GASFAA Executive Board Report
Jon-Paul Keenan, Vice-President of Program
The Program Committee met on December 12 at Central Georgia Technical College in Macon, GA, to discuss plans for the spring 2008 conference. The theme that was decided on for the spring conference is GASFAA at 40: Recycle-Renew-Reinvent, GASFAA Goes Green. The theme is staying with the 40th anniversary aspect as well as looking at what was old is new again.
The yearbook that we discussed in July has been discontinued due to the lack of pictures throughout the last 40 years. But the committee will look into doing a CD of all the pictures we have collected over the years to hand out as a screensaver or just a keepsake for attendees. Some other ideas we have is to do a fashion show at the beginning of the opening session and have past committee chairs and past presidents participate. The theme will be tied into the dressing of these individuals.
Other events we are looking into are to have a Savannah Ghost Tour after the President’s Reception as well as a casino night after the banquet on Thursday. Also the committee has suggested doing the action stations for food again for the banquet like we had at the President’s Reception at the Fall Conference. The committee felt this type of food venue was a tremendous success in terms of flow and getting people up and moving and interacting. Also we are looking into possibly bringing back the fortune tellers for the banquet or President’s Reception. Also we are going to have a technology room available for checking email, voting and also will have some of the companies that schools use for their internal systems to show updates and answer any questions the schools will have. We are to make it clear to them this is not a marketing time, it is strictly Q&A. Some of these companies will be Banner and other FAM Systems if available.
For the fall conference the Program Committee came in under budget of what was originally set as $45,000.00 for fall conference. The committee as well as the Vice-President of Program will continue to maintain the cost of the spring conference within budget parameters.
The spring conference will be at the Hyatt in Savannah May 21 – 23. Be sure to make your hotel reservations ASAP as the hotel is filling up quickly.