The 2011 RPMDA Convention in Tampa, Florida, attracted over 215 attendees, including 54 exhibitors and over 30 first-time attendees. 140 members enjoyed a dinner cruise of Tampa Bay together on Thursday night, relishing the warm weather after what was a long and brutal winter in many parts of the country.

  

Music educator and author Peter Boonshaft was the opening keynote speaker. The mood was upbeat throughout the convention as members and guest speakers addressed the challenges of today's marketplace, sharing ideas about new technologies, print product, marketing, staff training, merchandising strategies and more. When not attending educational sessions, retailer members spent valuable face-to-face time with 54 exhibitor partners. RPMDA also paid tribute to charter member Don Eubanks, retiring from Hutchins & Rea Music after 40 years in the print music industry, and to its executive director Madeleine Crouch for her 20 years of service to date.

A highlight of every convention is the announcement of the recipient of the Dorothy Award, given for a lifetime of service and achievement in the music industry at the closing dinner, which had a tropical theme this year. It is the highest honor bestowed by RPMDA. The 2011 honoree is Danny Rocks, whose long and distinguished career encompasses nearly every aspect of the music industry. He is well known as a music industry speaker, NAMM presenter and business consultant with his own firm, The Company Rocks. In accepting the award, he recalled that he gave his first public presentation at the 1993 RPMDA convention in Milwaukee. "When my name was announced, I was overwhelmed with emotion. My mind flashed back to the enormous contributions made by the award's namesake, Dorothy Hutchinson, and all of the previous Dorothy recipients towards shaping the direction of the print music industry. For me to be included in this special group of individuals is a great honor."

Claudia Keith of The Music Mart in Albuquerque, NM, received the 2011 Sandy Feldstein Service Award for her ongoing volunteer service on behalf of RPMDA as historian. RPMDA president Gayle Beacock of Beacock Music in Vancouver, Washington, presented long-time member Diane Moore, owner of the Keyboard Cache, Anchorage, Alaska, with the John Walters "President's Choice" Award for her friendship and support during Gayle's term as a member of the board of directors.

  

A new award, the Don Eubanks Publisher Representative Award, was presented on behalf of RPMDA's dealer members to Bruce Bush of the Hal Leonard Corporation for his consistent and exemplary service to his customers.   

In her closing remarks, Gayle Beacock observed that those attending the convention represent people in the industry who "really get it" and are involved and engaged with their communities and their businesses, stating, "I'm betting on our future and on everyone in this room." Stay tuned for more news about the 2012 RPMDA Convention, May 2nd-5th, in Los Angeles, California.