Perspectives Dallas Chapter of ASTD Membership Newsletter - December 2006 << Table of Contents <<

Thanks to Our Members and Volunteers for a Great 2006!

by Jay Maxwell, 2006 President

We’ve had a great 2006 at Dallas ASTD! As a chapter, our budget was in the black and our membership level was stable. Our volunteer members and officers got involved to provided programs, orientation, career services, special interest groups, newsletters, and our website to our members. Thanks to all of you!

Here’s a brief summary of activities from 2006:

Programs:

As in years past, we offered terrific speakers at each of our monthly programs. Attendance at those programs averaged 69 in 2006, but as many as 94 attended our October program – and 115 attended the luncheon program at the Learning Summit in August! You may recall hearing the latest about workplace learning from well known presenters such as Carolyn Corbin, Ilayne Geller, Bill Bancroft, Sam Horn, and Jane Handly. We thumped and jumped to the rhythms of the Drum Café, too!!

Member Services:

Volunteers at New Member Orientation welcomed our newest members nearly every month. Welcome to those of you who joined in 2006 – and thank you to those of you who renewed your memberships! We began the year with approximately 430 members; in the fourth quarter, our membership is nearly the same at 418.

Special Interest Groups (SIGs):

Many members really leveraged their chapter memberships by attending and leading Special Interest Groups. Dallas ASTD’s five SIGs include Accelerated Learning, Consultants and Coaches, Dallas Area Retail Trainers (DART), Learning Technology, and Organizational Development.

Professional Development:

Were you one of the many members who changed roles in 2007? (I was!) If so, you probably checked our local job postings and attended JobNet meetings, which are regularly scheduled just 90 minutes before our monthly programs. Through October, 69 new positions were posted on www.dallasastd.org. The nominal fees for those postings contributed $5,325 to our revenues. Also through October, 74 attendees were at JobNet meetings – sharing leads, tips, ideas, and encouragement!

Communications:

You have surely noticed the outstanding writing and editing of our monthly newsletter! Regular contributors and guest writers make our Dallas newsletter extraordinarily informative. The electronic version usually receives over 300 “hits” per month. Advertisements also contribute to revenue used by the chapter – and here’s a big thank you to our writers, editors, and advertisers!!

Technology:

Many of you rely on technology to get value from your Dallas ASTD membership. We've made member requested enhancements to our Consultant Directory database and our website is a hit! (Sorry for the pun.) In September and October, for example, there were 20,650 and 18,516 page views, respectively. Those are well over the average of 15,984. Wow!

ASTD International Conference & Exposition:

After Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, ASTD’s 2006 International Conference & Exposition (ICE) was moved to Dallas. As the host chapter, Dallas ASTD sought volunteers and volunteer leaders to assist with the world-class event. Many, many of you responded with welcoming smiles, hands, and hearts for our national and international workplace learning colleagues. Thank you!

Southwest Learning Summit and Exposition:

This year’s learning summit and vendor expo was at a new venue, the beautiful Addison Conference Centre, and was a huge success! As mentioned, 115 attended the inspiring talk by Tom Whittaker. Even more attended the presentations and visited with over 20 vendors. Ten experts in workplace learning presented multiple sessions. (One person let me know she had made a contact that resulted in a new job for a person in her office. What great news!)

Best Place to Learn:

The final big Dallas ASTD event of the year – the Best Place to Learn in Dallas award! The committee has worked tirelessly to solicit applications, review qualifications, interview candidates, and select the winner. Don’t miss the December 12 meeting when we’ll learn who has been selected!

Finally, I’d like to say one last thank you to the chapter’s 2006 officers, project leaders, and chapter administrators. Your positive influence on our chapter has contributed to Dallas ASTD’s continuing position as one of the largest chapters in America. For me, as president of Dallas ASTD, working with you has been an honor and a privilege.