Reflections on the Manchester Conference

Hello All. Manchester in September was the place to be!!! All of the planning and diligent work completed by The New Hampshire Conference Team and the 2005 AACPM Conference Committee has once again delivered a successful 17th Annual AACPM Professional Development Conference to the AACPM membership. Even with the natural act of losing the conference mascot – ‘The Old Man On The Mountain’ and the last minute cancellations of several registrants who were affected by Hurricane Katrina’s wrath on the states of Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana; the attendance remained steady around the 175 mark and it is known at this point that excess revenues will prevail over actual conference expenditures to the tune of over $14,000 for both the NHACPM and the AACPM.

In fact, the excess revenues will match the conference theme as it ‘Climbed to New Heights.’  The final numbers will be posted before the end of this calendar year, so expect to be pleasantly surprised.

For a recap to those who were not able to join us, the Conference was set at the Center of New Hampshire, Radisson Hotel Manchester, September 18 – 20. The Center of New Hampshire Conference Center offered a convenient Manchester location an hour north of Boston. Attendees had several travel options – flying into either Boston or Manchester were easy enough and those who drove gained even a closer view of this beautiful region. Many close-by activities were available for those who chose to come early or stay after to enjoy golf, shopping, historic attractions, delicious restaurants, theater and more.

The NHACPM went above and beyond to create outings to local events, such as museum tours, brewery tours, chocolate factory tours, and the New Hampshire seacoast and village of Portsmouth. My husband, Allen and I, were ones who stayed three days after the conference and toured through New Hampshire and Vermont. We enjoyed every minute of those three days and look forward to returning again.

This year’s conference touted several “firsts” for our organization; i.e. the first AACPM Conference to be held in New England; the first shortened conference to two-and-a-half days; the first to accept credit cards for payment of registration fees; and the first to co-locate with the annual conference of the National Association of Government Training and Development (NAGTAD).

The conference was breaking new ground on several fronts, but isn’t that what Certified Public Managers© are trained to do? To look at the opportunity and execute it to the best deliverable possible, this year’s team did a tremendous job! I’m confident the A+ experience promised by this team was delivered to each of us fortunate enough to attend and participate.

The Conference speaker committee worked diligently to deliver a wide array of topics, and mix of local CPM members and trainers and national speakers at the best possible cost. Speakers covered current topics including bioterrorism, on-line learning, archiving digital data, succession planning, attitude, leadership, humor and diversity to name just a few. There were no repeat sessions, so everyone had to get to the sessions early and many of the speakers like Mark Hood, Pearl Rovaris-McDonald, and Deb Titus had us in the palm of their hands for their entire session.

Sunday evening was set aside to honor the 25th Anniversary of the National CPM Consortium. It was a truly historic recant of the founding CPM leaders and its progression to date. The Consortium members had fun sharing this information with all who were present.

Monday evening activities included a short bus trip to Portsmouth to a well known restaurant where many dined on their first fresh and whole lobster. It was fun to watch and listen to everyone who used the claw smashing tools for the first time. Everyone then enjoyed walking around downtown Portsmouth and a view of the sun setting across the bay. It was a picture opportunity to die for.

Tuesday evening was the capstone event – The Awards Presentations & Dinner.       

• The President’s Award was presented to: Theresa Jarvis, CPM; Linda Kennedy, CPM; Daniel Lemmon, CPM; Daniel Millis, CPM; Kathleen Moulis, CPM; David Perry, CPM, each of New Hampshire for their work on the project titled "The Value of the Certified Public Manager's® Education and Designation."
• The Wilkinson Scholarship Award was presented to: Torry Edwards, Texas and the highlight event of the evening was
• The Henning Award was presented to Ronald L. Buchholz, Wisconsin.

It was both a joy and sadness when the evening was over. On one hand it was the recognition of many and the culmination of another successful conference brought to a close. Months and months of hard work are now over and it all seemed to happen so quickly. Two and one half days of a well positioned team bringing the conference to its end and on the other hand you know it will be an entire year before you get to see both your old friends and comrades and your new friends and acquaintances.

I don’t know about you, but the NH Conference Team and the AACPM Conference Committee can’t wait until the first session of the 18th Annual AACPM Professional Development Conference begins in Louisville, Kentucky / September 10-12, 2006. Look out Kentucky, here we come!!!!

One last PS, I understand and can attest – the shortage of maple syrup in New Hampshire is directly contributable to the number of bottles and jars that are now in the cabinets of the conference attendees.

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