Post-Conference Buzz 
Melissa Riegel-Garrett, Executive Director
Out of all of the things I get to experience in my role as Executive Director for VAEYC, none of them are quite as engaging as the Fall Conference. While staffing the VAEYC table, I am able to enjoy the energy of conference attendees as they progress through two days of learning and networking. With the 2007 conference memories still fresh, VAEYC looks to next year’s conference with the common buzz words of “quality, accessibility, and affordability” foremost in our minds.
Providing a quality experience for attendees is something VAEYC continues to improve upon each year. One element of the quality experience is our mission to offer a broad variety of workshop content to meet the needs of our attendees’ various professional roles and levels. To that end, VAEYC is thankful for the Vermont Instructor Registry as a resource for finding high-quality presenters. Interestingly, for some, their quality conference experience comes from being a presenter for the first time! We consistently strive to create a quality conference atmosphere that will keep folks coming back year after year.
Remember when the conference was small enough to be hosted at Rice High School? Now, we are a two-day conference and there are only 4 conference centers in the state that can hold our numbers! VAEYC recognizes the geographical challenges that groups like ours face in Vermont. Although the conference requires that we use one of only four available spaces, we also host or collaborate on events in other quadrants of the state. If geographic accessibility is a barrier to your attendance at the fall conference, perhaps you'll consider the Administrator’s conference each February, or Early Childhood Day at the state house in Montpelier in March? Keep an eye on the VAEYC website for other professional development opportunities currently under development!
Interestingly, both the quality and accessibility of the conference leads to the last buzz word: affordability. A quality conference experience requires money to produce it. VAEYC recognizes that for many professionals, affordability is as much a barrier to attendance as geography. In addition to seeking other revenue sources, such as exhibitors and sponsors, we are also exploring other creative ways to help with registration fees. For example, this year’s raffle at the conference raised almost $500 to start up our Conference Scholarship fund!
Please feel free to contact me with your ideas about conference quality, accessibility, and affordability…or about any other idea you might have!
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