol Regulations Update"
- "Technology Update: Detecting Recent Marijuana Use with a Breathalyzer"
- "Your Background Check Came Back with a Hit. Now What? (Adverse Action)"
- "Driver Qualification Files: What's In It & How Do You Keep It Up-To-Date?"
- "ECCF Roundtable Discussion with a TPA, Lab, Collection Site, MRO and Customer"
Following the conference, attendees have the chance to meet and greet the presenters themselves during a happy hour. This gives attendees a one-on-one opportunity to ask the questions they need answered pertaining to their specific companies, while also connecting with other peers and experts in their industry. Networking is one of the key elements in helping companies grow and succeed, by connecting them with other individuals who work in the same industry and can help share insights on the topics that matter most.
By having the chance to mingle with the presenters themselves, attendees can truly narrow down the information they need and bring it back to their offices to share with others, adjust company policies, and help their companies stay up-to-date with the latest employment screening practices and procedures.
Who should attend?
As the employment screening industry becomes more complex, it benefits just about everyone to understand the best ways to implement employment screening practices and procedures.
HR and safety professionals who deal with employee screening at their companies are encouraged to attend. Employers impacted by new or pending employee screening legislation, or who are looking to build a culture of safety in their workplace, will find significant value in Day with DISA's presentations. If you're an employee responsible for ensuring safety at your workplace or facility, you'll also benefit from the information obtained from industry experts. Additionally, anyone who wants to learn about drug and alcohol testing, background screening and DOT compliance, or who would benefit from learning about the latest employee screening trends, would be an ideal attendee.
The need for knowledge
The employment screening industry, especially for safety-sensitive positions, is quite complicated. Employers often face policies and procedures that are required, but need more help or information when it comes to implementing them. Understanding requirements is often just the start; knowing the state laws and industry-specific regulations is challenging for developing a company employee screening policy that fulfills and meets all compliance requirements. When subjects, such as marijuana laws that vary state-by-state, impact employers' drug and alcohol policies, it's vital they receive adequate information to assist them in creating a policy that not only abides by state laws but also covers their industry-specific testing requirements to meet compliance standards.
With the lack of resources available to help employers make the most informed employment hiring decisions, Day with DISA's mission is to provide a platform to share information and best practices. Supporting that mission are a multitude of comprehensive sessions that cover a variety of subjects and a forum for networking with industry leaders and peers.
As industries face ever-changing laws, new regulations, and emerging drug testing technologies and trends, employers are in need of accurate and reliable knowledge more than ever before. Day with DISA is changing the way employers can grasp and expand that knowledge, further apply it to their own business practices and set higher standards for the industry as a whole.
Attendee feedback
Following previous conferences, DISA gathered feedback from attendees to understand exactly what they gained from the event. Since this conference is designed to include diverse attendees from several different industries, feedback helps us gain knowledge as to what the most valuable takeaways were. Our surveys determined the following common benefits, allowing DISA to better sculpt the next conference to include industry experts and topics that attendees will gain the most from. The survey feedback determined that:
- 100 percent of attendees found Day with DISA valuable.
- 93 percent of attendees left with actionable information.
- 93 percent of attendees left with a better understanding of the current drug testing environment.
- Attendees gave an average rating of 4.4 out of 5 for the sessions they attended.
- 95 percent of attendees surveyed planned on attending again in 2020.
2020 registration
Heading into our third year, registration for Day with DISA 2020 is now open. For the third annual conference, DISA anticipates even more attendees and in-depth presentations from leading subject matter experts than ever before. This free event gets bigger and better each year, and DISA's planning 2020 with even higher expectations and turnout. Each year, DISA also works to improve on the last conference by reevaluating what can be done better based on attendee feedback. DISA improved the 2019 conference from 2018 by increasing the number of sessions from eight to 12 and expanding the focus from marijuana drug testing to include more employee screening topics, like background screening, DOT/transportation compliance, and general Designated Employee Representative information.
DISA CEO John Peterson, when asked about 2019's success, said, "Our mission is to provide a platform to share information and best practices. This conference supports that mission by offering 12 educational sessions on the latest industry trends and challenges and a forum for networking with industry leaders and peers. We are working to continually enhance Day with DISA with the most impactful sessions and even more networking opportunities. Additionally, we'll continue to enhance this event based on attendee feedback and by addressing the most topical or challenging issues facing our industry. Our second annual conference had record attendance, and we look forward to preparing for another successful year in 2020!"
As the thirst for knowledge grows, this annual event is impactful for employees and employers alike. Visit www.daywithdisa.com to register and get the latest and greatest updates on the event as DISA prepares for this year.
About DISA
Founded in 1987, DISA is an industry- leading provider of employee screening and compliance services. Headquartered in Houston with more than 40 offices throughout the U.S. and Canada, DISA's comprehensive scope of services includes drug and alcohol testing, background screening, occupational health and transportation compliance. DISA assists employers in making informed staffing decisions while building a culture of safety in their workplaces.
For more information, visit www.disa.com, call (800) 752-6432 or email sales@disa.com.
