PACE 2008 Goes Hollywood

PACE 2008 will take place January 27-30 in Los Angeles, California. That's right, we've adjusted the dates at the request of California Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger. That's right,the Governor requested it.

Seems that our original dates conflicted with the Governors Ball preparations following one of the award shows scheduled for 2008. Since they use the Los Angeles Convention Center for many of the festivities, they asked if we could change it by a few weeks.

Only in Hollywood!

Save Room For Dessert!

I just returned from Dallas having attended a PDCA Executive Committee Meeting at the Adam's Mark Hotel. As you know, the Adam's Mark Hotel is the headquarters hotel for PACE 2007.

The hotel looks great and they're gearing up for our arrival! They had several meetings and events going on during my short stay there and everything seemed to be running smoothly.

The day I arrived, it was snowing! Can you believe that? The day before it had been 80 degrees.

The colder weather was a treat - afterall, it's December and I'm from the east coast so I'm use to it - it's the holidays and everywhere in the hotel and in the city is decorated with Santas, Christmas Trees, Dreidels, Snowflakes - I love being in a big city!

The best part of my trip was being taken to a restaurant called Sambuca Uptown. It's about a l0 minute ride from the hotel and it's promoted as an upscale supper club that's an eclectic mis of music, Buddha and velvet, catering to Uptown party people.

I don't know how much uptown partying I was going to do in the middle of the day but I can't wait to go back there at night!

The decor was fabulous - tres chic! It has a casual elegance to it and the food was outrageous. The portions were huge and much more than I could eat.

Since it was lunchtime, I had a Greek Salad called the St. Tropez salad(I broke away from my typical Caesar Salad) and my girlfriends also had salads. The St. Tropez comes with Salmon but I asked them not to include it and to put the dressing on the side. I guess I was being high maintenance and they didn't care!

Deb and Heather , who both work for the Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau, had the Cobb Salad and just raved about it.

The menu offers pizza, salads, sandwiches and then an array of seafood and chicken and beef dishes that have an international flair. The Miso Sea Bass, sounds delicious and when I go back at night (and can justify eating a bigger meal) will order this.

They also offer Lobster Enchiladas in a poblano cream sauce - isn't your mouth watering?

Whatever you end up choosing, make sure you save room for dessert. They have a cheesecake sopapilla that is to die for! They also have sharing desserts like apple pie a la mode and banana bread pudding.

There is live music 7 nights a week. They host grammy-award winning performers and feature a unique atmosphere. There is an outdoor acourtyard right in the center of the restaurant that had a cabana with couches and fountain that made you relax as the water flowed. There's also an patio with a putting green.

What a great experience I had there and can't wait to go back. Perhaps you should make some plans to visit. Take a look at www.sambucarestaurant.com

Your tastebuds will thank you.

Everyone Sells!

Whether you know it or not, you’re a sales person. Sure you say you are a business/facility owner, a contractor, a formulator or even a meeting planner but you are also in sales.

If you think about it, each day you are selling yourself, your ideas, your products, your services. You even sell to your family – it could be to get your kids to do something, or your spouse to go someplace with you. It’s all sales.

This is why the PACE 2007 keynote speaker, Dr. Kerry Johnson, is the perfect choice for our audience. Dr. Kerry writes a monthly newsletter called “The Winning Edge”. You should take a look at it: http://www.kerryjohnson.com/index12.php?page=newsletter.html#art1

It seems to me that what he discusses can be implemented immediately in all aspects of your life.

Make sure you take the time to hear him on Monday, February 12 in Dallas at PACE 2007. I know you’ll get a lot out of his presentation.


ICI Paints Sponsors General Session and Breakfast

ICI is a company that is a global leader in decorative paints and coating solutions. PACE 2007 is thrilled with this addition because ICI Paints is recognized as a leader in the industry, with strong, progressive innovative strategies within the marketplace. For this reason, sponsoring the General Session and Breakfast is a perfect fit!

Dr. Kerry will help you with being a leader in your business while ICI will help you be a leader with your customers.

Why Dallas?

Dallas is the No. 1 visitor destination in Texas. As the Southwest's leading business and financial center, the city boasts the largest wholesale market in the world and lays claim to being one of the top convention cities in the United States.
Here are just a few of the Associations benefiting from all Dallas has to offer:
American Heart Association
Society of Petroleum Engineers
Newspaper Association of America
National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists
and Chemical Engineers
Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters
Association of Teacher Educators

There's a reason Dallas is the #1 destination in Texas. Actually, there are dozens:
• Truly world-class dining and shopping
• Newest and most modern urban transportation system in the US
• Over 160 museums, galleries, arts & cultural attractions
• More than 110 live performances nightly
• Vibrant nightlife and entertainment
• Sports, sports and more sports
• Top-tier golf courses across the metroplex
• More than 406 public parks
• 60 lakes & reservoirs within 100 miles
• So much more than we can put in a bullet list..

Registration is open http://www.pace2007.com/registration/index.htm
so I suggest you make your plans today before the hotel sells out and you miss out on the early registration fees.

SSPC Board of Governors Prepares for PACE 2007

Last week I had the honor of attending my first SSPC Board of Governors meeting in Chagrin Falls, OH. If you’ve never had the opportunity to attend an SSPC governance meeting, I suggest you do. I know there are open invitations sent out to the membership prior to the meeting – you should take advantage of it. It’s an opportunity to see how decisions are made and how carefully items are considered that will have an impact on SSPC and its role of being the premier coatings society.

These twelve men and women take their responsibilities very seriously and consider all options and anticipate outcomes. When the discussion turned to PACE 2007, they want to make sure their members receive not just the PACE experience but also that they recognize this as a world-class SSPC educational forum, networking opportunity and a chance to see outstanding exhibits.

Everything was weighed very carefully – from the SSPC Training Programs to the PACE Education Sessions to the SSPC Governance meetings – each member of the Board of Governors voiced their concerns over how their members would accept some of the new scheduling we are implementing as well as the format of the promotional materials. They want to make sure their member’s needs are represented in everything PACE does.

You should mark your calendar to attend the SSPC Annual Meeting on Sunday, February 1, 4:00 pm-5:30 pm at the Dallas Convention Center. You’ll be able to hear what SSPC has been working on and the direction they are going. You’ll hear the passion your board has for the work you have selected them to do on your behalf. I even heard that the first l00 attendees to the Annual Meeting will receive a commemorative gift.

No part of PACE was too small for them to get involved in – even down to the Denim and Diamonds Gala Banquet! I’m not one to give away surprises but I think they have a few up their sleeves. I’m going to make sure I’m at that banquet and I’m bringing my camera – we might have some memorable pictures to take. I’ll be the one in the pink cowboy boots!

PACE Exhibitors and Sponsors Continue to Support Through Out the Years

The summer is over and everyone is back to work. Plans are really shaping up for PACE 2007. We’re excited about the support we have received from our long time exhibitors such as The Sherwin-Williams Company. Not only are they exhibiting but they are sponsoring registration. That means you can look forward to receiving another great portfolio to hold all the materials and give-aways you get at PACE.

Another company that has been with us from the beginning is Benjamin Moore who will again sponsor the Denim and Diamonds Gala Banquet and Silent Auction. The banquet is going to be lively, exciting and even more fun than in Tampa. You remember how much fun that was!

Carboline is going to help kick off PACE by sponsoring the Welcome Reception on Sunday evening. So you want to make sure you get there early and stay late. You can even go home with a caricature of yourself in a ten gallon hat!

Rumor has it that you’ll also receive a fun new sponsorship when you check into your room at the Adam’s Mark Hotel from Elcometer Instruments. If you want to know what it is, I guess you’ll just have to check into the hotel during PACE. It will be worth it.

Purdy and Vulcan Painters will also be featured sponsors as will Bayer Material Science. You’ll see fun floor decals leading to Purdy’s booth and thanks to Vulcan, you’ll be able to keep in touch with work and loved ones at the cyber café. Of course going to an education based show like PACE wouldn’t be the same unless you had a copy of the proceedings. Bayer Material Science will make it possible again.

PACE Attracts New Exhibitors Each Year
PACE has confirmed several first time exhibitors to its roster. The addition of these companies shows the diversity of PACE and its attendees. It also confirms the industry BUZZ that PACE is the show to see and be seen!

ABS Blast
BASF-Building Systems
BS&B Safety Systems, L.L.C.
Dresser-Rand Co.
Eco-Strip LLC
Hempel USA Inc.
Liquid Siding of America Inc.
Microphase Coatings, Inc.
Presto Tape
Pro Painting Products
Safway Services, Inc.-QuikDeck

Be sure to visit with them when you attend PACE 2007 in Dallas.

All our exhibitors are very special to us and so many of them have been with us since the first PACE show in Las Vegas. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to offer SSPC and PDCA members and nonmembers the extensive range of solutions to all their paint and coatings needs. Support them when you are in Dallas and even before you go. Visit http://www.pace2007.com/exhibiting/2007exhibitors.htm for an up to date list.

Many of them will be doing demonstrations on our main stage in the exhibit hall. Watch our website for the schedule and plan your day accordingly.

PACE Registration Now Open!

Early Bird shoppers can now be among the first to sign up for the PACE 2007 show in Dallas. Just go to the web site www.pace2007.com and click on the "Registration" link. Get your discounts now!

Lots Going on in Dallas and the Surrounding Area

Downtown Dallas is going to be transformed by the Trinity River Corridor Project – conceived to protect local homes from the threat of floods and being worked on by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – the highlight of this project will be the 8,000 acre park featuring three spectacular suspension bridges. Work has already begun and the first phase of the park will be completed in 2007.

The NorthPark Dallas shopping mall will soon complete an expansion from 1.2 million square feet to more than 2.3 million square feet. talk about “Shop Till You Drop”!

The upscale clothes purveyor Barneys New York is going to open this fall. It will be the third-largest Barneys after Beverly Hills and the flagship store in New York City,.

Dallas’ Deep Ellum district, three blocks from downtown is enjoying a renaissance. The area’s jazz and blues heyday of the 1920’s is recalled in clubs such as the All Good Café (www.allgoodcafe.com) and Deep Elum Blues (www.deepellumblues.com). For dining, Monica Aca y Alla (www.monicas.com) offers Mexican and Tex-Mex, fare with a hint of Italy, Spain and Asia (www.deepellumtx.com).

Until recent years, the West Village district was a dreary stretch. Now it’s Dallas’ hippest fashion-retail zone. Pitaya and Cowboy Cool are two of the hottest shops and two trendy newcomers will be Accent Fashions and Paul Frank. A smart spot for Italian cuisine is Ferre’.

With so much to choose from, I’m going to Dallas soon!