ieca NEWS

81st Annual IECA Conference
LaCosta Resort & Spa - October 9-12, 2005

What a fantastic year this has been! The Spring Conference held at Laguna Cliffs, California had record attendance. Our membership as of the end of 2004 was also at record levels and we are on pace to surpass that number by the end of this year. Denis Vermette and the Technology Committee have done an outstanding job redesigning the IECA web site. Both the Canadian and European conferences are looking at record attendance and have put together exceptional educational programs. The year has gone by quickly and before we know it, the time will almost be here to meet once again for our 81st Annual Conference to be held in Carlsbad, California.

The LaCosta Resort and Spa is home to the PGA's Honda match play championship, which is held yearly in March. The resort features two championship golf courses and boasts the top-rated spa in North America. Located just north of San Diego and up the road from LaJolla, California, it is one venue you do not want to miss. Based upon our increased membership and the great turnouts we have had with all three conferences this year, I am hopeful that we can set a new record for the fall event attendance. With your help, we can surpass the 600 mark and set that record.

The Officers and Directors of the Association are committed to emphasizing education to meet the educational needs and wants of the membership. Perhaps even in good times, such as these, with the economy doing well and the price of crude oil hovering above the $50 barrel mark, education and training continue to take on an important role. The educational opportunities have been greatly expanded and the respective committee chairpersons are working hard to put together what we hope is an exciting program.

To enable members to better select from various options, we will only have two sessions on Sunday afternoon. This change is being implemented because last year, with three sessions to choose from, many of you had difficulty choosing which session to attend. We will continue to offer sessions on Sunday afternoon as long as there is interest and your attendance justifies this schedule. In addition, based on feedback from both recent Fall and Spring Conferences, we will offer an expanded version of Credit 101. As usual, we are fortunate to have Fran Lawall conduct this session.

This year will also mark the tenth anniversary hosting the annual Trade Show. The Trade Show has become an integral part of the Fall Conference by allowing members and trade show participants to exchange ideas, learn what new products and services are available in the marketplace, and facilitate a sort of one-stop shopping experience. We encourage all our members to visit the trade show exhibition area and meet as many of the vendors as possible. If you have a vendor that you feel would be conducive to participating in the Trade Show, please let me know.

In addition, the Monday morning breakout sessions will give each attendee an opportunity to choose from three different presentations. The first of these three sessions, "Global Energy Overview", will be a two-hour session. The second session, "Letters of Credit", will run from 10:00 -11:00 a.m. and the final session will run from 11:00 a.m.-noon. We feel this will enable each of the speakers to devote adequate time to their subject matter.

Education will continue to be emphasized and we will again give everyone ample opportunity to network, renew old acquaintances, and keep abreast of the many changes will continue to affect our industry. Tuesday's agenda is again exclusively devoted to the individual credit groups. The respective committees have worked hard to develop topics which they feel serve the needs and interests of the membership. Of course, Tuesday is also the primary day for the Trade Show and we hope all our members will continue to take advantage of this opportunity.

Please mark your calendars accordingly and submit your registration forms early to take advantage of the "early bird discount." On behalf of your program committee, we look forward to seeing you at LaCosta.

So come and join us, meet new friends and renew old acquaintances!!!!

Robert Raichle, CCE
Program Committee Chairperson