The 2024 Kidz in Motion Conference was held in Orlando, Florida and did not disappoint! This was our first time attending this international conference centered around child passenger safety and while we were excited, we had no idea what to expect or just how great this event would be.
As a company, ROTH ID TAG has attended many local community events, and even a few state CPS conferences, but this was our first time stepping into the not just national, but international CPS scene. Our team was excited to see our friends from Buckle Up for Life and Safe Kids Worldwide, but was most excited to get some face time with all the major car seat manufacturers. Spoiler alert, we did! Lastly, as CPSTs we were of course thrilled to get some continuing education credits checked off, and soak in all the newest updates in the child passenger safety world.
We arrived Tuesday evening and made some fast friends at the resort, all CPSTs excited for the week ahead. Wednesday started off strong with some very informative sessions. I (Lauren) attended an incredibly informative session held by the Manufacturers Alliance for Child Passenger Safety on all the new changes coming to car seat regulations and crash testing updates. Cindy, Tony, and Myself also attended sessions focused on Meeting People Where They Are, Laws that Make Sense, and Hospital-Based Child Passenger Safety. Then we got our booth ready for our first foray on the exhibit floor, next to all the industry leaders.
Once the work was done, we got ready to attend the BUFL event, celebrating their 20 year anniversary. As the CEO of the Julie Roth Memorial Foundation, my mom Cindy Hildebrand has worked hard to build relationships and our early bond with Buckle Up for Life was helpful in more ways than I could describe. From paving the way for non-profits in the industry, to endless support in our launch of the ROTH ID TAG, Buckle Up For Life is an amazing organization led by some of the best people, both professionally and personally. We enjoyed an evening celebrating accomplishments and wonderful people, with good food and lots of laughs.
Thursday was the busiest day of the event. We had a booth that was consistently jam packed with visitors who knew of the ROTH ID TAG and wanted to get their hands on it, or who hadn’t heard about us and were excited to learn. I personally don’t think I’ll ever get tired of the look on everyone’s face when I explain the product, and demonstrate that it turns into an identification wristband. Literal jaw drops, and I enjoy it every single time. We met a lot of great CPSTs and organizations that were excited to learn about our Community Partnership Program.
Thursday was also a wildly informative day as we heard updates from every car seat manufacturer on their newest products on the market, and what they have in the works. For me, updates from Evenflo and learning about Joie who is just entering the US market was the most interesting. Also seeing how every manufacturer is adapting to the new NHTSA regulations rolling out over the next year plus.
Ultimately we were able to have conversations with all major car seat manufacturers manufacturers, along with expanding our reach and education of community partners and first responders in attendance. While I was cautiously optimistic going into this event that manufacturers would be open to the use of our product, I was surprised by their enthusiasm for it and look forward to seeing how those partnerships develop and grow.
Friday we finally got time to touch base with some friends we had made online before the event, and introduce ourselves to some other well-known CPSTs. I was especially excited to meet Samantha of @mama_knows_car_seats, Lia of @buffalocarseat, Michelle of @safeintheseat, and more. One of my personal biggest draws to the event was the presentation from Dr. Megan Martin (@beachgem10). I have to admit I was a little star struck when she strolled up to our booth. I gave a quick product demo and could not resist asking for a photo. The following presentation she gave about the Impact of Social Media on Health Messaging was truly insightful and I learned more than I could have expected. Her call to action for those of us able to help close the gap of misinformation really got my wheels turning. As a CPST with a bit of a following on social media, I am even more motivated to use my platform to help educate parents and ensure more children are safe in their car seats.
We finished out the week with a few more sessions, the last of the exhibit hours, and then got the chance to donate ROTH ID TAGS to the give away by Kidz in Motion and Buckle Up For Life! During the event we gave away / donated over 400 ROTH ID TAGS.
To say we are already looking forward to next year would be a vast understatement. We know we’ll see many of the familiar faces at events throughout the next year, but we are really excited to attend at Kidz in Motion 2025!
