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Thursday, May 13, 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM  Building Customer Loyalty and Brand Commitment, Disney Style   SPEAKER Mark Jones, Senior Business Consultant , Disney Institute Professional Programs Examine the Walt Disney World Model for generating customer and employee loyalty. Find out how Disney aligns its brand with their customers and employees and has structured the organization as a vehicle for delivering the brand. You’ll discuss the responsibility an organization has in treating its employees like customers and the techniques for building employee-to-customer interactions into every experience. Discover tools for connecting emotionally with individuals and leave the session with take aways and action opportunities for making “magic” in your organization. *Selling in Today's Environment---"The Old is Forever New"   SPEAKER Dan Cole, VP, sales & business development , Consumer Electronics Association There's no magic bullet when it comes to fostering a successful sales environment, but there are some fundamentals, that can help you and your salespeople stay ahead of the curve. In this session Dan Cole discusses key principles for developing and retaining a successful sales team: training and development, a concentration on revenue, daily activity, an emphasis on customer service and interaction, the winning sales environment, and recruiting the right people to ensure continued success. Cole uses these principles daily in leading sales for North America's largest annual trade show event where he and his sales team sold over 1.3 million net square feet of exhibit space. *Key Considerations for Bringing Your Meeting Overseas   SPEAKERS Judd Swift, Director of Strategic Initiatives , US Department of Energy Lawson Hockman, CEM, Chief Operating Officer , Foundation for International Meetings Come share your own international meeting & conference lessons learned with two veterans who bring a senior U.S. government 'advance team' perspective, balanced by World Energy Council (WEC) 100-nation international conference experiences. Whether your own position requires you to organize events involving White House or Cabinet-level planning, overseas Board of Directors meetings, Ministerial Summits or just conferences in transitional or developing countries, you'll discuss key factors for running a successful meeting outside of the U.S. *Risk Management and Legal Strategies to Protect your Meetings   SPEAKERS Lou Novick, President , The Novick Group Tom Arend , Shaw Pittman Years before the exhibit hall opens...that's when risk management and legal review is of greatest value to organizations. Once hotel and convention center agreements have been executed, exhibitor contracts printed and sent, vendors selected and contracts signed - there is little an event planner can do to minimize liability exposures at their meeting. Session participants will discuss the fundamental insurance, risk management and legal issues involved with off site meetings and the importance of addressing these in the early stages of meeting planning. Marketing Principles to Grow Your Association   SPEAKERS Tony Rossell, Senior Vice President , Marketing General, Inc. Caroline Fuchs, Vice President, Member Services , American Chiropractic Association Dan Ratner, Director, Membership Development and Retention , Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development Growing revenue, participation, and profitability in today’s competitive economy is a challenge for every association. Better marketing is one major solution to help meet this challenge. This session will focus on marketing principles that can help you move your organization forward. Hear what smart association pros are doing to profitably grow their organization’s markets, product lines, and sales. You'll learn association branding, product innovation, and marketing testing strategies that will help to build a successful foundation for your programs and help guide you to generating positive growth. This session features audience participation and case studies from your colleagues showing what's worked. Take advantage of these insights as you plan your marketing programs for the future. *For Business Continuity - Practice Makes Perfect   SPEAKER Bob Mellinger, President , Attainium Corporation Many meeting planners have plans for coping with crisis and dealing with disruption. However, the true question is "will your plan really work when a crisis strikes?" Testing and exercising your plan provides an effective means to evaluate your preparedness. By examining different scenarios related to meetings and events, you’ll learn the principles of crisis management and the methods of testing and exercising used by public and private emergency managers. Participate in actual exercises and leave with examples you can use in your own organizations. To preserve the continuity of your operations, practice does make perfect! The Latest in Technology Gadgets and Software to Make You More Productive   SPEAKERS Reggie Henry, Chief Technology Officer , ASAE/Center for Association Leadership John Gilroy , The Computer Guy Come join John Gilroy of the famed "Computer Guys" radio show and Reggie Henry, Chief Technology Officer of the Center for Association Leadership for a humorous, very informative look at today's latest gadgets. They will give you the "low down" on the latest wireless devices, PDAs, etc. as well as explore issues such as email and security. This session will be informative to association executives and business partners alike. *Cultivating a Meaningful Relationship: Learn from the Pros   SPEAKER Gail Swift, Director of Sales, Mid-Atlantic Region , KSL Resorts This session is designed for entry andmid-level meeting planners who would like to establish a professional relationship with someone with years of experience in the field of meeting planning. Come to this session and join a facilitated discussion on a topic of concern to you. Meet the facilitator who has the expertise in the area and who would be willing to be called upon over the next few months when you have a question or situation where you might need their advice. Space is limited. Topics/facilitators are: Site Selection - Liz Jackson, Vice President, Meetings Management Group Contracts - 2 tables: Charlie McGrath CAE, Vice President and General Manager, Bostrom Corporation; Anne Legarreta CMP, Manager Executive Programs, Consumer Electronics Association RFP-s Designing them and using them effectively: Diane Graham, Director of Member and Conference Services, American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators Creative F&B on a budget - Jeff Etzkin, CMP, Vice President, Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers Association Convention Services and other secret weapons - Gary Brown, Vice President Sales and Conference Operations, Colonial Williamsburg Hotels DMC's and other resources – Linda Higgison, Founder and CEO, The TCI Companies Session Moderator - Gail Swift, Director of Sales, Mid-Atlantic Region, KSL Resorts *Saving Time, Money, Energy & Aggravation through the Accepted Practices Exchange (APEX)   SPEAKERS Juli Jones, Vice President , Convention Industry Council Ellen Wilson, CMP, Coach and Trainer , ellenwilson.com Loren Gold, Director of National Sales , Wyndham International Tyra Hilliard, J.D., CMP, Assistant Professor, Event and Meeting Management Program , The George Washington University, Dept. of Tourism & Hospitality Management This interactive session is designed for all those involved in the planning and execution of meetings, conventions, exhibitions, and other events. You’ll not only learn exactly what accepted practices are and what the industry’s APEX initiative is doing, but you’ll learn how real, live industry professionals are using accepted practices and what benefits they are reaping. Additionally, you will take away tools, and the know-how to use them, that you can utilize right away. APEX is to developing the best accepted practices for the meetings, conventions and exhibitions industry to streamline many of the operational and administrative processes on which industry professionals spend countless hours. By establishing these practices, APEX will create significant time saving efficiencies that will allow professionals to devote more time to creative and development aspects, leading to better produced events and better experiences for all involved. It is addressing seven key areas: terminology; history/post event reports; resumes and work orders; requests for proposals (RFPs); housing & registration; meeting and site profiles; and, contracts. Additional information on APEX can be found at www.conventionindustry.org/apex.htm. *Creating a Strong Value Proposition for your Meetings   SPEAKER John S. Parke, president and CEO , Leadership Synergies, LLC Recent shifts in the economy have caused most organizations to question the value proposition of meetings: how can meetings move companies and associations forward? This session will examine how meetings can aid in implementing new initiatives, build or strengthen company culture, and improve communication. Examine the difference between return on Investment and value proposition, determine the steps you need to take to assess your organization's current value proposition as it relates to meetings and events, and develop a list of tactics to make quick improvements. You’ll also review a sample Balanced Score Card to measure long-term transformation. Words to Lose, Words To Use: Communicating to Get Along   SPEAKER Sam Horn, Author , Tongue Fu! ConZentrate, What's Holding You Back? Do you sometimes find yourself at a loss for words? Would you like to know what to say -- when you don't know what to say? Tongue Fu! originator Sam Horn shares exactly what to say and do in dozens of sensitive situations you face on and off the job. With this list of specific communication do's and don'ts, you need never be tongue-tied again. Undecided   Please use this only if you REALLY are undecided about which session you will be attending. *Senior Planner Roundtable   This Roundtable is directed at planners who have at least ten years of experience in the hospitality industry. You already about site selection, contracts, room sets, F&B cost savings, etc. Although those are important, there are so many other issues that senior planners are grappling with. The purpose of this session is to provide a format where you can participate in a facilitated discussion with your peers. Find out how they’re solving the same problems you’re dealing with. You're bound to leave with new ideas or a new perspective around common challenges. Art Shaw CMP, Global Account Director, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Karin Soyster CMP, CAE, VP Education, National Association of Industrial and Office Properties Dan Jenkins, National Sales Manager, The Breakers Palm Beach Kathleen Cochran, General Manager, Loews Coronado Bay Rand Price CAE, Account Executive, Smith Bucklin Corporation Sandy Pearson, President, The Pearson Group Michael Erickson, VP of Sales, KSL Resorts Session Moderators: Gail Tannenbaum, CMP, Manager, Meetings & Industry Relations, Electronic Industries Alliance Nancy Lawler, CMP, Vice President Conventions & Meetings, National Asphalt Pavement Association Thursday,  May  13,  10:30 AM  -  12:00 PM  Leadership Presence: Dramatic Techniques to Reach Out, Motivate and Inspire   SPEAKER Belle Halpern , The Ariel Group Great actors have it. Great politicians have it. And Belle Halpern and her company The Ariel Group have been teaching it to business leaders for over a decade. It’s called Leadership Presence or the ability to connect authentically with the hearts and mind of one's audience. This program will include drama, music and stories from ten years experience teaching leadership through theater to Fortune 1000 companies. Whether you are coaching one individual or motivating several hundred, you need to reach them on an emotional and intellectual level. Learn how great actors develop stage presence and powerful communication skills through self-knowing and see how these skills apply directly to the association and corporate communities. Professional actors Belle Halpern and an Ariel Group senior consultant will lead this interactive program. Belle, with her business partner Rob Salafia, is co-author of the best-selling book LEADERSHIP PRESENCE published by Gotham Books.

*Sessions approved by the Convention Industry Council to meet Certified Meeting Planner (CMP) education requirements for certification and recertification.