Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/430655
I DA U N I V E R S A L N ove m b e r - D e ce m b e r 2 0 1 4 7 PRESIDENT'S POST Pete Smith IDA President 2013-15 Miami, Florida - 2015 JW Marriott Marquis October 14 - 17 Los Angeles, California - 2016 Hyatt Regency Hotel Long Beach October 26 - 29 San Antonio, Texas - 2017 Grand Hyatt Hotel on the San Antonio River Walk October 25 - 28 T he 2014 IDA Chicago event was outstanding. e number of attendees totaled 349, and the IDA Trade Show exhib- ited a record number of booths. Along with some constructive suggestions, the majority of the evaluations completed by attendees were positive, even though the temperature did get a little cold. e Cruise Reception, kicking off this year's event, was a generous way for the 12 Illinois member companies to welcome us. ree hours of food, fun, music and camaraderie could not have turned out better. e upswing in the IDA membership growth, refl ecting a strong global aspect, was a welcome change. Many of these new companies introduced themselves during the member meeting on ursday morning. I want to send a warm thanks to all our members who attended the Chicago conventionand off er an extended thanks to all the supporting Sponsors for this very successful Convention. Sponsors for this year are noted on pages26-28. Remember to mark your calendars for the IDA Trade Shows in the coming years. (Miami, FL, October 14-17, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, October 26-29, 2016; San Antonio, TX, October 25-28, 2017) And please realize IDA needs each of you to help support the growth of our association. When you meet with a company that would be a good candidate for IDA, simply pass the name and contact informa- tion to the IDA offi ce. ey will follow-up with the company with an invitation to join. ere are o en special introductory promo- tions to save them money. Let me take this opportunity to off er everyone best wishes for a special holiday season fi lled with joy and peace and a very successful new year . Yours truly, Pete Smith ANOTHER GREAT CONVENTION FOR IDA!