Saturday, July 24, 2010

IAAP BOSTON

BIG WEEK IN BOSTON WITH IAAP!
Part of the GMP team spent the past week in Boston producing the 65th International Association of Administrative Professionals Educational Forum and Annual Meeting. This was our 17th consecutive year to produce the meeting, and it was another big success for the association. The convention was headquartered at Boston's Hynes Convention Center, located adjacent to the popular Prudential Center complex. Highlights included a supercharged keynote address from Vernice "Flygirl" Armour, and a spicy keynote presentation by Erin Brockovich (yes, THAT Erin Brockovich!). The opening night event featured a high energy sports themed party entitled "Take Me Out to The Ballgame", where the 1475 attendees came dressed in their favorite team's jerseys and danced the night away to one of Boston's top DJ entertainers. It was a blast, and a great way to start the conference.

The simple stage set was complimented by a new LED drape backdrop that was used to create elegant twinkling lighting effects in a myriad of colors. This new technology creates a similar look to fiber optic draping but at a fraction of the cost.

A big shout out goes to the IAAP convention team, especially Inge Hafemeyer, the association's meeting manager. Thanks for taking such good care of us once again this year! Also, a special thanks to IAAP's Cindy Long and Kathy Koopman who helped pull all of the scripts and visual elements together. Great job as always! Here are some shots of the meeting...

President Susan Shamali, CPS/CAP presides at Monday's general session.


Attendees participate in voting on the association's bylaws.

There were about 400 people on the dance floor learning the latest line dances from our DJ.


These folks love to dance!


Local decorator "The Prop Factory" helped with games and set pieces.
New LED lighting curtains made a perfect backdrop for the closing awards banquet.


Jonathan Yeaworth directed the live video elements of the general sessions.


Erin Brockovich delivering the closing keynote address.