The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, provided the perfect location for attendees to meet, learn, and network at the 2010 FICP West Region Meeting. The event kicked off with a “reverse marketplace,” which was organized like a speed-dating session, allowing each hospitality partner to meet with each planner for three minutes.

Opening keynote speaker John Jenson talked about being your personal and professional best. Other agenda highlights included Annette Gregg, CMP, CMM, who spoke on becoming a solutions expert, and Lisa English, CMP, CMM, who provided the latest strategic meetings management tips, techniques, and trends.

The closing speaker, Robin Benincasa, was sponsored by Goodman Speakers Bureau. Benincasa is a professional adventure racer who entertained and inspired the audience with her stories about biking through jungles in Borneo, climbing the Himalayas in Nepal, trekking across lava fields in Fiji, and rafting down rapids in Chile.

Attendees gave back to the community through Impact 4 Good’s Literacy Builders program, in which they built bookshelves and filled them with books they had brought. Children from the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Ana, Calif., made a surprise visit at the end of the session to receive the shelves and the donated books.

The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, hosted the opening reception overlooking the Pacific Ocean, with fabulous décor by Access Destination Services, which also announced that it had “adopted” a dolphin from the Los Angeles Dolphin Project on behalf of FICP. The second-night reception was sponsored by Preferred Hotels Group and Surf and Sand Resort. Attendees also visited “Pageant of the Masters,” a local art festival where actors recreate world-renowned paintings.

Thank you to sponsors and attendees for making this year’s meeting a success!