Last week, I flew to Billings to attend the Annual Meeting Planning Committee (AMPC) meeting. The 2011 Annual Meeting is going to be fantastic. The Billings AMPC is paying close attention to detail and are working diligently to make this meeting a success. Here are a few highlights from the planning process:
- There is an exciting plenary session in the works: two confirmed keynote speakers include Paige Baker and Chuck Lura. Russell Nemetz of Northern Ag Network will moderate.
- Special attention is being paid to meeting highlights, including the Trade Show, Rangeland JobFAIR, On-The-Spot-Hiring and other major meeting events.
- There will be a symposium focusing specifically on the art of range management.
- Technical sessions will cover a wide range of topics, including sessions on wildlife interactions, grazing management, riparian health, water quality, range management economics and many others. Calls for symposia workshops will be coming out shortly.
- The AMPC is making every effort to ensure that on-site costs will be low. There will be free coffee breaks, the AMPC will have a food court on-site to save time and money, hotel room rates are competitively priced, food costs are low, meeting hotels offer a free airport shuttle, event bars will offer wine and beer starting at under $4, to name a few - plus, the state of Montana has no sales tax. The Billings Hotel and Convention Center offers free refrigerators in every room, and refrigerators are available to rent at the Holiday Inn.
- Both hotels offer free wireless Internet in rooms. And the Billings Hotel and Convention Center indoor pool is equipped with two water slides!
- The bags this year will be reusable insulated shopping bags and a recycling program for the meeting is in the works to reduce waste.
- A Montana-style social dinner will be on-site and feature local entertainment.
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