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Official Newsletter of the
MOCAP Chapter of the Society of Government Meeting Professionals 1st Quarter 2012 |
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Educational Contact Hour Certificate
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By Vicky Buschjost
Last fall, the SGMP National Board changed its Continuing Education Unit (CEU) certificate to an Educational Contact Hour (ECH) certificate. This certificate confirms your attendance at a MOCAP monthly meeting and provides documentation of your earned ECH because you attended a MOCAP monthly meeting. If you would like to receive this certificate, at the monthly meeting, when you sign-in at the registration desk, place an "X" in the last column after your name and I will email it to you following the meeting. Members renewing their certification(s) can use this certificate as education documentation.
If you have any questions, please contact me at Vicky.buschjost@dhe.mo.gov or at 573-751-9441. |
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MOCAP MEMBER CORNER
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The Radisson Hotel Branson is in the final stages of a multi-million dollar renovation. With completion scheduled for the first quarter 2012, the hotel has already doubled the size of the fitness center and fitted it with all new equipment, and reopened the Time-Out Lounge with all new decor. Currently under renovation is the lobby, all 15,000 square feet of meeting space, pool, Wildwood Bistro Restaurant, all public washrooms, and all 27 suites located on the 9th floor. In addition to the current work, the hotel has added 37" televisions in all guest rooms and will add iHome alarm clocks and cordless phones into all rooms. To stay up-to-date with the renovations follow us on Facebook.
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The Ramada Oasis Springfield is excited to begin their expansion of their convention center that will add an additional 13,000 square feet of space. "The project will consist of adding three meeting/banquet rooms to open into the present convention center, creating space that will accommodate up to 1,300 guests for banquet events and up to 1,800 guests for meetings." Missy Handyside, General Manager stated.Sarah DeGuire, Director of Sales, added "There will also be a new convention center lobby that will attach with an enclosed walkway to the Ramada Inn Oasis Hotel and Fire & Ice Restaurant & Bar."
The convention center will be completely renovated and will offer a tropical contemporary decor with state of the art audio visual. "It will be absolutely gorgeous and offer everything a planner expects in a first class facility." DeGuire stated that the decision to add additional space is due to the demand of their current client base as well as the many requests from meeting/convention/group planners that have expressed interest in booking events with the Ramada Oasis but needed additional and more versatile space.
Robert Low, owner of the Ramada Oasis Hotel & Convention Center selected Sloane Architects to design the project and Killian Construction to construct it. Brenda Van Eps with Studio V Design is the lead interior designer on the project. Completion date is scheduled for May 31, 2012. Handyside confirmed that they already have groups contracted in the convention center beginning June 2012.
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Cathy Easton, President |
President's Message
Lagina and I returned last week from the Joint Leadership Meeting in, New Orleans. Participants included Presidents and Second Vice Presidents from chapters across the country, along with the National Board, Gilmer Trustees, and Headquarters staff. A lot of topics were covered in two days. As a part of the site visit, we were taken to Mardi Gras World, where the National Education Conference's opening reception will be held. The facility is where floats are stored and reassembled for the many parades that are held around town during Mardi Gras. This opening ceremony promises to be a spectacular treat for everyone. New Orleans is a wonderful setting for members to obtain worthwhile continuing meeting planning education and participate in networking opportunities. Even though we had a great meeting, we both were glad to be back home.
I want to thank everyone who stepped up to run for a position on our Chapter board. It takes a lot of volunteer hours to keep this chapter running. With changes in board terms, come new goals, ideas and strategies for the continued growth and success of the chapter. Good luck to each of you!
Cathy Easton, CGMP
MOCAP President |
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Annual Charity Basket Raffle
To Benefit Central Missouri Honor Flight Michele Burrows | |
Once again our Chapter is hosting an annual Raffle "Basket" Drawing and we are reaching out to our community hospitality friends for assistance. We have decided to hold this year's drawing at our April 12 monthly educational meeting at the American Legion in Jefferson City. We are contacting all MOCAP members to solicit items for their city's raffle basket(s). Please make sure to coordinate with your area CVB/CVC to assist with the basket project.
As in the past, we would like to request your participation by donating a basket to showcase your city or location. Our goal is to have more raffle baskets to offer the ticket buyers more chances to win; thus hopefully, being able to sell more raffle tickets. Examples of items that could be in these baskets are:
- Overnight stays (Try to limit your basket(s) to a maximum of 3 overnights per basket)
- Tickets to area attractions
- Restaurant gift cards
- Specialty items from your city/location (i.e., t-shirts, mugs, candies, treats, wine, hotel/city memorabilia, etc.)
Please note when putting your "basket" together, is doesn't necessarily need to be in a basket, but may be put in a tote bag, cooler, folder, or type of logo container as a part of the giveaway product.
Please email the description of your basket and contents to Michele Burrows at michele.burrows@jqh.com (SUBJECT LINE: SGMP Basket Raffle), no later than Wednesday, February 15, 2012. If you have any questions, call Michele Burrows at (573) 638-2314.
This year, the committee has selected Central Missouri Honor Flight as the charity of choice. Transporting mid-Missouri's veterans to Washington, DC, to visit the memorials dedicated to honor their sacrifices. http://www.centralmissourihonorflight.com/home
The raffle tickets and instructions will be distributed to our members at the March 8 luncheon at Meadow Lake Country Club, in New Bloomfield.
Thanks again for participating in this exciting event!
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SGMP MOCAP Elections
Karen Holterman | |
The SGMP MOCAP nominations for board positions are now closed. Nominations have been sent to the National Nominations and Elections (N & E) Chair, Immediate Past President Melody Kébé, and the National Headquarter staff liaison, Rob Bergeron. The National Office will now confirm the membership eligibility of the nominees and return the list back to our MOCAP Nominations and Elections Chair. Below is a brief timeline of upcoming activities:
- During the week of February 1-6, the National Headquarters will create voting rosters by chapter and post them on the private SGMP chapter websites. The final list of approved candidates has been sent to National Headquarters.
- On February 7-8, the MOCAP Nomination and Elections Committee will notify candidates of their eligibility to run, announce official candidates and provide details of the upcoming election process to chapter members.
- The week of February 10-17, candidates may send campaign materials to the chapter's voting members encouraging them to vote for them.
- February 20-27 is the Chapter voting period. Voting will end at 5 p.m. eastern time on the 27th.
- On February 28, the chapter election results are verified via Survey Money and chapter Nominations and Election Committee members are notified by the National Headquarters staff liaison and the National Nominations & Election chair.
- On February 29, the Chapter committee will share the election results with the entire chapter.
I cannot stress enough how important it is for everyone to take the time to vote. The board members play a very important role in our chapter and we want to make sure we get our voices heard. So do not delay. When you see that the voting period is open, review the list of candidates along with their information and place your vote.
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2011 Holiday Extravaganza
Lodge of the Four Seasons Karen Holterman, Co-Chair |
The 2011 Holiday Extravaganza was held at the Lodge of Four Seasons, at the beautiful Lake of the Ozarks on Friday, November 18, 2011. The event was attended by approximately 85 people.
The evening started off with an opening reception, at which time the Silent Auction opened. Throughout the evening a photographer was available for those wanting to get their picture taken with a holiday background. A dinner buffet was served starting at 7:00 p.m. Guests were treated to music provided by "The Lake Notes" who sang a variety of songs, including some Christmas hymns, as we enjoyed our dinner. Throughout the evening, you could see the guests mingling and competitively placing their bids on the wonderful silent auction items that were donated. We had approximately 87 items donated this year for the silent auction, which included things like overnight stays, crocheted items, event tickets, craft items, an autographed football, a lottery tree, homemade cookies and cinnamon rolls, and many other wonderful items. These items brought in $3,826.00.
We also tried something new this year to help bring in more money, which seemed to go over quite well. We had a "Wine Pull". Approximately 60 bottles of wine were donated by members and other groups. The wine was then wrapped in brown paper bags and tied with a ribbon and placed on wine racks. The only identification was whether it was a red, blush, or white wine. Guests that wanted to participate bought one ticket for one pull at $15 or they could purchase two tickets for two pulls for $25. The wine pull brought in an additional $525. I believe a great time was enjoyed by everyone. On behalf of myself and my co-chair, Brenda Buschjost, I would like to thank everyone who donated items and helped with this event.
A lot of hard work was put into this event and it helped raise funds for our chapter, which can be used for scholarships. I would like to challenge and encourage all members to start putting on their "thinking caps" and start thinking about what you could donate next year. You don't have to be crafty or make a fancy basket, anything is welcomed and greatly appreciated. Even if you are a supplier and your company donates something, you could still donate something as an individual.
Thank you again for a successful Holiday Extravaganza!!! |
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Ask The Expert
Your Questions Answered by an Industry Expert |
Question: I have an email from a Contract Specialist confirming that I have been awarded a contract and they want me to begin work right away including purchasing some additional equipment we need to specifically handle this group. Does this mean I am guaranteed the business?
Answer: An email from a Contract Specialist is not a contract or a commitment from the government to pay you for your services or justify the expense of the new equipment you need to purchase. The only Binding Agreement must come from a Contracting Officer. It must be specific stating the dollar amount of the contract and the services that you are to provide. Usually when you receive such an email it is based on a contract being awarded extremely close to the start date. The email from the Contracting Officer must also state the contract number and the fact that the purchase order is in route to you.
Let me highlight a Key Point, a Contracting Specialist has what is called Perceived Authority based on their title. A Contracting Officer has Actual Authority to commit the government to pay funds on an executed agreement.
Question: A new government client from an agency that I have done business with before has asked me to fill out a Vendor Form asking for specific financial information. Should I send it to them or tell them no? Why would this new individual want such a form?
Answer: While it might seem strange that a new contact from an agency is asking you to fill out a form it generally means you have not done business with that division of that agency previously. Believe it or not each federal agency has numerous divisions all with their own budgets and accounting systems. Each division within the agency may not be a apart of the agencies overall finance system and needs to have your information entered into their system so they can pay you. Many agencies also have division under them that do not use Appropriate Funds and usually have a very different auditing system to ensure their funds meet their true purpose.
Question: Is it true that government agencies cannot pay a cancellation fee even though I have a purchase order indicating an amount of the award to us as a vendor.
Answer: Here is the reality of the Federal Acquisition Regulations, any government agency that enters into a contract by a designated Contracting Officer is liable for damages to the vendor if they do not honor the contract. Now just to clarify, while many people will tell you they cannot pay for something they do not use, that is not true. The government must follow the commercial laws when it comes to honoring a contract. Where you tend to run into issues are with contracting staff who are not living up to their ethical duties. It could be that they never should have executed an agreement for your services and are just trying to cover themselves or they feel they can say no and you will just go away.
Here is a Key Point, according to the "Notice of Convenience to Government" a government agency can terminate a contract, but the statue also specifies damages that they must pay. One important point also, if you are pursuing damages from a canceled contract, normally you should be pursuing your lost profit and not the full cost of the service you were offering. If you send your specific contract to me, I can tell you what you are entitled to recover and how to explain your justification for the amount of damages.
Submit your questions to Ask the Expert via email |
Emerging Technology:
Virtual vs. Face-to-Face Meetings Vicky Buschjost | |
SGMP National Conference 2010 - This session was presented by Carla Cannonito, CGMP, Key Account Director, IHG Americas Sales, who focused mainly on TelePresence as the latest, greatest means of communication between two or more locations. TelePresence uses multiple sophisticated technologies to allow everyone from everywhere to have face-to-face collaboration. It is a high-end videoconferencing system using the latest room designs, the latest video cameras, displays, sound-systems and processors, along with high-end capacity bandwidth transmissions. 
Do you remember the cartoon show, "The Jetsons"? The Jetsons lived in the year 2062 and the picture to the right shows Jane communicating with someone on a beach leaning against a palm tree. Our telecommunications today isn't there yet, but it's getting closer.
Telecommunication was first introduced in 1964 at the World's Fair in Flushing, NY. Interestingly enough, when our presenter polled the audience in this session, a gentleman in the audience had attended that fair, but he was only five years old and didn't remember this particular presentation.
Although it existed, there wasn't much demand for conferencing systems throughout the 70's and 80's, because it was so expensive to get all the technologies together and working simultaneously.
Today, TelePresence has the potential to revolutionize the exchange of information on a global scale. Integration of communications is made to a single in-box for voice, email, fax, and web conferencing video. It also has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reduce corporate carbon footprints and alleviate global warming. Costs are anticipated to decline as the technology becomes more mainstream.
Below is a breakdown of various systems and cost ranges starting with the least expensive to the most expensive:
- Web camera for videophone and videoconferencing systems that serve as add-ons to personal computers, connected to other participants by computers - lowest direct cost assuming all participants have existing computers. This is a popular, inexpensive means of live feedback, but the audio and video are somewhat delayed. The quality of service can range from low to very high, including the latest "high definition video" available on the latest model webcams;
- Videophones - low to midrange cost. The earliest stand-alone ones operated over plain telephone lines or more expensive lines, while newer models use the Internet for better image resolutions and sound quality. Quality of service for stand-alone versions range from low to high;
- Videoconferencing systems -midrange cost, in most cases, utilizing a main call distribution location sometimes called "bridging service" to allow multiple parties on a videoconference calls. Quality of service ranges from moderate to high;
- TelePresence systems -highest capabilities and highest cost. Total package high-end systems can involve speciality built teleconference rooms to allow wide range views with very high levels of audio and video fidelity. When the proper type and capacity transmission lines are provided between facilities, the results are high quality state-of-the-art levels. Because of the costs associated with these systems, they are typically found in corporate settings, but are moving into the hotel industry. Current costs are estimated at $1,000 for 4 hours of TelePresence. There can be 2-20 people at one time, depending on suite site. TelePresence revenues are expected to rise over 2,000 percent from 2006 to 2013 with the high growth projections ranging from 3,700 suites in 2009 to 28,000 suites by 2014.
Several key players in this exciting means of communications are -
Technology leaders are working to establish partnerships with hotels to create awareness and education for emerging technology as a value-added service to clients. Hotels can establish pilot suite sites while providing a variety of technology options to better fit client budgets/qualify ROI.
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Registration Open!
May 16-18, 2012
New Orleans |
The biggest annual event in the government meetings industry is SGMP's National Education Conference (NEC), where government professionals come together for one-stop and non-stop education, resources and networking.
Between the welcome reception and our Sam Gilmer awards banquet, the NEC features keynote speakers, education sessions, leadership training, live and silent auctions to raise money for scholarships, our new tech fair, and the largest exhibit hall in the government meetings industry. There are also pre-conference workshops and post-conference tours.
SGMP's 1st annual education conference took place in Maryland in 1983, where 68 attendees met for four education seminars and 36 supplier tables. Today, nearly 1,000 professionals meet for ~30 education sessions and more than 250 exhibit booths.
The next annual conference will be our 30th Annual NEC in New Orleans, Louisiana on May 16-18, 2012. Planner registration, supplier exhibitor information, and a detailed schedule are available at www.sgmp.org. The 2012 SGMP NEC should be our biggest ever. Questions? Just ask Krystal at krystal.stotz@sgmp.org |
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