CAPPO Heads to Napa – A Grape Place to Learn
By: Dan Marran C.P.M
Purchasing Manager, City of Sparks, NV
Napa will be the location of the 90th Annual CAPPO Educational Conference Supplier Exposition to be held January 22 – 26, 2007. The conference will take place at the Napa Valley Marriott Hotel and Spa in the heart of California wine country. The soothing environment of wine country is the perfect location to relax and re-charge while taking in all of the educational and networking opportunities available at the biggest CAPPO event of the year.
As the oldest professional organization dedicated to the education, development and support of public agency purchasing staff, the California Association of Public Purchasing Officers (CAPPO) has a great history of offering educational opportunities that meet the needs of all levels of public agency purchasing and contract management functions. Steadily growing since the formation of the group in 1915, CAPPO currently exceeds 1,100 members from within California and neighboring states.
The conference begins on Monday, January 22nd with a full day preconference seminar on the subject of Legal Aspects of Contracting, presented by Michael Kolodisner, CPPO. This full day course is free with full conference registration. Onsite professional certification testing covering ISM and UPPCC certification programs will be offered throughout the day for those ready to take the test.
The conference formally opens Tuesday with the Keynote Speaker, Steve Gilliland, CSP, who is one of the most in-demand, entertaining, top rated speakers in the country. During lunch, the 2006 Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Awards will be distributed to those agencies that earned the award and are present at the Conference. The day will also include a mix of Group Forums and Pro-D Sessions. Group Forums are popular sessions where attendees meet fellow buyers from similar agencies and discuss the issues that are most pressing at the moment. These sessions are valuable to all levels of the profession for the great volume of knowledge sharing available in the room. Pro-D sessions are short courses where topics are offered by fellow CAPPO Members looking to share their knowledge in the hope that their experience will help their fellow members.
Networking is the word of the day for Wednesday where Group Forums will continue and expand into a special networking lunch aboard the Napa Valley Wine Train. Once aboard the train, lunch will be served while giving attendees the opportunity to meet their counterparts from across the State. Upon the train’s return to the hotel (yes, the train stops at the hotel), the Supplier Exposition will begin, offering attendees the chance to view the latest products and services marketed toward public agencies. There will be additional incentives for suppliers to exhibit at the CAPPO Conference in the form of detailed information on just what it takes to get their “foot in the door” with the agencies represented at the Conference.
Thursday will see a full day of multi-track workshop topics where attendees can pick and choose the topics of most value to them and their agencies. The current topic list for Workshops and Pro-D presentations offered through the week include: Solving RFP Problems, Mutual Aid Agreements, Purchasing Case Studies, Problem Solving Techniques, Business Communication, Construction Management, Cost/Price Analysis, Outreach Programs, Certification Opportunities, Vendor Relations, Customer Service, and Employment Transitions.
This full day leads up to the President’s Banquet and Awards where CAPPO members are recognized for their service to the organization. Closing out the banquet will be entertainment by Chris Bliss, a world famous comedian and juggler who has been featured on the Tonight Show and numerous other broadcast and Internet outlets. The evening will close with dancing to the tunes of Rendezvous.
To close out the week, the CAPPO Board hosts a sit-down breakfast during the business session of the organization where annual reports are presented, election results are announced and the new Board is sworn in. Following the business session, the Friday Keynote Speaker will be Dr. Jay Tontz, Professor Emeritus of Economics who will provide an entertaining and informative look at the current and forecasted economy.
The CAPPO Conference is a tremendous value with a full conference registration cost of less than $100/day, which includes all educational offerings, vendor show and nine meals. Please join CAPPO in Napa to share our knowledge and celebrate our profession.
More information on the conference as well as CAPPO can be found at: http://www.cappo.org or by contacting the CAPPO office at (800) 592-1970.
See you in Napa! A Grape Place to Learn.
