By: Leo Deon, NNECERAPPA Secretary/Treasurer – University of Maine, Farmington
Has your College or University recently complete a new construction project? Perhaps, your campus has undertaken a major energy project or retrofit. Have you resolved a facilities issue that you can share your ideas with others? Or are you just proud of how your campus looks and operates? New construction, retrofit, problem solving or existing hallmark operations, why not show other Facilities Professionals the great work you are doing? I can’t think of a better way to promote your campus and the great work you are doing than by hosting a NNECERAPPA Chapter meeting.
NNECERAPPA, the Northern New England Chapter Eastern Region of APPA, holds meetings twice a year. Each spring is our business meeting and every two years, elections are held for new board members. The Chapter’s goal is to provide cutting edge training, professional development and networking opportunities to Facilities Professionals in higher education as well as K-12 institutions.
As a Facilities Professional; you, your staff and entire campus stand to gain a great deal by hosting a Chapter meeting. Promotion of your campus; low cost-high end training not only for you, but for many others on your staff; professional development and team building through the hosting process; networking with other Facilities Professionals and subject matter expert Business Partners; and peer recognition for your support of the Chapter. Chapter meetings are held each spring and fall at various campus locations throughout Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.
So, you think the advantages are well worth hosting a meeting? You will not stand alone in your planning efforts. The entire Chapter board is ready to assist any campus in the planning and execution of the meeting. As a Chapter Board, we make every effort to have our semiannual meetings at a campus venue. We also utilize a professional event planner with years of experience and service to the Chapter to assist the host campus. The event planner will work closely with the host institution and Chapter board to coordinate onsite logistics, menu planning, sponsorships, Business Partner exhibits, promotion of the event and run the registration area. In addition, the Chapter’s Professional Development Committee will help with organizing and scheduling of the educational offerings.
The host campus does need to appoint a liaison, preferably a person from Facilities. This person would be the Chapter’s and event planner’s point of contact throughout the planning process. This liaison becomes part of an integral team that works together and ensures the event runs smoothly.
The Chapter makes every effort to schedule host locations out two years or more, as it does require about a year to plan a successful conference. We have been fortunate in the past to have very active participation at our conferences, both from Institutional attendees and our generous Business Partners. It is this blend of participation and generosity that makes our conferences such a success and a model for other chapters to follow. The membership is the Chapter and we can’t do it without you! Make 2010 your year to get involved! Hosting a meeting is as easy as contacting your State Director or any board member. We are always looking for new host sites, motivated individuals to serve in various board and committee positions and companies to join as subscribing Business Partners.
Our next semi-annual Chapter meeting will be held March 11-12, 2010 at the Univeristy of Vermont’s Davis Center. This is also our business meeting. Don’t’ miss out on this exciting training and networking opportunity. Registration is now open. I hope to see you there. To find out more about the upcoming spring meeting, to learn more about NNECERAPPA or how get more involved just ask any board member or visit our website at www.erappa.org/nne.