ITA Bulletin
The Bimonthly Newsletter of Indiana Telecommunications Association
April 2007
 

Spring Meeting, April 18-19, 2007

The first ITA meeting of the year will be held at Swan Lake Golf Resort in Plymouth, Indiana on April 18 & 19. Registration has already begun, and we are looking forward to a great meeting. Jim Dauby, President & CEO, Perry-Spencer RTC, and Chairman of the Spring Meeting, together with his committee, have developed an interesting and informative program for the meeting on Thursday, April 19.

The Spring Golf Tournament, chaired by Chuck Skelton, ElectriCom, will be held on Wednesday, April 18. Golfers will play at the Indiana National Golf Club at Swan Lake. The Indiana National Golf Club is designed for the enjoyment of both seasoned golfers and those still learning the game. A 12 p.m. shotgun start will be preceded by an 11:30 a.m. lunch. It is very important that all golfers register online as soon as possible so the foursomes can be determined prior to the tournament. Non-golfers will depart from the hotel at 11:15 a.m. and tour area attractions, including lunch at an Amish home. To view the full tour itinerary, click HERE. A reception and banquet will be held that evening. 

 

for the Spring Meeting!

Thursday, April 19th Program
8:00 AM Registration (Continental Breakfast)

8:15 AM Call to Order & Introduction
ITA REPORT
LEGISLATIVE REPORT

8:30 AM DISASTER PREPAREDNESS
Michelle Aguillard, HR Manager
Cameron Communications, LLC, Sulpher, LA

9:30 AM DEVELOPING AN EFFECTIVE SAFETY PROGRAM
Larry Hilgeman, The Hilgeman Group, Inc

10:30 AM INDIANA RURAL HEALTH NETWORK STRATEGIC PLAN
John Winenger, Regional Network Development, St. Vincent Health

11:15 PM CALEA UPDATE
Craig Cook, JSI

11:35 AM OUCC UPDATE
Ron Keen, OUCC

11:50 AM 811 DIALING
Alan Matsumoto, Embarq

12:00 PM LUNCH
Luncheon Speaker
Dale Sporleder

 

Room reservations may be made in the ITA block by calling 1-800-582-7539. Be sure to specify that you are reserving a room within the ITA block of preferred rooms in order to receive the group rate.

 

for the Spring Meeting!

 

Sponsorships for the Spring Meeting Available

Sponsorship opportunities are available to all members and recognition of your generosity will be prominently displayed at the meeting, on programs and in advance publicity, when available. Sponsorships also provide goodwill and positive exposure for your company.  Download a Spring Meeting Sponsorship Form HERE.

 

Annual Convention

The 2007 Convention will be held June 19-21, 2007 at fabulously remodeled French Lick Resort Casino. Visit their website to see the wonderful, first-class historic renovation: www.frenchlick.com. The Convention Committee, chaired by Anita Fledderman, Marketing Manager, Enhanced Telecommunications, met recently to put in motion the program for 2007. It’s shaping up to be an interesting and informative, not to mention fun, meeting.

For additional information about the convention program, please visit the Convention website. Online registration for the convention will be announced soon.

All Associate Members are invited to contribute to the Convention Hospitality Fund that will be used to provide the Band, prizes and hospitality on Wednesday evening, June 20. To make a $60 contribution to the Hospitality Fund and become a Convention Hospitality Host, click HERE..

Convention Sponsorships
The convention provides many opportunities to increase visibility for your company through sponsorships. Please consider sponsoring an event at the annual convention! The Convention Sponsorship Opportunities form can be downloaded HERE.

Call For Award Nominations
A call for nominations has been issued for ITA Awards to be presented during the Annual Convention in June. The ITA Awards, created specifically for employees in our industry, are significant and very meaningful to the individuals who receive them. Please take some time to reflect on a deserving person whom you might nominate for an award. Please note that the nominations should state specific ways in which the nominee meets criteria for the award.

The ITA Awards include Distinguished Service, Pacesetter, Advancing Technology, and Humanitarian. Category I and II members are eligible for consideration for all awards; Category III members are eligible for Pacesetter and Humanitarian Awards.

The Awards Committee will get together in May to consider nominations and determine recipients. The Awards nomination form can be accessed HERE. The deadline for nominations is April 23.

Midwest Expo Planning Begins
NEW DATE ANNOUNCED
OCTOBER 9-11, 2007

Exhibitors from last year’s Midwest Expo have already been offered the opportunity to place a temporary hold on preferred booth locations for the ‘07 show. At this time, 93 booths have been reserved for the Expo to be held October 9-11, 2007 at the  Grand Wayne Convention Center. Booth registration will be online and is expected to be available in late May.

Over 65 program proposals have been received and the Expo Committee, chaired by Lou Mize of ElectriCom, has already begun creating a meeting agenda.

 

Expo Sponsorships

The Midwest Expo also provides opportunities to increase company visibility to attendees from Indiana, Ohio, Michigan and Illinois through Sponsorships. An Expo Sponsorship Opportunity order form is available HERE!
 

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OTHER INDUSTRY NEWS

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An Invitation From Mayor Richard to the "Killer App Expo"
Mayor Graham Richard of Fort Wayne extends an enthusiastic personal invitation to all ITA members to attend “an exciting event in the field of communications” — the first Killer App Expo & Conference at the Grand Wayne Center, April 30 to May 2. On display will be a wide array of new applications designed to run on high-speed networks, including apps in the fields of entertainment, telemedicine, videoconferencing, home office, and many others “relevant to telecommunications companies.”  Some apps will be presented by independent telcos now involved in new applications initiatives, such as a session on electronic medical records (EMR). 

Complimentary VIP Registrations And Discounts
The following special offers apply to all companies and individuals who are ITA members: The first 30 ITA members to register for the Killer App Expo will receive complimentary admissions. After the first 30 registrations, the price for the three-day event will be $75 until April 1. On April 1, the price goes from $75 to $150. To register, visit www.KillerAppExpo.com and use the VIP Code: CHITA.

(Associate/Vendor members may use the VIP Code AVITA for a $50 discount off the Full Conference - Non-Government rates before and after April 1. For exhibitor information, visit www.KillerAppExpo.com) 

Other Benefits to ITA Members
The co-host and producer of the Killer App Expo is Broadband Properties magazine, a publication for “Building the Fiber-Connected Community.” ITA attendees at the Expo will receive $100 off the price of admission to the annual Broadband Properties Summit in September, to be held in Dallas.

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If you'd like to submit information for the newsletter, please email
Krista Edstene at krista@itainfo.org.
Be sure to put ITA Newsletter in the subject line.