The Canadian Chapter does it again! The 2004 ICPA Canadian Chapter broke another record this year, with 20 planners in attendance at their meeting from August 27 to 29 at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montréal. A total of 49 planners and supplier partners enjoyed a great agenda including two fantastic keynote speakers. “The Afterburners,” presented by CanSpeak, discussed the negative effects of task saturation. Most important, they provided insight about how to avoid getting overloaded, and shared a process on how to eliminate the stresses associated with “too much to do in too little time.” Frank O'Dea, presented by The Sweeney Agency, told the audience his motivational story of rags to riches and shared the concept of “Hope — Vision — Action.”
The theme of this year's meeting was “Behind the Scenes.” The group split up into teams that worked behind the scenes in a full audiovisual production facility as well as in all areas of hotel operations. It certainly was fun to see our attendees answering the phone at the concierge desk, cleaning guest rooms, or creating heavenly delights in the pastry kitchen!
As always, the group discussed many hot topics, including improving communications between suppliers and planners to ensure even better relationships. Our sponsors came through again this year with fabulous evening events, receptions, lunches, and dinners.
— Patricia Kerr, CMP, Manulife Financial
The 2004 ICPA Northeast Chapter summer meeting was held August 19 to 21, hosted by the Grand Hyatt New York, located in the heart of Manhattan.
Highlights of the meeting included two very knowledgeable speakers, dinner at The Westin Times Square, truly creative food and hospitality provided by The Grand Hyatt, and attending a Broadway production of 42nd Street. The 48 attendees included 23 planners, 8 guests of planners, 2 speakers, and 15 hospitality sponsor partners.
The meeting began with a welcome reception in the hotel's Manhattan Sky Bar that featured a magnificent display of hot and cold hors d'oeuvres, sushi, and carving stations. Attendees then loaded a bus for the short ride to Broadway to see a phenomenal rendition of 42nd Street.
After a delicious breakfast, the business session opened with a board update from Ken Juel, ICPA immediate past president, and an association update from Steve Bova, ICPA executive director.
Peter Roberti of Mohegan Sun then presented an overview of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act to help planners make sure they have the proper procedures in place so that they remian in compliance. The morning session concluded with a mini-marketplace and networking event, where all 15 sponsors showcased their properties and services.
After lunch, the group divided into two rotating roundtable discussions: one on how to keep your meeting and attendees safe, led by Leanne Acton, CMM, director, conference planning and travel at Penn Mutual Life Insurance and the other on working with DMCs led by Patrick Sullivan, president, PRA Destination Services New York. The group then came back together to discuss a very timely topic, procurement, presented by Terri DiGiro, manager, meeting and event planning, The Hartford; and Pat Jaworski, director, North American travel and conference services, Sun Life Financial.
The program concluded on a positive note with a keynote address by Roger Crawford, author, speaker, and USPTA tennis pro (sponsored by Goodman Speaker's Bureau) who spoke on how having a positive attitude enables you to do whatever you set out to do.
On Friday evening, the Westin Times Square hosted attendees for a traditional clam bake, including lobsters, clams, and other seafood delicacies. Saturday morning concluded with a chapter update and closing remarks.
The next Northeast Chapter meeting will be held from Thursday, January 6, to Saturday, January 8, 2005, at Boston's Fairmont Copley Plaza.
— Karyn Rizzo, CMP, Sun Life Financial
Forty-seven planners and partners attended the Great Lakes Regional meeting, held August 22 to 24 at the historic Pfister Hotel in downtown Milwaukee. The opening reception in the Blu lounge atop the Pfister gave participants a great view of the host city.
The Monday morning session featured a welcome from ICPA President Debbie Boschee and an update on association administration from Executive Director Steve Bova. KSL's Vice President, Michael Erickson, presented an upbeat industry overview entitled, “Where have we been, and where are we going.” Susan Frei, Canadian Tourism Commission, moderated an interactive group discussion about the future of the meeting industry.
A mini-marketplace was well attended Monday afternoon. Monday evening the group was taken to the ballpark. Not for a game — the Brewers were out of town — but to demonstrate how a venue such as this can be used for small private groups even when the park is dark. After a tour of the park, a reception and dinner was hosted in a restaurant located in the upper deck at left field. Interactive entertainment by Comedy Sportz was a big hit.
Tuesday morning's business session featured an ICPA Annual Meeting preview with comments from ICPA board member Gary Pearson. Roundtable discussions and “report-outs” followed on subjects that included food and beverage savings, emergency and contingency plans and procedures, pre- and post-conference meetings, and site inspection timing and content. A question-and-answer session closed the event.
Thanks to all our sponsors: E-vent-Central, Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Hilton DFW Conference Center, Marriott Chicago, Las Vegas CVA, Marriott Hilton Head Resort, MGM Grand, PRA Destination Management, Walt Disney World, and our host, The Pfister.
— Jerry Schmidt, Trustmark Insurance
The 2004 ICPA Mid-West Regional meeting was held August 2 to 3 at The Hilton, Omaha, in Omaha, Neb.
ICPA announced at its 2004 Annual Meeting that the association's 2007 Annual Meeting will be held November 12 to15 at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess in Scottsdale, Ariz. The 650-room luxury property features striking Mexican colonial architecture and lushly landscaped courtyards. It has 29 meeting rooms with more than 61,000 square feet of conference space, including a 22,500-square-foot ballroom. Outdoor event space includes the 33,000-square-foot Crown P Corral, which serves mesquite-grilled fare for up to1,000 seated guests. Among the recreational amenities are the 44,000-square-foot Willow Stream spa, five swimming pools, seven tennis courts, and two Tournament Player's Club golf courses.
January 6 to 8, 2005: Winter Northeast Regional Meeting, Fairmont Copley Plaza, Boston
March 3 to 4, 2005: Southeast Regional Meeting, Grand Hyatt Atlanta
August 11 to 13, 2005: West Coast Regional Meeting, Four Seasons Hotel, San Francisco
November 6 to 10, 2005: 2005 ICPA Annual Meeting, New York Marriott Marquis