Region 8 members at Annual Conference in Boston: From left,
Rita Stewart, Ball State University, Theresa Feldman, Kentucky Community and Technical
College System (KCTCS), and Matthew Slack, Grand Valley State University
Past Regional News from Region 8
From January - March 2010 issue of ACCED-I Connections:
Grand Valley State Universities (GVSU) Erik Dane and David VanderSloot passed their CMP exams. All GVSU event planners are now certified. Next step is the CCEP.
In addition, Grand Valley State University received the One-Stop Shop Certification.
Congratulations to Heather Roden of Hope College and Lisa Salazar, CCEP of Lewis University who were recently elected to the ACCED-I Board of Directors.
Region 8 is starting to solicit volunteers to help at the Annual Conference in Louisville. Further details will be coming but if you would like to let us know you are willing to help we have started a list. Please send your name, email, and phone number to winowiec@gvsu.edu.
From November-December 2009 issue of ACCED-I Connections:
Congratulations!
Congratulations to Barbara Pierpont, Michigan State University, who recently received her CCEP designation!
Annual Conference
Lisa Salazar, CCEP, from Lewis University is maintaining a blog for the 2010 ACCED-I Annual Conference in Louisville, KY at http://acced-iannualconference.blogspot.com/
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Our regional meeting was held October 21-23 in Grand Rapids, MI hosted by Grand Valley State University (GVSU). Thirty-eight people attended representing over 19 schools from the states of Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky. University President Thomas Haas welcomed the group followed by the keynote Chris Longstreet, director, program development & management for Choice Hotels International. Chris offered incredible insight on How to Design a Better Meeting Experience. The two day conference was filled with additional workshops hosted by Lisa Salazar, CCEP, David VanderSloot, and Sue Parrigin, all of who are members, and the Grand Rapids CVB. They toured the Grand Rapids Public Museum, dined out at two great establishments, but the highlight of the conference was the GVSU rendition of the Food Channel Network Show "Chopped". Three teams created unique dishes with their secret ingredients of pepperoni, pineapple, and parsley. Winners were selected and awarded gold, silver and bronze wooden spoons. Before members departed to their home schools, Scott Brunsting, CCEP was elected regional-director elect. Congratulations to Scott!
From June-August 2009 issue of ACCED-I Connections:
Submitted by Kathy Walters, CMP:
From Rita Bedritis, Columbus State Conference Center: The Columbus State Conference Center has a 'new' employee... as of this past January 2, 2009, Paul Boaz who is event manager.
From Sue Parrigin, The Carroll Knicely Center - The Carroll Knicely Center has just submitted our One-Stop Shop Re-Certification documents and have received approval from ACCED-I. We have been very pleased with the results of the program and have included this in our marketing materials. In addition, we are planning a major expansion project for the Knicely Center which will include a new 800 seat ballroom that can be broken down into 6-smaller meeting rooms with 4 additional break outs. We will be upgrading our kitchen facilities and adding a loading area with a large overhead garage type door. The expansion will allow us to offer convention space as well as quality meeting space. The project is out to bid now and will be approved before the first of May. We are looking forward to the future possibilities of our new space.
From Cindi Winowiecki, CMP, Grand Valley State University - On April 28th & 29th, Grand Valley State University will be hosting a very large conference called "Embracing a Green Future." This conference is for West Michigan manufacturers who will receive practical advice on how to develop and implement sustainable strategies within their companies. Not only will we be doing our standard "green" practices but we will also be making our first attempt at composting which we hope will launch into a standard practice as well.
From Kathleen Wright, CMP, Grand Valley State University - On May 9, Grand Valley State University will be hosting the Opera Grand Rapids Spring Gala. This black tie event will include over 300 guests on our Pew Campus in beautiful downtown Grand Rapids. This year the Gala will honor our President Emeritus Don Lubbers and his wife Nancy Lubbers. The theme is the Student Prince and Princess which is based on of the Operetta, the Student Prince.
The evening will begin with a stroll through the Nancy Lubbers Garden, followed by cocktails in the Hager-Lubbers Exhibition Hall. A lavish dinner, with an intimate and amusing musical tribute to the Lubbers, will commence in a regally adorned tent in the courtyard.
Opera Grand Rapids' largest fund-raising event of the year, the annual spring gala is a fun loving black tie event. Unlike any other in the City, the gala has quickly become known as the "place to be seen" each spring!
2010 Annual Conference in Lousiville
We are all gearing up for the ACCED-I Annual Conference in 2010 in Louisville, KY. We have quite a few Region 8 members who will be in attendance at the May meeting in Louisville.
Region 8 members at Annual Conference in Boston: From left,
Rita Stewart, Ball State University, Theresa Feldman, Kentucky Community and Technical
College System (KCTCS), and Matthew Slack, Grand Valley State University
From January - March 2009 ACCED-I Connections:
Please save the date for the Region 8 Regional Meeting to be held at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Wednesday, October 21 through Friday, October 23, 2009. Cindi Winowiecki, our next Director-Elect for Region 8, will be our hostess. Mark your calendars!
In 2010 the Annual Conference will be held in our region in Louisville, Kentucky. We are extremely excited. Kathy Walters and I are looking for volunteers who are willing to serve on a hospitality committee. Some of our responsibilities coming up quickly include the preview luncheon in Boston. Other items we will handle along the way include the off-site event, educational tours, restaurant selections, and the hospitality area at the conference. Interested in helping out? Please contact Kathy or myself.
From November - December 2008 ACCED-I Connections:
Thirty-five participants attended the regional meeting held at Purdue University from Wednesday, October 15 to Friday, October 17. Regional Director–Elect Kathy Walters and the staff at Purdue organized a fabulous conference. The sessions were knowledge-packed and the networking opportunities were fun-filled. Some highlights included a presentation on etiquette, a tour of Purdue that included their football stadium, a dinner held at the historic Potter-Haan mansion, and a delightfully engaging entomologist (bug doctor) who talked about leadership.
I am pleased to announce that Cindi Winowiecki of Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan was elected the next director-elect for Region 8. She will begin her duties at the Annual Conference in March. Congratulations Cindi!
In 2010 the Annual Conference will be held in our region, in Louisville, Kentucky. We are extremely excited. Kathy Walters and I are looking for volunteers who are willing to serve on the hospitality committee. Some of our responsibilities, coming up quickly, include the preview luncheon in Boston. Other items we will handle along the way include the off-site event, educational tours, restaurant selections, and the hospitality area at the conference. Interested in helping out? Please contact Kathy or myself.
From ACCED-I Connections, September - October 2008
Submitted by Heather Roden:
Greetings Region 8 members!
I am looking forward to our ACCED-I regional meeting at Purdue University. The meeting will be held October 15 -17, 2008. Kathy Walters is working hard on the preparations. She is still looking for those of you who would like to share your expertise by presenting. Please send your session ideas to Kathy Walters by September 5, 2008 at kw@purdue.edu. The registration site for the conference is http://www.conf.purdue.edu/accedi. If you would like to book your hotel stay, Kathy has set up a room block at the Union Club Hotel at Purdue, the on-campus hotel connected to the conference facility. The reservation number for the hotel is (800)320-6291 or (765)494-8913. Please ask for the ACCED-I room block.
Elisa Strauch has joined the Office of Conference and Performance Events at Anderson University as the conference and event coordinator at their new facility, the Anderson University Flagship Center. Elisa is a 2008 graduate of Anderson University having graduated with a management degree from the Falls School of Business. According to Cheryl Shank, CCEP, she has wasted no time "getting into the trenches" and is learning quickly! Please join in welcoming Elisa to ACCED-I. Elisa can be reached at emstrauch@anderson.edu or (765)648-2888.
Hope College has created a new Events and Conferences Office. It combined the previous offices and staff of Conference Services, Ticketing, Knickerbocker Theatre, and Arts Coordinator into one office. The Events and Conferences Office officially began service on July 1st. Please join me in welcoming Derek Emerson to ACCED-I. Derek is the new director of events & conferences at Hope College.
Have a fabulous start to Fall Semester. See you at Purdue!
From ACCED-I Connections, June - August 2008
Submitted by Heather Roden:
Graduation came and went. Tulip Time made our city shine with millions of tulips and a ton of visitors. We have a slight break before the Reformed Church holds General Synod on our campus and then we go full speed until August. Between training new students, greeting guests, and dealing with unfathomable good-for-a-laugh situations, I trust you are having just as crazy of a whirlwind beginning of summer as I am!
Congratulations are in order to Kathy Walters, CMP and Erica Wilson of Purdue University who were recently promoted to senior conference coordinator within the ranks of the Purdue University Conference Division. Way to go ladies! Purdue also has a new sales coordinator for the Conference Division, Susan Xioufaridou, CMP. Purdue currently has five CMPs in its Department of Continuing Education and Conferences and two more studying for the next exam.
Please mark your calendars for the fall regional meeting to be held at Purdue October 15-17, 2008. Be sure to visit www.conf.purdue.edu/accedi for more information. The regional is a great time to connect with some new colleagues and reconnect with some old friends. We are looking forward to seeing you there!
From ACCED-I Connections, April/May 2008
Region 8 members placed A SURE BET by heading to Vegas for the Annual Conference. Sixty-five regional members attended representing 12% of the total attendees at the conference. The sessions were informative and engaging. The weather was sunny and gorgeous. The networking was great - we are fun
event planning people!
We started out Sunday with our regional meeting where
We had quite a few nominees for the 2008 Awards including: Fred Gizzo from
I would like to extend a special thanks to all those who presented at the Annual Conference. Region 8 represented 15% of the presenters in Vegas! Thank you for sharing your expertise.
I would also like to thank
Do you have any news to share? Any promotions, new hires, noteworthy events, or crazy conference experiences? Please email me with the details and I would be happy to post it.
Happy graduation and I HOPE you have a great start to your conferences.
From ACCED-I Connections , January - March 2008
Submitted by Vicki Sussman, CCEP:
In case you missed the fall regional meeting, Kathy Walters, Purdue University was elected our new Region 8 director-elect. Kathy joined ACCED-I four and one half years ago. She takes office in March at the Annual Conference in Vegas.
Kerby Nelson from Bowling Green University writes: Lots going on in Bowling Green, Ohio.......Bowling Green State University along with the city will host the 82nd Family Motor Coach Association Convention for 2009. Hosting a conference of this magnitude provides the university an opportunity to strengthen its collaboration with the community and our local Convention & Visitors Bureau. Bringing in 8,000-10,000 people for this conference not only allows us to showcase Northwest OH, but also brings awareness to many guests and families who may otherwise have never heard of BGSU. This becomes a prime marketing and recruitment tool, allowing us to showcase the university to a wide array of individuals.
"The convention will generate approximately $15 to 30 million into our local economy says Wendy Stram, executive director of the Bowling Green Convention and Visitors Bureau. The convention will not only benefit Northwest Ohio, but the entire state with side trips to and from the convention." The last time the conference was held in Ohio was in Columbus in 1997.
Bowling Green is also featured in Ohio Magazine as one of five 2008 Best Hometowns in Ohio. For more information on Ohio visit www.ohiomagazine.com.
Jeff Younglove, Western Kentucky University reports: WKU Campus & Community Events is hosting annual High School Honors Recognition luncheons in January for approximately 150-200 high school seniors in the region. They just completed one recognizing 52 seniors enrolled in WKU's Gatton Academy for Math and Science. The academy is in its first year of operation and has 120 Kentucky junior and senior age high school students enrolled. They live on-campus and will have two years of college completed when they graduate from the academy with their high school diploma as well. The academy is funded through the state and housed at WKU.
WKU also assisted in coordinating the first Kentucky Teacher Hall of Fame ceremonies January 17 in Frankfort, KY at the State Capitol. One other major event we're coordinating and preparing for next spring (March) includes the Houchens Industries Kentucky Girls Sweet 16 Basketball Tournament.
Brenda Durling, Schoolcraft, received her BBA from Cleary University on December 8th graduating Magna Cum Laude. Congrats Brenda!
Make sure you register for the Annual Conference in Vegas in March – it promises to be a Sure Bet!
From ACCED-I Connections, October - December 2007
Region 8 folks headed to Hope College for our fall meeting on October 10 - 12. Heather Roden, regional director-elect, and her able staff put together a great program. By the time you read this we will all have found our way out of the corn maze and made some new friends while learning a new way to do something related to the conference and event business. I was excited to see so many new names on the registration list.
Thank you Heather for a spectacular time in Holland Michigan.
From e-Communique, August/September 2007
Submitted by Vicki Sussman, CCEP
Greetings from Region 8! I hope this finds you all in recovery mode from the summer conference season! I know we have all been so busy tending to our guests and surviving the summer that we had no time to think about the news!
Watch for details soon on our upcoming regional meeting October 10-12, 2007 at Hope College in Holland, MI. Heather Roden and her staff have a great program planned for us. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from the experts and network with your colleagues.
Dave Stout, honorary ACCED-I member, previously Ball State University director of conference services and special events writes that there IS life after retirement! He has recently been named news director for WLBC and Backyard Broadcasting’s Indiana cluster of radio stations. Dave retired in 2001 from Ball State and maintains contact with his ACCED-I friends. Congratulations Dave!
Finally, I am pleased to report that I am now a CCEP! What a great experience the entire process was for me. I encourage each of you to sign up now!
From e-Communique, June/July 2007
By now we are in the midst of the storm and wondering if we will survive another summer in the collegiate conference world!
Make sure you remember to document those funny, and not so funny, stories that happen to us regardless of the amount of planning we do. We will all look forward to reading about them in the fall.
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS:
Fred Gizzo, Wheaton College and Kathleen Galloway from Macomb Community College are our newest members. We look forward to meeting them soon, hopefully at the regional meeting.
SUMMER NEWS:
Jeff Younglove from Western Kentucky University writes that WKU will once again host the International BB Gun Championships on its campus in July. In fact, BB Gun shooters and air rifle and pistol competition will actually begin the end of June and various youth will be competing in the different events through July 12. The Kentucky-Indiana All-Star boys and girls basketball games are scheduled for WKU's Diddle Arena June 16 with the top players for each state facing off in the annual challenge. Proceeds will benefit the Lions Club of Kentucky. A July 4th outdoor concert and fireworks show will highlight the Independence Day celebration on WKU's campus. Last year, around 5,000 spread blankets on the university's south lawn to enjoy the show and more are expected this year. July will also see four cheerleader camps on campus along with 350 participants in the Especially For Youth conference sponsored by Brigham Young University. Just another normal summer for those in events at WKU.
Rachel Manning, also from WKU, shares an interesting story about a new camp this year. The Migrant Worker camp is through the state and is for kids whose parents travel around the country with jobs and they are constantly being switched to different schools. They typically do not go to college so this camp is for this population of kids to get a taste as to what college life is all about. They stay in our dorms, plan events on campus, hear various speakers and hopefully find out that a college education is very attainable. The Gear Up Camp is for 7th graders in the KY area that are at a risk of not going on to secondary education. They will experience many of the same things as the Migrant Worker camp. We're excited to host both of these camps because these are great kids that could even end up at WKU some day. What a great reminder that conference folks are a valuable resource for admissions recruiting!
Denison University Conference Coordinator Vicki Sussman reports that a cool spell in the central Ohio area in mid-May resulted in several calls to their conference office for more blankets. A camper’s mother even called to report that her child had been freezing all night so she called Denison’s bookstore the next morning to purchase a sweatshirt for her 15 year old. She wondered if our staff could go pick it up and get it to the camper. And would the Denison staff please make sure that extra blankets were delivered to that particular room as soon as possible. Our staff hurried over to deliver the sweatshirt and the requested blankets. They were met by the freezing camper who asked that the blankets be left on the bed. As they turned to leave the room the conference staff suggested that it MIGHT be somewhat warmer if the occupants were to close their window!
Tamyra Walters from Olivet College shares that her staff is working around four different building projects for the summer. YIKES! Isn’t one enough?
Heather Roden from Hope College will host its largest overnight group ever in July with 1,000 attendees! We’ll be thinking of you, Heather!
Derek Olive from the Carroll Knicely Conference Center in Bowling Green, KY reports that they hosted a United Way/Tennessee Titans Fund Raiser Luncheon in May. In attendance from the Titans Organization were director of college scouting Mike Acherley, the "Voice of the Titans" Mike Keith, recently named sportscaster of the year (2007), Tennessee players Daniel Loper and Ben Troupe as well as the Titan cheerleaders and the mascot T-Rex .
They also hosted one of only five “Life on Wheel Conferences” (RV Training and Development).
MARK YOUR CALENDARS – for our annual fall Region 8 Meeting, October 10-12 at Hope College in Holland, Michigan. Watch for details soon! Plan to attend this great learning opportunity and we’ll share our summer stories!
From e-Communique, April/May 2007
Submitted by Vicki Sussman
Hello Region 8! My name is Vicki Sussman and I am the Regional Director for Region 8 and the conference and event coordinator with Denison University.
What a great Annual Conference in Baltimore! Region 8 had 20 first time attendees. How exciting it was to meet all those folks. While not all were new to the collegiate conference world they were new to our ranks and I hope they all felt as welcome, as I know we were excited to have them.
As I begin my duties as Regional Director, I want to personally thank those preceding me! Jeff Younglove, Director, Campus & Community Events, Western Kentucky University, has served us well this past year as Regional Director. Jeff, it was great to have you as our leader, thank you! We especially enjoyed our short walk to our regional dinner in Baltimore! Thanks Jeff, Rachel, Amanda and Sara for finding such a close location!
Heather Roden, Director of Conference Services from Hope College, takes over as Regional Director-Elect. She put together a great slide show of all our member institutions for the recent conference. I am confident that this is just a sample of talents she brings to our leadership!
For those of you who missed the Annual Conference in Baltimore I thought I would pass along some of our news. Region 8 has 213 total members and 17 new members making us one of the largest regions in ACCED-I. We also have great representation on the Board of Directors with Rita Stewart, Ball State University, serving as our ACCED-I President this year.
Congratulations to Diane D’Alexander, CCEP, who was awarded the Outstanding Individual Achievement Award at the Annual Conference. Unfortunately Diane was unable to join us to receive her award. Hopefully she is well on the way to recovery from her broken ankle and hand.
“Good for you” awards to Lisa Salazar, CCEP, Lewis University; Diane D’Alexander, CCEP, Judson College; and Scott Brunsting, CCEP, Judson College for earning their CCEP certification. Way to go Region 8!
Kudos are also in order for Kathy Walters, CMP, Purdue University, who just earned her CMP designation.
Jackie Bishop, CMP, from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary writes that not only has she just achieved her CMP designation but also earned her Mom degree! Avery Elise Bishop, weighing in at 9 lbs. and 21 ½ inches long arrived in time to help mom with summer conferences! Congratulations Jackie!
Can you imagine working with an all-summer day camp for small children (Mon – Fri from 8 am – 6 pm). Safety, security and too large meal trays are concerns for Lisa Sago as she works through her first time Chinese Language School for Children! Anyone with experience in this area should give her a call – I know she would welcome any words of wisdom! And we will all be looking forward to her story in August of how she survived this group!
Finally, mark your calendars for the fall Region 8 meeting. It is scheduled for October 10-12 at Hope College in Holland, Michigan. Heather and her hospitality committee are already hard at work planning a great meeting. Be sure to let her know of any specific programming you would like to see presented at the meeting.
Wishing you all the best for a successful summer conference season.
From e-Communique, January - March 2007
We are confirmed for the Regional Dinner on Sunday, March 25. Region 8 is welcomed to dine at Tir Na Nog, 201 East Pratt Street, directly across the street from the Renaissance Harborpace Hotel. Tir Na Nog is a unique Irish experience incorporating the warmth of an Irish pub with New American cuisine and all the while maintaining the same charm and hospitality. http://www.tirnanogbaltimore.com/homepage.php
Please rsvp to rachel.manning@wku.edu by Monday, March 19, so that we may give the restaurant accurate numbers. Thanks Region 8.
Rachel Manning
Western Kentucky University
From e-Communique, January - March 2007
This is obviously a festive time around most college campuses and Region 8 is no exception. The break is always welcome and it gives us all a chance to rejuvenate and get ready to kick things off for 2007. Judson College is preparing for a name change to Judson University, effective August 28, 2007. That means Diane and Scott will be busy for the new year. At Western Kentucky, our annual preparation for January High School Honors luncheons recognizing outstanding academic high school seniors is well-underway with more than 200 students invited to the five different programs. That means plenty of rsvps and program planning to keep up with when the new year begins.
Hope all of Region 8 members are looking forward to Baltimore. Have a great new year!
From e-Communique, August 2006
First, some comings and goings from Region 8 members. While the heat seems to be on the minds and activities for most, it appears to be a normal summer for most campuses. Lisa Salazar from Lewis University reports a typically busy summer conference season including a June 24 Homecoming kickoff complete with bands, fireworks, campus tours, reunions and new clock tower dedication.
Barb Pierpont at Michigan State reports the biggest single conference to date at MSU with about 8,400 participants visiting East Lansing for The National Order of the Arrow Conference (Scouting's National Honor Society).
A Region 8 welcome to new Purdue conference coordinator Ed Keller. Ed joined Purdue from Memorial Union's Catering and Events office. Also, Purdue hosted more than 6,000 for the Evangelical Free Youth Conference July 2-9.
At Western Kentucky University, it was another year of hosting the International BB Gun Championships. Heat has been the issue at WKU as well with many 100+ heat indexes registered in July. The Events office is preparing again for the "Festival of Sand" event in August in which various sand carvings are created by community groups. With WKU celebrating its centennial year, the sculpting theme is set and our president wants nothing less than first place (always a familiar request from the top...only the best!)
From Denison University (Ohio), Vicki Sussman probably sums up summer conferences/events the best and we quote, "...just the typical - EMS runs, coaches mad because the other camps are using their fields (and gyms), physical plant frustrated because they must keep their contractors on schedule to meet my needs, everyone tired of food service meals, students who think we work too long and too much, etc. Weddings, weddings and more weddings, sports and youth camps everywhere, neighbors who don't like noises made by cheerleaders and bands...just the norm!"
Speaking of Denison, we hope you have your calendar marked for our regional meeting October 4-6. The hotels have been booked and tentative agenda is just about complete. Again, if anyone is interested in presenting a session, please contact Vicki or myself. We're hoping for a good turnout and looking forward to seeing Denison. We'll be sending out more complete information soon.
Hope everyone's summer "cools" down and we'll all just get ready for the "normal" academic year activities.