Details of the education programs are gradually being filled in. Most of the program titles are shown in the rough schedule below. If you have a question or an idea regarding any of these, please pass it along to Programming Director Hazel Pankey.

Grove Park Inn pool area Source: www.groveparkinn.com

The lodging industry has set its own resource conservation standards so that hotels can compete for green awards much as industrial companies do for LEED certifications and the Energy Star Awards. The Grove Park Inn (GPI), which will be the headquarters for IAMC's Spring 2009 Professional Forum, was recently honored with such an award. GPI's press release says, "The Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa has been awarded the 3rd place International Restaurant & Hotel — Green Award in the Luxury Hotel category for 2008. This recognition is testament to the commitment to sustainability that we have here at our resort. If you look through the list of other award recipients, it is quite an honor to be in such company."

Until now, IAMC Professional Forums have featured their education and networking programs one at the time. There was rarely any overlap. This was nice because there were only two choices: attend or not attend. But this serial programming places an absolute limit on the number of education topics that can be addressed at a Forum. The Program Delivery Committee (PDC), which plans and delivers most of the education sessions, has to decide which important topics to cover and which to defer until later.

At the direction of the board of directors, PDC will begin offering concurrent programs in Asheville. The start will be small; in one Monday program slot two sessions will go on at the same time: "Real Estate Organization & Metrics" and "The Industrial Workplace of Tomorrow." But as PDC planning resources and conference center classroom availability allow, you can expect to see more concurrent programs at future Forums.