Meetings and Special Events at PACE 2007

I’m 25,000 feet in the air on my way back to Philly. I have several hours to recap my meetings this morning and hope it gives you a little idea of what to expect at PACE 2007.

I met up with our Audiovisual rep, Ryan at 8:00 am. He was going to attend the meetings with me again today since he’ll be providing all A/V support even in the hotel. He welcomed me with a can of Diet Coke. I mentioned to him that as long as I have one in my hand, all is right with the world. That was very thoughtful of him and what a great way to butter me up!

We hooked up with the Convention Services Manager for Adam’s Mark Hotel, Mark Story, to begin going over the meeting space for the SSPC training programs that take place pre-PACE. For the most part we will be able to keep them all on the same level which will make it very convenient. These training programs offer an array of certifications from Fundamentals of Protective Coatings for Industrial Structures to QP Quality Control Supervisor Course. You’ll be able to check the course descriptions and continuing education units in the preliminary program that is going to be mailed out right before Labor Day. This way, when you return from your end of the summer trips and vacations, it will be waiting for your review!

Both the PDCA Board of Directors meeting and SSPC Board of Governors meetings will be held at the hotel along with the PDCA President-Elect Reception. This reception is traditionally a welcome reception for the newly elected president and a celebration of his roots.

Dave Siegner is from Oregon and if you know anything about the Oregon Trail and what Oregon is like today, you can only imagine what is being planned. A fusion of cattle ranching and wineries and brew pubs and James Beard style cooking with modern influences, this PDCA member only reception will be something to talk about for years to come.

The Wednesday Evening Gala Banquet is a Denim and Diamonds event. It’s a mix of casual and formal and semi-formal to help celebrate the end of the convention, Valentine’s Day and…do we need another reason to have a party? So plan on coming that night, even if you’re by yourself. You won’t be alone for long. You’ll meet the people at your table, the leadership and staff of both PDCA and SSPC and more importantly, you’ll have an opportunity to enjoy a fun-filled evening. Wait until we begin planning the menu!

Benjamin Moore will again sponsor this event along with the Silent Auction that helps raise money for SSPC’s preferred charity, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and PDCA’s Disaster Relief Fund. We’ll begin with previewing the auction items during the Gala Reception and then again when dessert is served among the auction displays.

Similar to the event in Tampa, this evening will be interactive and include professional dancers teaching you how to line dance, an emcee guiding us through the evening and highlighting certain auction items and a local band called Midnight Thunder. They play a mix of country western, pop and the classics. I may not be the biggest CW fan but give me Keith Urban, Kenny Chesney or a little Big and Rich and I’ll be up there in my levi’s and rhinestone encrusted cowboy boots (with stiletto heels of course) doing the two-step with the best of them.

The pilot just got on and said he was putting the seat belt sign on in preparation of our landing. What a quick return home. Oh well, I guess I need to sign off. I’ll be back soon to keep you posted on the plans for PACE 2007. I can’t wait for you to see the education program. I know we’ve said in the past the program has something for everyone but wait until you see how it is laid out – you won’t be able to miss the sessions that were designed with you in mind!

Until next time...

Annette S. DeLorenzo, CMP

Safety When Traveling

Like any big city or new place you travel to, there are certain precautions you should always take to ensure personal safety. When traveling alone, I typically avoid dark streets, empty hallways in hotels and am very aware of my surroundings.

I always tell meeting attendees to remove their badges before leaving the hotel or convention center. Those badges help us address and recognize each other but we don't want complete strangers knowing our names.

If you're in a lobby lounge, keep your purse (for the ladies) or your laptop on your lap. If you put it next to you, you might forget it and when you return, it will most definately be gone.

If you're exploring the city and get lost, it's okay to ask a passerby for directions but it's always better to find a hotel to ask the doorman or go into a store. Of course, the police are always recognizable. One time when I was in San Francisco, I went exploring and got so lost that I wanted to cry. I went into a fire house and asked them for directions. Much to my surprise, they drove me in a firetruck back to my hotel. Of course the hotel wasn't thrilled that there was a fire truck in front of their property but when people saw me get out, they laughed!

I do have a great momento of that day. A picture of me with several fireman and they allowed me to wear one of their hats!

But I digress...

Because my meetings begin at 8:00 am today, I wanted to go running at 5:30 am but it was still dark. Fortunately the Adam's Mark Hotel is located on the DART system. A light rail system that funs on the street almost like a trolley. I figured if I stayed along that route, I would be relatively safe.

Dallas is a bustling city at 5:30 am. People are off to work, many of the deli's and breakfast shops (including Starbuck's) are opening. There was no lack of people. I even ran into a couple of the Pink Ladies from Mary Kay. How did I know that? The pink tees and sneakers (yes pink sneakers) were a dead give away.

It was a cool morning so my run was delightful and very relaxing. I hope that when you come out here for PACE, you take a few minutes each day to do something for yourself. You'll feel better and you'll be able to retain a lot more information when you attend the fabulous educational programs the committee has planned.

Some Random Things to Do in Dallas

After a full day of meetings at the DCC, I went back to the hotel to change. The Adam’s Mark is located in the Arts District so I knew I’d see some interesting sights. The first thing I noticed as I began my early evening run was that there are a lot of little parks with beautiful fountains. Right across the street from the hotel is the Cancer Survivors Plaza. This attractive park with very high visibility has three enclosed overpasses crossing over it connecting the modern buildings across from it in each direction. Handsome aluminum trellises set off the sculpture, positive mental attitude walk and computer. A 5,000 pound revolving granite ball and fountains are additional features.

It’s truly a serene place.

A couple more blocks from the hotel is the Dallas Museum of Modern Art and the Asian Collection of Art. These are must see stops when visiting Dallas. Another must see stop is Neiman Marcus: http://www.neimanmarcus.com/

Looking at high fashion while running is safe – I’m running away from spending money. However the display of Jersey Girls clothing was very inviting. After all, it’s an attitude!

There were many restaurants around the hotel that looked inviting. However, when I met with James from Centerplate at the DCC he recommended two that are considered to be superb:

Dragon Fly Restaurant in the ZaZa Hotel: http://www.hotelzaza.com/Dining_Dragonfly.aspx

Stephan Pyles: http://www.stephanpyles.com/index.asp

Next time I’m in Dallas, I’m definitely going to Dragon Fly. The menu looks fabulous but for now, I’m running back to the hotel to order some room service…a salad and diet coke. That’s my reward for running after a long, busy day.

Eating Your Way Through PACE!

Planning multiple food functions for thousands of people is somewhat of a challenge when you try to balance some healthy eating with what is fun and tasty. But Centerplate, the catering service for the Dallas Convention Center had many suggestions.

I was a little concerned about working with James, the catering manager because he’s from England. What would he know about TexMex and Southwestern cuisine? Well I’m pleased to say, he knows a lot! I told him for the opening reception on Sunday night, we’re in Dallas, I want to do fun, southwestern food. He and chef are putting together some suggestions that will make you go off your diet!

As they say, when in Rome…in this case, when in Dallas, let’s do barbeque! You can be sure barbeque will be on the lunch menu one of the days.

When was the last time you had a root beer float? Get ready for the closing exhibit hall reception – A&W Root beer floats will be served so save some room.

Tomorrow I’m meeting with Catering at the Adam’s Mark Hotel – I wonder what we’ll have at the Diamond and Denim banquet?

Getting Ready for PACE

Monday, July 24

The shuttle picked me up at 645 am for a 9:30 am flight out of Philadelphia International Airport. Delaware Express likes to get you there two hours prior to your flight especially on Monday morning. The airport is usually very busy and the security line is horrendous.

Today, there was no traffic on I95 and it was only 65 degrees - my day was starting off perfect. When we got to the airport, I went right through security without waiting. It is Monday isn't it?

I stopped to pick up my newspapers and a diet coke - after all, I had time to sit and relax before getting on the plane. Travel should always be this easy.

The flight was smooth and we actually got to Dallas l5 minutes early. The first thing I noticed when I got to DFW International airport was that there were signs everywhere welcoming the Pink Ladies of Mary Kay Cosmetics. I knew they would be in town but who knew that in the course of three weeks, they would bring 50,000 woman and men from across the country to participate in sales seminars, "feel-good" general sessions and extravagant evening festivities that are reminiscent of a senior prom!

I caught a shared cab with three woman from Indiana who were here for Mary Kay. I didn’t have the heart to tell them my sister-in-law sells Avon!

When I got to the Adam’s Mark Hotel, the headquarters hotel for PACE 2007, the first thing I noticed was that everyone was so attentive. I’m back in the South where hospitality is first and foremost. PACE attendees will love it.

After dropping off my bag, I went right over to the convention center to meet with Freeman Decorating (the company that handles our exhibits), AVW (the company that handles all our audiovisual needs) and of course the convention service manager at the DCC.

The shuttle bus will drop attendees off on the first level where you’ll take the escalator up to registration (sponsored by Sherwin Williams) and the exhibit hall.. Ballroom A is also on this level where we’ll have the Welcome Reception (sponsored by Carboline) and of course, the General Session.

The concurrent education sessions will be held on level one in the A100 meeting rooms. They’ll be one right after the other. All committee meetings will be held on the third level in the A300’s.

We walked outside to where the outdoor exhibits would be and we’re thinking of setting it up to look like a rodeo. Bales of hay, a mechanical bull and roasted peanuts! How fun is that? Keep your eyes opened for more information on what we’re doing out there. I think the outdoor exhibitors are going to like the traffic-building events we’re planning. Maybe we’ll even have a contest to win complimentary registration for 2008 by seeing who stays on the mechanical bull the longest.

Okay, I'm going into the my next meeting with Centerplate, the food and beverage service for the DCC. I'll let you know how that goes.

Membership Does Make a Difference

Membership in Associations offer a myriad of benefits. One of those benefits is discounted registration fees to the annual convention. For PDCA and SSPC members, their annual meeting is PACE 2007 and I am pleased to announce that we are holding down the registration fee to the 2006 rate. For $539.00 you will receive more educational opportunities than any other national or international meeting. In addition to that, your registration comes with continental breakfast, lunch, welcome reception, exhibit hall receptions, gala banquet and so much more.

The preliminary program will hit the streets right after the Labor Day Holiday. You won't have to take my word - you'll see for yourself that the quality of the program is world-class and that your registration fee is a small investment in your bright future.

Annette S. DeLorenzo, CMP
Director, PACE Meetings and Exposition

PACE Registration to Open August 18

Online registration for PACE 2007 will open on August 18. We've made registration even easier this year.

As usual, there are three ways to register:

1. Go to www.pace2007.com and click on registration;
2. Mail in your registration; or
3. Phone it in.

For the first time ever, PACE badges will be mailed directly to you prior to the convention. No more waiting in line once you get to the convention center! How great is that?

Once you do get to the Center, convenient kiosks will be set up for you to hand in your ticket to pick-up your convention bag.

We're pleased to announce that Sherwin-Williams will again be sponsoring registration and we know you'll receive a great canvas bag to hold all the wonderful materials you'll pick up during your time in Dallas.

Registration is right around the corner so get ready...

Future PACE dates announced!

At long last, PACE has unveiled future show dates all the way up to PACE 2010. Exhibiting information will be available for these dates as soon as we're through sweating the details of the 2007 show in Dallas. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact Annette or anyone else at PACE.

Here are the dates and locations:

PACE 2008
January 27-30, 2008
Los Angeles, CA

PACE 2009
February 15-18, 2009
New Orleans, LA

PACE 2010
February 7-10, 2010
Phoenix, AZ