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Home of the Certified
Professional Geologist
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AIPG-Northeast
Needs YOU! The 2004 Annual Meeting Gideon Putnam Hotel,
Saratoga Springs, New York
The past
history of AIPG annual meetings has demonstrated that their success
strongly depends on the participation of the local chapter. So, in a
nutshell, the section needs your participation to make the Annual
Meeting a success. Now is the time to propose your ideas for events to
enhance the annual meeting. Better yet, volunteer to chair or
participate in one of the committees, discussed below, that will be
critical to the success of the meeting. To get some perspective on
what is involved in organizing the annual meeting, you may want to
review AIPG's annual meeting manual, available for downloading from
the AIPG-National web site (www.aipg.org - log in under "members"
and look for "Manual - Annual Meetings").
Following
below is a list of the general committees needed for the annual
meeting, along with a summary of the requirements. As appropriate,
there is a reference to additional, specific information found in the
AIPG Manual for Annual Meetings ("Manual"). As additional
background information for the 2004 meeting we have available the
program and field trip guidebook from the 1991 Association of American
State Geologists (AASG) annual meeting, which was also held in
Saratoga Springs. Many of the AASG social events and field trips may
continue to have appeal to geologists and spouses alike for the 2004
annual meeting. Please review the committee requirements below,
consider your personal and professional skills, and volunteer!
1.
Programs (Manual, p. 15-16) The program committee will be chaired
by Bob Blauvelt.
He will be
responsible for developing a professional program. There are specific
requirements for professional sessions at every annual meeting, which
I have summarized on an Excel spreadsheet. The balance of the meeting
is organized around, or parallel to the mandatory events. The programs
committee is also responsible for coordination keynote speakers.
2.
Registration (Manual, p. 10) The registration committee will be
chaired by Sam Gowan and the principal task of the
registration committee is to prepare a registration form, track the
registrants, and compile the attendance for the various functions.
3.
Short Courses (Manual, p. 17) The Short Courses will be
chaired by Craig Werle.
The Manual's philosophy is that
the target market is mainly annual meeting delegates and a local
audience. Carefully chosen, short courses at the 2004 meeting may
reach not only the historical target market, but also those geologists
(and others) needing continuing education to satisfy the regulatory
requirements of nearby states (Connecticut and Massachusetts, for
example, with their LEP and LSP programs). In this manner the annual
meeting can also serve to introduce AIPG to non-member geologists.
4.
Field Trips (including guidebook - Manual, p. 18) The Field Trips
will be chaired by Lance Mead. Saratoga
Springs is ideally situated for field trips, geologic and otherwise.
The Gideon Putnam Hotel is located within Spa State Park, the home of
a variety of mineral springs and geysers. The hotel will also be the
staging point for field trips farther afield, for instance to the
Adirondacks. Tentatively, we have a guidebook planned, which would
also serve as a volume incorporating the other proceedings of the
conference (short course notes, advertising, etc.). Interested parties
should be willing to manage that aspect of the conference as well.
Some
successful previous field trips used by the AASG included: ·
Petrified Gardens · Saratoga Mineral Springs ·
Barton Garnet Mine and Lake George · Paleozoic Geology of
the Albany Area · Adirondack Geology-Lake Placid, Whiteface
Mountain, Fort Ticonderoga
Other
potential field trips include: · Howe Caverns ·
Wollastonite mining operation
And of course, we're open to other
suggestions as well.
5.
Social Program & Spouse Activities -
Manual, p. 18) This will be chaired by Dean Herrick. All
work and no play
so we'll need a dynamic program of social events
and spouse activities. Some events that worked well for AASG included
a night at the harness races, a dinner cruise on Lake George, and
mineral baths. Some previous, popular events were: · Tour of
Historic Saratoga · Empire State Plaza-view from the tower; tour
and shopping in Albany area · Lake George dinner cruise ·
Hospitality suites by advertisers · Saratoga Battlefield ·
Saratoga Raceway-harness racing · Mineral baths
6.
Exhibits (Manual, p. 13) The Exhibits will be chaired by
Jim Rickert.
The committees responsibilities include identifying
potential exhibitors (poster
sessions, advertisers), organize display space and booths with the
conference center, and coordinate with exhibitors in person.
7.
Finances (Manual, p. 5-6) This will be chiared by
Dan St. Germain
and he will prepare and manage the annual
meeting budget. Manage contracts with the conference center and any
other parties as needed. Determine local transportation needs (bus
tours, etc.)
8.
Publicity (Manual, p. 8) Contact potential participants
(professional attendees, advertisers, exhibitors). Prepare advertising
copy for suitable trade publications. Ensure that AIPG promotional
materials are prominently displayed at the meeting. Promote the event
on the AIPG and NE-AIPG web sites.
9.
Advertising and Sponsorship (Manual, p. 11-12) This committee
will be chaired by Dennis McGrath
. Annual meetings
such as this cannot support themselves only through registration fees,
and hence corporate sponsorship is essential to the financial success
of the meeting. We need to identify potential sponsors early, and the
more the better. Does your employer sponsor such events? In return
they will receive great publicity at the meeting, on the web site, and
in our various print media (NE-AIPG newsletter, TPG, and the
proceedings volume).
Contact
Bob Stewart, General Chairman for the 2004 AIPG Annual Meeting.
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