2008 ACTS Summer Meeting

The recent ACTS Meeting in Point Clear, Alabama was one of the more successful in my memory. Now that there have been a couple of weeks to process it, I believe some thoughts here might be appropriate. Many of you are making comments from time to time, and for those of you who were there, this might be a particularly good post to contribute to. Your comments are appreciated & always add value.

Here are what I saw as the biggest pluses: 1) Increased, and deeper communication among NASTA, AAP, and BMI. AAP and BMI understand that they exist to serve NASTA, but it has not always been clear exactly what NASTA has wanted. In recent years there have been some surprises such as those having to do with embossing and the cost of textbooks. This year, especially with the increased question and answer period, we seemed to begin to break through concerns for stepping on toes, with some effective exchanges. There will be more to come, I'm sure.

2) Increased visibility, and availability, of leaders like Sue McKenzie, Woody Duncan, Jay Diskey, and Bruce Smith. These folks are, of course, at every meeting, however it was nice to see them spending a good amount of time at the receptions, and between events, talking to whomever wanted a bit of time. It is crucial that the three groups MIX and get to know one another on a more casual basis. This develops better understanding and trust which are crucial to our future success. They seemed to set the example for the rest of us.

3) The heat and humidity were not a particular plus, but since the meeting is always held in July in one of the "Adoption States", most were prepared, and got through it just fine.

4) The Grand Marriott was a nice venue, even with the expected summer weather. The setting was beautiful, the golf courses in good shape, the food excellent, and the service (although I heard one complaint) positive and effective. It would be a fun place to go in the spring or fall.

Hopefully this will add up to increased attendance, especially on the NASTA side, next summer. Whatever the case, between now and then, we hopefully have begun a period of frank and open communication that will make everyone more effective and fulfilled at what they do.