WOA has over 250 members. Taking this into consideration and excluding the volunteers, it is questionable as to whether many local members took this opportunity to attend conference. With the benefit of hindsight, maybe we should have had a phoning committee to contact all non-active members.
CONFERENCE:
Excellent value . . . the meals alone were worth the conference registration, never mind the excellent program content. Lots of unique sessions, topics were timely, which supported and informed interested conferees. Of the three work shops that I attended, all were very good! The opening ceremonies set the stage for everyone involved in the conference. The best presentation was by the Minister of Healthy Living, Hon. Theresa Oswald, who used our slogan "Feel Alive in 2005" to send an uplifting message of progress.
PROGRAM BOOK:
Excellent, easy to read, well organized and informative. It would have been beneficial if we could have enlarged the pages covering each day and posted these at the Registration desk and meeting rooms.
SPONSORED BANQUETS/EVENTS:
These were very good, the entertainment was enjoyable, and the speeches were appropriate, interesting and for the most part - short & sweet. The "Manitoba Social" Meet & Greet night was a great idea and I believe well received - a great chance to meet out-of-towners. We could have used the Destination Winnipeg audio/visual in a corner of the room so that the visitors could see and hear all about Winnipeg during this event.
VOLUNTEERS:
Maybe you can never have enough of them, but it would seem that the Co-chairs had the right number and the right people because it worked out very well.
MISCELLANEOUS:
E.T. AWARD: The fact that NO ONE submitted a candidate is a shame and a possible affront to our E.T.s. We should have identified the need during our regular meetings, made a selection, and had a submission developed for UOAC. We should start this process in the fall for Moncton.
SOUVENIR BAGS:
Maybe a less expensive bag, perhaps a large plastic bag should be considered for future conferences.
FUND RAISING:
Start earlier. A year prior to the conference date, a FORM LETTER should be sent to as many firms as possible asking for their assistance and financial help prior to their budget being finalized.
Respectfully Submitted by
Barry Cox
Member-at-Large
Planning Committee
UOAC Conference 2005
