My trip to Leadership Institute in Orlando earlier this month. My social media savvy friends tell me that the 25 random things list is so last hour, but I thought it was a good way to fill you in on my trip.
1. Florida was having the coldest winter on record when I arrived. It was warmer in Houston!
2. It was great to meet IABC staff members, like Gretchen Hoover Anderson (see photo), who I had only known before by their email addresses.
3. Susan Burnell, APR, our past president and current co-chair of the Southern Region Conference, and I handed out rubber ducks to LI attendees to promote the conference. They were a huge hit! Only perplexed look came from a member of the IABC Nigeria Chapter.
4. We presented a free registration certificate to Gervais Joubert from New Orleans (see photo). Look forward to seeing him make the trip down I-10 to attend the conference Oct. 22-24.
5. The last session was probably the most valuable. 30 ideas in 30 minutes was led by Barbara Gibson, ABC, international chair, and Glenda Holmes, ABC, former international chair and Texas gal in Austin. Attendees were encouraged to share their ideas for helping chapter members cope with the economic downturn. A timer on the giant screen made sure no one went past one minute allotted for each idea. It was fun and energizing. See numbers 6-12 for some of the ideas.
6. One idea as to create very low-cost or free events; brown bag; meet in a pub; cut out the fluff.
7. Go on a field trip. Have a local employer host a meet and greet at their place; give a tour; charge $10 to attend to cover cost of refreshments.
8. Engage senior membership at a wine and cheese think tank. Seek their help in planning professional development events and succession planning or give them a topic, take notes and turn into article. (Great project for students!)
9. Host a happy hour the night before your monthly luncheon meeting with the speaker. Charge $5 for members to attend and mix and mingle with the speaker. Great way to engage those who can’t afford monetarily or time-wise to attend the more expensive luncheon.
10. Hold a career boot camp. Have speakers focus on resumes, interview techniques and leave camp with a resume and cover letter.
11. Recession-proof your career. Host coffee and conversation at Starbucks from 9 to 11. Designate a discussion leader and invite members to stop by and join in the sharing of ideas and venting.
12. Use the resources of the IABC Foundation more. Share results of salary survey, how to deal with generational differences, etc. All reports are free.
13. I presented a check for $200 to the Foundation on behalf of IABC Houston. Instead of a lovely parting gift, our speakers receive an honorarium made in their names to the Foundation.
14. Note to self for next conference I attend: Arrive at dessert break early before all of the good chocolate treats are gone!
15. IABC Houston won a Chapter Management Award for Excellence in Membership Marketing. Kudos to past president Susan Burnell and last year’s Member Services VP, Helen Fischer, ABC. Barb Gibson presented the certificate to Susan and I (see photo).
16. A member from New Zealand was excited to hear I was from Houston as she is a big fan of the Future Studies program at the University of Houston. Dr. Stephen Bishop mentioned at our January meeting is one of only nine such programs in the world.
17. It took a trip to Florida to meet someone from the Brazos Valley Chapter in College Station.
18. IABC/Newfoundland and Labrador won international chapter of the year.
19. The University of Georgia won student chapter of the year.
20. The Caribbean island nations of Barbados, Jamaica and Trindad and Tobago are part of the IABC Southern Region. I say we hold the next Southern Region conference at one of these locales!
21. When traveling to a Disney Resort town like Orlando, there are lots of kids on the plane. Just an observation.
22. The grapefruit juice was great!
23. The gate where my plane is boarding is always the one fartherest from the ticket counter. My hotel room is always the fartherest from the elevator. Just more observations.
24. I have yet to attend a conference where one of the speakers who used a PowerPoint presentation didn’t say, “I know this slide is a little hard to read.”
25. I was proud to represent the Houston Chapter.
