[From the Ontario District's newsletter, The Trillium, issue 61-01, January - March, 2007 , Waldo Redekop, editor.]

Exciting future convention plans

By Ted Devonshire, District VP Events

Spring convention

As is well known by this time, the Spring Ontario District Convention will be held at Blue Mountain Resort Collingwood. The convention committee is enthusiastic about this new venue and there seems to be a general enthusiasm from the membership for such a new venue. We are hoping this location/venue will prove to be a good choice.

We are accepting the need for a couple of compromises on space usage for this spring due to some previous bookings by another group. Much searching for possible venues has gone on over the past two years and the results tell us that the choices of venues that fall within our budget continue to narrow.

If Blue Mountain Resort works as well as we hope we intend to return annually for at least the next couple of years. Blue Mountain Resort has guaranteed us the same rates for the next two years and to that end we have signed conditional contracts for 2008 and 2009.

By now, each member of the district has received the mailing containing a registration form, hotel booking information and map of the village. Initial response from the membership suggests approval of the location choice.

Fall 2007 convention

The convention committee has booked for a return to the Sanderson Centre in Brantford for the fall. This has been a very favorable venue over the past few years. The headquarters hotel for this fall will be the Holiday Inn (not the Best Western as we were pre-empted for space at the Best Western for this year).

Fall 2008 convention

The convention committee has tentatively booked the Ambassador Hotel and the Kingston Gospel Temple again for the fall of 2008.

At this time, the plan for convention locations for the foreseeable future is a rotation of Blue Mountain for the spring and alternating between Brantford and Kingston for the fall. Establishing this group of venues on a repeated basis allows for the negotiation of the best rates at each venue and a convention location variety of east, central and west within the district. It also allows for the opportunity for different chapters to become the appointed host chapter.

The convention committee will also be offering the conventions to the chapters to bid on the job of hosting. Up to now the only responsibility of the hosting chapter has been to supply the necessary manpower for the weekend to host the competitors and provide manpower for various locations (e.g.: registration).

Henceforward, we will be expecting the host chapter to provide a plan for their participation and promotion of the convention. The chapters have always been asking for more involvement in the operation of the conventions. While we (the district committee) will retain the basic responsibility and actions of: planning, location, contracts, agenda etc., the chapters will be expected to provide more input to the weekend.

Other events

While the VP-events is ultimately responsible for all other district events (Chapter Officer Training Seminar, Harmony College North), we in Ontario have extremely capable and efficient chairmen in charge of these events who have provided separate individual reports to the district management team.

Last, but not least

W e desperately need to find a member willing to shadow your convention chair with the intent of assuming the full task in a year or so. Please, if anyone knows of a possible volunteer, let me know.         k