Hoff to Richmond!

Today is my last day at ICMA intergalactic headquarters before heading off to Richmond on Sunday with the advance team for ICMA’s 94^th Annual Conference.  Amazingly, this is the 28^th ICMA conference in a row I’ve attended—keep in mind that I joined the staff as part of an elementary school internship program—and my 10^th as conference director.

 

The conference has changed in many ways over the years in response to attendee input, association needs, new technologies, and the changing world.

 

We’ve experimented with session formats to maximize what attendees get out of the conference, including ICMA University Forums (hybrids of ICMA U. workshops and concurrent educational sessions), Marketplace of Ideas and Solutions roundtable discussions, and Solutions Track sessions in the exhibit hall.

 

Exhibits were added in 1984 and Richmond’s hall is our biggest ever with 169 companies represented.  Our sponsors—especially Principal Sponsor ICMA-RC and Diamond Sponsor CIGNA—have helped us enhance content and keep costs down.

 

Many different schedules have been experimented with over the years—as late as 1992, the event closed with a festive banquet/party.  An intern and I won the 50’s dance contest in Reno! The poor Regional Meetings have been shuttled around the agenda trying to find a time that works best.  New for Richmond: the meetings will take place on Sunday beginning at 11:45 a.m., so you can sleep in on Tuesday!

 

Advances in technology have greatly benefited the conference since the 1978 conference (the theme of which was “Local Government 2000”) asked the question, “How can managers effectively use the television medium?”  Today we offer “Internet Express” stations for you to connect with the world (for those who leave their Blackberries and/or cell phones at home), and we post session handouts on the conference Web site before the event is over.

 

Speaking of handouts, the conference is going green as part of ICMA’s commitment to sustainability. Here’s a taste of what we’re doing: printing fewer handouts; using environmentally-certified printers; giving a discount for online registration; working with the convention center, caterers, and the headquarters hotel to recycle, use china and silverware or plant-based paper goods, avoid one-serving condiments; and adding “green” factors to future conference site selection criteria.

 

For we ICMA staff members, the conference is work, of course, but we also look forward to the opportunity to rub elbows with local government managers whose daily work touches the lives of community members.  For the conference team, each year brings new interests and challenges as we work with a new host committee to show off their area, a new planning committee to design a stimulating program, and a new evaluation committee to help us improve the event each year.

 

What’s new and different about ICMA’s 2008 conference? An opportunity to expose attendees to the rich history of Virginia (and the U.S.)…a host committee that “learned the ropes” from hosting the NACo annual conference in 2007…15 hotels in and around Richmond connected to the convention center, airport, and dining and shopping venues by an unprecedented (in scope and expense) shuttle bus system engineered and funded by the host committee…VLGMA’s Monday evening reception at the spectacularly renovated Virginia State Capitol building…a keynote speaker line up that was among the most challenging to assemble in my experience (especially given Tim Russert’s tragic death in June), but which hopefully will have been worth the effort…a celebration of 100 years since Staunton, Va., hired the first professional manager…and a kick off of celebrations leading to ICMA’s 100^th anniversary in 2014.

 

Have a great time in Richmond and watch out for me—literally. One of our newest sponsors, Segway of Richmond, has donated two vehicles for conference planner Karen Rader and me to speed around the convention center!  

Ross Hoff, Conference Director