CONFERENCE PLANNING 2006 by Jim Garfield The door closes, hand shakes all around, business cards are exchanged, and everyone grabs a coffee and a chair and makes themselves comfortable. So starts the first meeting of all the parties involved in this year’s SPOA Conference. Joining us for the fourth year in a row is the British Columbia School Safety Association. Also joining us for the first time will be the Recreational Facilities Association of British Columbia (RFABC) and the Council of Educational Facilities Planners International (CEFPI - BC Chapter). We held our first meeting in Kelowna in December at which time we laid out our program to the other parties and asked for their input. Questions were asked and answered by all parties concerned. We also asked for a list of speakers to be ready for the next meeting, which was to be held in January. We did not accomplish all we had hoped for in January’s meeting, as there was a shortfall for the Speakers Program. But once we reiterated the importance of having this list compiled due to time constraints, things progressed exceptionally well. All par-
ties agreed to respond as soon as possible. I am happy to report that at the time of writing the Speakers Program is in place and is looking to be very informative and educational. With the inclusion of the new organizations comes a different slant on speakers. Some of their speakers will be able to comfortably cross over to all organizations and offer a new introspective on how we approach things. In talking with the Conference Coordinator, we should have all our exhibitors in place by the end of March. Thanks to the exhibitors for the overwhelming support they have shown for this year’s conference. With the addition of RFABC and CEFPI, we have tapped into a new area for exhibitors. With that in mind, we should have some new and exciting displays for this year’s trade show. Special thanks to everyone who is involved in the organizing of the conference. We still have a ways to go yet, but things are coming along nicely. Hope to see you all in Penticton in June. ❏
Refrigerative Supply 1st 10 pages 1/2 Gary Barrington PU?
10
School Plant Officials Association of B.C. Spring 2006
