GSAE eNewsletter

Join GSAE as we kick off 2013 with our first Quarterly Luncheon on February 20 at the Georgia World Congress Center with "The Meetings Report: Five Game-changing Tactics Redefining Education Strategy & Success."  Read more about Aaron's topic and register for the luncheon here.

Schedule:
10:30-11:30 am - New Member Orientation (open to all new and prospective members)
11 a.m.-12 p.m. - Participation Fair: learn more about GSAE Committees and Shared Interest Groups and get connected!
11:30 a.m.-12 p.m. - Networking Reception
12-1:30 p.m. - Luncheon featuring Aaron Wolowiec (register here)
1:45-3:30 p.m. - Workshop - From Theory to Practice: Applying Game-changing Tactics to Your Association’s Education Strategy (member price is $75, please register here.)

Luncheon Cost:
GSAE Member: $20 Early Bird; $35 Late (after Feb. 15)
GSAE Guest: $30 Early Bird; $50 Late (after Feb. 15)

CAE credits:
You earn 1 hour toward qualifying to sit for the CAE designation or toward re-certification by attending this luncheon and an additional 1.5 hours if you attend the workshop following the luncheon, for a total of 2.5 CAE hours.

Thank you to our Host: Georgia World Congress Center











Interested in sponsoring this event?  Click here.

 

In this blog post from Velvet Chainsaw's Midcourse Corrections, Jeff Hurt shares ideas for increasing your personal and professional development in 2013. Check out his tips to help you make sure you grow professionally this year.

 

Looking to take things to the next level in this new year? Shelley Alcorn, CAE, shares her top five terms for thinking about the association community in the coming year. What will your top five be?

 

To contact our Board of Directors via e-mail, you must replace [at] with the @ symbol. This is to limit spam to GSAE volunteers. Thank you.

 

Karl Kirsch, CAE, Vice President, Meeting Expectations, and his team have earned the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) 2012 Art of the Show award for the Best Signage and Decoration in the under 50,000 square-foot exhibition category for its “You + Lounge” created for the Nationwide Financial Annual Sales Summit. This prestigious award recognizes creativity, design, use of space, attendee attractiveness and overall presentation in promotional materials for the exhibitions and events industry. Working closely with the Nationwide Financial team, Meeting Expectations developed the immersive “You + Lounge” environment in order to help the client to effectively engage attendees with a specific message at its annual sales event.

 

The Augusta Trade, Exhibit and Event Center is Now Open!

Peggy Seigler, MPA, CDME, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Augusta Convention & Visitors Bureau, is excited to announce the TEE Center is now open!  The Augusta Trade, Exhibit and Event Center completes the Augusta Convention Center offering more than 100,000 square feet of meeting space and 372 sleeping rooms along the Savannah River.  For more information or a site visit, please contact the ACVB at (800) 726-0243.  Augusta is the host city for the 2013 GSAE Annual Meeting, May 29-31.

 

Steve Bailey is excited to announce Edgewater Beach & Golf Resort will begin construction of a Children's Splash Pad to be located in the Lagoon Pool area.  Cox Pools of Panama City Beach, FL has been selected to construct this amenity that will be equipped with over 12 fountains and features.  The play pad will be over 1,400 sq. ft. with a surrounding deck totaling of over 2,200 sq. ft. This amenity will be geared for guests ages 10 yrs. and younger who are accompanied by an adult.  Learn more... 

 

Celebrating the completion of an extensive $85 million re-imagination, the Omni Amelia Island Plantation is Florida's award-winning island destination.  Situated on the 1,350-acres of the Amelia Island Plantation, the property's improvements include 404 luxury oceanfront guest rooms and suites; the largest pool deck in Northeast Florida including tiered lounge seating, an adults-only infinity edge pool, a family friendly pool, kids' splash park, two hot tubs, and fire features, all boasting spectacular Atlantic views; 80,000 square feet of flexible meeting space; and a variety of new culinary options.  For more information, visit the Omni Amelia Island Plantation blog or contact GSAE member Erin Kratky, Senior Sales Manager.

 

Mark Adams, Director of Sales, and Joe Cano, National Sales Manager, Georgia World Congress Center, are thrilled to provide an update on the process underway to build a new stadium in Downtown Atlanta.  On December 10, 2012, the Board of Governors met and approved unanimously to move forward with an agreement on business terms that will form the basis of a definitive contract with the Atlanta Falcons for a new retractable roof facility scheduled to open in June of 2017.  Learn more...

 

The Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau, along with Q&A Events, has announced that PPi has been chosen as the partner production provider for ACVB's Centennial Celebration.  This prestigious event will be a celebration of the last 100 years in Atlanta's hospitality industry.  The Centennial Celebration is scheduled for April 25th at the Georgia World Congress Center - Thomas Murphy Ballroom.  The show will feature multiple stages, live entertainment and celebrity appearances.  PPi will provide a dynamic audiovisual design using blended projection and video while incorporating the evening's theme.  Clydette Morton, CMP, is the Marketing & Sales Manager for PPi.  Learn more...

 

Wednesday, January 23
GSAE Board of Directors Meeting & Orientation
9:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Independent Insurance Agents of Georgia

Tuesday, January 29
GSAE/Kellen Company CEO Discussion Group - Strategic Planning Do's & Don'ts
8 - 9:30 a.m.
Kellen Company
Register by January 22

Tuesday, January 29
T.E.A. (Tax Exempt Association) Luncheon - Moving IT Systems to the Cloud
11:15 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Maggiano's - 3368 Peachtree Road, Atlanta
RSVP to Molly Amos, (404) 262-7920, by January 24; Cost is $25

Friday, February 22
Application deadline for the May 3, 2013 CAE exam
Visit ASAE's website for all the details

 

Thank you for your membership in GSAE in 2012 and for your patience as we worked out the glitch in our renewal process earlier this month.  I'm delighted to tell you we've fixed the issue and renewals are running smoothly now!  We remain committed to building a sense of community within the association management profession and among our corporate suppliers.  By offering a wide array of member activities, we strengthen our connections with one another.  Renew your dues online or email Jane Anne if you have any questions.  If there are multiple members from your company/organization, contact Jane Anne for a group invoice.  Dues invoices were mailed last week, but if you'd like to pay your invoice with a credit card online, you can always use our secure payment form.
 
We're excited to move into a new tiered-dues structure for 2013 -- making it easier and more affordable than ever for multiple people from the same organization to take full advantage of GSAE membership!  If you have any questions, please let us know.  We look forward to a fantastic 2013 with you!

 

GSAE programming is successful because of our fabulous corporate sponsors.  Meet our 2012 sponsors here.  We hope you will consider a GSAE sponsorship in 2013.  We’d love for you to be involved at any level, so we are continuing to offer a wide range of sponsorships at a variety of price levels — learn more here.

Please consider including some of these opportunities in your budget.  Some sponsorships are exclusive, so we encourage you to return your forms quickly.  If you wait to commit, you may find that your competitor has already purchased your perfect sponsorship.  When you're ready, simply return the Sponsorship Order Form indicating what you'd like to sponsor, or contact Jane Anne for more details.

Luncheon Sponsorships
Luncheons are the primary venue for networking in GSAE.  About 200 members generally attend each luncheon, which is preceded by a 30-minute networking reception.  During lunch, a speaker addresses a topic of interest to association executives.  Your exclusive sponsorship includes an exhibit table during the networking reception, 2-3 minutes of podium time, rights to leave a brochure or flyer on each seat, luncheon registration for five people, recognition in promotional materials and post-event attendee mailing labels.

Available 2013 Luncheon Sponsorship Opportunities:
February 20 Quarterly Luncheon – Exclusive, $2,000
July 10 Summer Luncheon - Exclusive, $1,000
November 13 Quarterly Luncheon & Tradeshow – Exclusive Lunch Sponsor, $2,000
December 11 Holiday Luncheon – 4 total sponsorships, $700 each; 3 available

Annual Meeting Sponsorships
There is no better way to place your brand in front of the GSAE Membership during the Annual Meeting than to sponsor an event, break or breakout session.  These sponsorships are exclusive and offer you access to the key decision makers in the association industry.  The 2013 Annual Meeting will be held in Augusta, GA, May 29-31.  All sponsors will be given space in the Connections Lounge to display brochures, maps, materials, etc.

Available 2013 Annual Meeting Sponsorship Opportunities:
Thursday General Session - Exclusive, $2,500
Friday General Sessions - Exclusive, $2,500
Friday Breakfast - Exclusive, $1,500
Breaks - 3 total sponsorships, $1,000 each, exclusive
Breakout Sessions - 12 total sponsorships, $500 each, exclusive

 

GSAE is seeking proposals for serving as the host property for our 2013 luncheons.  The host property will receive a reserved table during registration, the opportunity to place material at each place setting, podium time, significant exposure and an attendee mailing list following the luncheon.  This is a great opportunity to showcase your property!  Available 2013 dates are April 17, Sept. 18, Nov. 13 (Tradeshow) and Dec. 11 -- all are Wednesdays.  Download the RFP, or contact GSAE at (404) 577-7850 for more information.

 

The University of Georgia's Conference and Meeting Management Certificate Program is a series of six Saturday classes at the UGA campus in metro Atlanta. The program provides participants with insights and new tools to better design and plan all types of events. Visit UGAGetSmart.com

 

• Register and apply for a $300 travel scholarship here.
• Events include: a reception with the ASAE Board, a briefing from a former Member of Congress, an education session for CAE credit, and state group get-togethers. View the schedule here.
• Grab a special-rate hotel room at the event hotel

Join your colleagues from across the country in DC on March 18-19 to make a difference for the association community, as well as make lasting connections, learn more about the issues affecting associations, and pick up good management tips for your own association. Have questions? Contact Mary Kate Cunningham at (202) 626-2787 or mcunningham@asaecenter.org.

*Note from Wendy: We have several delegates already planning to attend from Georgia! I will make the congressional appointments for our Hill visits on Tuesday. We will go to dinner with our colleagues from North Carolina after the reception on Monday. Bonus number 1: Beverly Black, CAE will join us at dinner. Bonus number 2: We have an appointment Monday morning at 10:30 a.m. with our favorite Ambassador from the Principality of Liechtenstein, the Honorable Claudia Fritsche. Please let Wendy know if you can join us!

 

ASAE has opened the call for candidates for the 2013–2015 class of the Diversity Executive Leadership Program (DELP). Deadline to apply is Friday, March 15, 2013. DELP is an accelerated leadership program of education and volunteer service in the association community. The Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau is the exclusive sponsor of DELP. Candidates who can demonstrate exemplary leadership skills and a commitment to advancing the association community, have at least three years of association management experience or at least one year of experience as an association CEO (as of the date of their application), and are members of a racial/ethnic minority group, lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender or have a disability, are encouraged to apply.

 

Highlights of the new single-piece First-Class Mail pricing, effective Jan. 27, 2013 include a 1-cent increase to 46 cents for 1 oz. letters, a 1-cent increase to 33 cents for postcards and the introduction of the Global Forever Stamp for $1.10.

 

The Internal Revenue Service issued the 2013 optional standard mileage rates used to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, charitable, medical or moving purposes. Beginning on Jan. 1, 2013, the standard mileage rates for the use of a car (also vans, pickups or panel trucks) will be 56.5 cents per mile for business miles driven. The rate for business miles driven during 2013 increases 1 cent from the 2012 rate.