For those of you headed to Asheville, N.C., for the spring 2009 IAMC Professional Forum at the Grove Park Inn, there are at least three things you should know about the place you will soon visit:

• Asheville in the springtime is truly one of the prettiest locations on God's earth.
• The people of Asheville, and the staff of the 96-year-old, 512-room Grove Park Inn, are some of the friendliest you will ever meet.
• The Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina are as richly steeped in history and tradition as any place in the U.S.

This is not intended to be a Convention & Visitors Bureau advertisement for Asheville, a 407,000-resident metro area that ranks as North Carolina's No. 1 tourist destination. Rather, it is my honest assessment of a community where I have been more than a passing visitor.

Most of us can remember our first full-time job after college. I remember mine well. A journalism graduate of Virginia's Liberty University, I served as a staff writer and assistant copy editor for a small, weekly news magazine in Asheville. The city was much smaller then, but that didn't stop the publication from adopting a big name: World.

Though the job had its own rewards (more intrinsic than monetary, I might add), my biggest payday came in the form of a lasting education: I had the opportunity to learn a great deal about a unique corner of America.

From its hilly streets and tree-lined neighborhoods to the majestic grandeur of the 114-year-old, 8,000-acre Biltmore Estate, Asheville gives the appearance of an eternal playground. Dig deeper, however, and you realize that the same ethic that sustains this beauty contributes to the town's unparalleled allure.

There is quirkiness to Asheville that, frankly, can't be described. It can only be felt and experienced. Entrepreneurs, environmentalists and artisans alike find shelter and comfort in the woods of the Western Carolina hills - whether it's a trip down Tunnel Road or a hike on the Appalachian Trail.

Educators, preachers, prophets, doctors, healers, builders, dreamers, craftsmen, care-givers, philanthropists and statesmen have all called this place home. Many still do.

Tenders of the earth, whose handiwork will be on display during the annual Festival of Flowers at the Biltmore through May 17, have toiled in Asheville ever since seed met dirt.

Tulips in bloom at Biltmore's Festival of Flowers Source:http://www.romanticasheville.com/biltmore_flowers.htm

The one thing they all have in common is a love of life and the people who fill it. I will never forget the family who took me in when, as a young college student, I had traveled to Asheville for my first job interview.

They didn't know me, but it didn't matter. To them, I was a guest, and in Asheville, guests from out of town are treated with courtesy, respect and that famous Southern hospitality.

Nor will I ever forget the country church, Bent Creek Baptist, which threw a going-away party for me on the eve of my departure from Asheville. My tenure there had been all too brief, but the call of career was pulling me to another part of the world.

So I said good-bye to Asheville, but not before I could be reminded one more time of why I fell in love with the place. Folks who barely knew me showered me with food, presents and, best of all, their words of advice and grace.

If you are fortunate to linger in Asheville long enough, you will experience what I am talking about, and you will know why IAMC picked this location for our meeting.

IAMC's strong suit has always been its ability to provide superior programming, networking and career development in a total package that delivers exceptional return on investment.

With Asheville's help, the package you are about to receive at the Spring Forum will be one of our best ever. But you will have to be there to experience it.

Some things cannot be learned from a distance. They can only be absorbed in person.