Celebrating Thirty Years of Helping "Our Clients Meet With Success" In 1970, Conferon was a start-up business with two partners and three Stouffer hotels as clients. Thirty years later, Conferon has over 180 employees, books over 1.2 million room nights a year, processes over 1,200 contracts annually, and serves over 400 association and corporate clients. To celebrate 30 years and Conferon’s evolution as the largest—and oldest—independent meeting planning firm, Conferon is planning an entire year of special events to recognize the many friends, clients, suppliers and employees that make it all possible. As Bruce Harris, Conferon co-founder and President states, “We didn't get here alone and we wouldn't have success without the great clients and partnerships that we've built over the years. This is our opportunity to say THANK YOU to all of you.” The year-long appreciation celebration includes a number of special events and projects to help commemorate this important milestone. Here are a few highlights: The first ever “Supplier Awards of Excellence” will be presented at our Annual Sales Meeting. The purpose of the award is to recognize hotels and supplier network partners for their hard work and service excellence. Conferon Account Executives and Account Planners will nominate suppliers based on key service criteria such as Turn-Around Time, Customer Service Consistency, Thoroughness of Pre- and Post-Planning, Overall Customer Satisfaction, and other criteria. Look for more information to come from Karen Watson, Director of Account Planning and Susan Murphy, Supplier Manager, this summer. A special September 15th edition of Convene, entitled “THE CONFERON GUIDE TO MEETING MANAGEMENT” will be produced. In recognition of Conferon’s reputation as the leader in many quality improvement areas of meeting planning, Convene asked us to detail our proven meeting planning techniques and best practices in a reference-style handbook. Numerous Conferon employees will be contributing to this publication. Topics to be covered will include: Negotiations Contracts Attendance & Exhibitor Marketing Registration & Housing Flow Management Meeting Room Formulas Food & Beverage On-site Problem Solving Audio-Visual Supplier Final Bill Review Post-Convention Reports An excerpt from the special 25th Anniversary issue of SPECS published in 1995 proves that Bruce continues to apply his formula for leadership success at Conferon: “It is certainly more than luck that brought us the incredible talent that populates our offices. These years are a testament to His grace and, with that grace, we plan to lead this industry for 25 more years.” So be it!