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Fairs & Expos Magazine |
IAFE, the Network!By: IAFE International Convention Program Chair and Zone 5 Director Gary Slater, Iowa State Fair, Des Moines Having had the opportunity to be a part of this association for many years has been very rewarding for me. Yes, I love planning and staging the events surrounding the fairs I have worked with, and I feel that the close-knit membership and willingness to share information have added to that enjoyment. Through “THE NETWORK,” I have gained a vast amount of knowledge, found solutions and opportunities for success, and gained many sincere friendships. I hope you have had similar experiences, or if you are new to the IAFE, that you will be able to say the same in a few years. I am honored to have been asked by our chair, Mr. Gary Goodman, to serve as our program chair for the 2005 IAFE International Convention, a job that I am looking forward to, and this year one that I believe presents many opportunities for our Convention attendees.
If you have regularly attended, I believe you will be happy with the program changes and additions for this year’s IAFE Annual Convention. If you are planning to attend this year for the first time, you have my pledge that we will try our best to help you get the most possible for your time. For those who have not yet decided to attend, please give it serious consideration. Let me outline the highlights that I believe will make attending worth your time and money.
• The move this year to the Paris Hotel puts our Convention attendees in a first class facility that focuses on accomplishing the association’s goals and provides comfort, convenience, and enjoyment for you, the attendee. • Attendees will find themselves on the Las Vegas strip, able to feel the pulse of all the Vegas attractions (after hours, of course). • Both the Paris Hotel and Bally’s Hotel are options for your stay within the IAFE hotel block. Your room in either hotel is close to the meeting and trade show spaces.
• The program has been adapted to reflect the requests and results of last and previous years’ surveys. Emphasis has been placed on attendees having the time and format to discuss the vital issues of today and the opportunity to see the products offered in the trade show.
• The Chair’s Reception will be held in conjunction with the trade show opening in an effort to spotlight and showcase our associate members’ products and services. • Computer software training sessions and software product demonstrations will be held hourly throughout the Convention. • New member orientation 101 — Chair Gary Goodman will lead an orientation meeting immediately following the opening of the Convention to give a better understanding of the association’s resources and information and to introduce the staff, officers, board of directors, and committee chairs to those new to or unfamiliar with the IAFE. • Round tables have been revamped. Three sessions are offered, size will be monitored, and groups will be split when needed to accommodate more people interested in a topic. Large room size and small group size will enable all to hear what is being shared. • Dynamic speakers, presenters, and panels.
Attending the Convention: • Is time you can use to catch up on and “network” with your peers. • Is time to listen to how other fairs approach the same issues that your fair has. • Is time to find out what programs and procedures work and why. • Is time to bounce your ideas off of your counterparts to hone them for success.
• The Network — Establish and maintain friendship with your peers and counterparts from fairs throughout the world.
Continue to Zone 1 Meeting Wrap-Up
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