If you haven't made plans yet to attend the 39th RCMA World Conference & Expo in Tampa, Fla., January 25-28, 2011, go to rcmaweb.org and click on conferences/Tampa 2011 to register for the industry's most successful conference and trade show for religious meeting professionals.
Meeting planners, please check out the details on RCMA's new hosted-buyer scholarship program by clicking on Tampa 2011/religious planners/hosted buyer program. The scholarship offers RCMA meeting planner members reimbursement of expenses connected with attending the January conference. Qualified participants will receive reimbursement for conference registration fee, up to four nights lodging in one of the host hotels, plus round-trip airfare or mileage for up to $300.
To qualify for reimbursement, planner registrants must meet with exhibitors for a minimum of five minutes in at least 15 booths on January 26, and 15 additional booths the following day. They need to obtain a signature from each booth visited and send a copy of bills, the document with exhibitor signatures, and completed application form to RCMA by February 15, 2011. Planners are not required to sign up ahead of time for this program. All forms necessary to participate will be provided on site.
“We're offering this new scholarship program because we are aware of the tough economic climate and its effect on our members,” notes RCMA Executive Director DeWayne Woodring. “We're doing everything we can to make sure our members can attend the conference.”
And those efforts are paying off. As this issue went to press, preregistration for the January conference was second only to RCMA's meeting in Orlando.