Thanks for following the Blog!

I hope that you have enjoyed seeing the updates for this year's Forum! We've done so much this year and wanted to make sure that those that couldn't make it this year could follow along with the events, as well as those that were joining us in person.

Hope to see you in San Antonio for Forum, August 13-17 2010!

Recap of the Presidential Banquet

Here is a recap video of the Presidential Banquet.  There were Presidential Awards as well and the winners of the awards were:

Presidential Award Honoree: Bill Hertwig

Presidential Award Honoree: Guy Calendar

NIGP Spirit Award: Don Miller

Interview with First Timer: Thoughts on Their First Forum

I spoke with Sharon from METRO in Portland, OR to see how this first timer's experience was at Forum:

What are your overall impressions of your first Forum?

I thought it was very organized and informative in the first email I received explaining what to expect at Forum, from before we arrived to getting here - that was very impressive.  When I arrived we had a new members meeting where we met with other new members, which was very helpful.  And Eileen who was just here was kind of a mentor for me to help me figure things out.

The seminars, the speakers, everyone is very informative and willing to share their knowledge.  The team activities, like the city museum, makes this fun and helps share things with people from other agencies.

What is one thing you think you'll be able to take back and apply at your agency as a result of attending Forum?

Administering Contracts today was great because I can see some improvements on things we are currently doing by hearing other people at other agencies explain what their are doing in their department.

Do you recommend that people that are thinking of going to Forum attend, and why would you recommend that they attend?

I would recommend they attend if they have the opportunity because it is a wonderful time to hear other people from all over the country.  There are great instructors and a vast amount of information in a small space.  It was pretty packed, but there was a lot of time for networking for enjoying what you are doing and for learning a lot of applicable information to apply what we are doing in our jobs.

Thanks for this interview, Sharon, and I hope to see you at Forum next year!

Forum Day Five: Closing and President's Banquet

I can’t believe we’re already at our last day of Forum. Things went really well yesterday with our first webcast – I’m glad that some of you were apart of that! We couldn't have done it without our speakers, Moon Bounce (the guys operating the cameras and sending the feed), and you the audience!

Today’s schedule will include workshops in the morning, followed by a powerful plenary speaker to close out our Forum events.

Lean Thinking? Is it Time? presented by Joseph Schiele, Ph.D, Assistant Professor - Operations Management, Oakland University and President and CEO of Schiele & Associates, Rochester, MI

Life After the Audit: pCard Technology for Law and Compliance presented by Matt Munafo, CPPB, Contracts Coordinator/Procurement Card Administrator and Jay Garrison, Buyer/Procurement Card Coordinator, Knox County, Knoxville, TN

Last Man Down with Chief Richard Picciotto (follow our tweets starting at 3:15 PM CT)  Here's a video so that you can preview a previous portion of a speech.

Tonight is also the Presidential Banquet with a video of the events. Don’t miss my recap later this evening!

Tour of the Expo

Here are a few quick shots from the Expo this year.  We had nearly 200 booths with 400-500 exhibitor personnel on site this year!

Forum Day Four: Staying Ethical and Webcast

Yesterday was such a busy day! We had some great speakers and workshops and an energetic Awards Lunch. Don’t miss my photos and interviews from the Awards Luncheon in my posts from yesterday.

Here’s a listing of some of the sessions we’ll have today:

The Eight Slippery Steps to Unethical Behavior with Patrick Kuhse (follow our tweets starting at 8:30 AM CT!)

How to “Buy Local” presented by Eileen Youens, Assistant Professor of Public Law and Government, School of Government The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill NC

Forging Ahead From Failure presented by David Nash, CPPO, CPPB, Retired City of Ft. Lauderdale, Sunrise FL

If you’ve signed up for our Forum Webcast, don’t forget to sign in today around 11:30 – 12:00 PM CT and watch our recap of the opening ceremonies from Forum. Our live presentations will begin at 1:30 PM CT. The sessions you’ll see are Standards for Measuring Cost Savings presented by Michael Bevis, CPPO, C.P.M., Chief Procurement Officer, City of Naperville, IL and Gateway to the Future of Procurement: Perspectives from the Private and Public Sector moderated by Marcheta Gillespie, CPPO, CPPB, C.P.M., CPM, Deputy Director of Procurement, City of Tucson, AZ

Awards Lunch Recap Video

Here is a recap video from the Awards Lunch, including Buyer of the Year, Manager of the Year, Chapters of the Year, Distinguished Service Award, the Anne Deathrage Meritorious Service Award, and the Pareto Award.

Chapter Awards Lunch

We wrapped up the Chapter Awards Lunch about an hour ago and will have highlights of the winners in a summary video.  However, if you're dying to know, here are the results!

NIGP Innovation Award: County of Rockland, NY, Purchasing Division

Buyer of the Year: Brett Wood, CPPB, Johnson County, KS

Pareto Award: Hillsborough County, FL

Manager of the Year: Kevin C. Yin, CPPB - City of Portland, OR

Small Chapter Award: Mid-Florida Chapter of NIGP

Medium Chapter Award: Mid-America Council of Public Purchasing Chapter of NIGP

Large Chapter Award: Rocky Mountain Governmental Purchasing Association Chapter of NIGP

I'll also include other awards in my video post as well later this evening.

Forum Day Three: Keeping it Green and Awards

What a great time everyone had yesterday! I hope you enjoyed my recap video.  If you haven't seen it, check it out here.  And Meagan did a great job speaking. If you didn’t have a chance to catch her while you were here, or if you want to see some of what Meagan has to offer, check out her website.  You can also read a recap of my tweets about the session.

Today we have more great workshops and networking sessions, as well as kicking the day off with thinking green:

Leading Green: Saving the Planet with Everyday Action with John Schuster (follow our tweets starting at 8:30AM CT!)

10 Things You Need to Know about Other Jurisdictions' Contracts presented by Miriam Singer, CPPO, Director, Miami Dade County Department of Procurement Management, Miami, FL

Everything is Negotiable – If You Know What You’re Doing presented by Barbara Johnson, CPPO, CPPB, Manager, Contract & Procurement Administration, Columbus Regional Airport Authority, Columbus, OH and Lynda Allair, CPPO, Seven Towers Consulting, Toronto, ON

We’ll also be having our Awards Luncheon today where awards like the Chapter of the Year and Buyer of the Year will be presented. Be sure to check back this afternoon for updates about the winners! Here’s a photo of last year’s winners (from the left) of Buyer of the Year and Manager of the Year, Gayle Blankenship, CPPB and Barbara Johnson, CPPO, CPPB:

Social Event

Here are some quick peeks at the St. Louis museum where we held our social event for the evening.  This eclectic museum featured pieces such as fish exhibits, and old Bob's Big Boy statue, and a seven-story slide.

Interview with Norma Hall, Albert H. Hall Award Winner

I had a chance today to catch up with Norma Hall, the Albert H. Hall Award recipient and get her reactions from Forum – take a look at the transcript below:

Last night you won the Albert H. Hall Award.  What went through your mind when they called your name?

My first thought was this really can’t be happening to me.  It’s such a wonderful award and there are so many people that impact someone’s life throughout their public procurement profession and to me the award shouldn’t just go to one person.  It should go to all of those individuals that impact that person’s life.

What are your impressions of Forum so far?

It’s going very well.  There has been a lot of activity pre-Forum with sessions and workshops and now that we are getting into the first day of full sessions, I think it’s going very well.

You just wrapped up a session on the value of certification presented by Ann Peshoff.  What’s one thing you would like the audience to know about what it means to become certified and what’s the one core important piece one should know about being certified?

I think certification is that it shows the value of your profession and your desire to go that extra step and show people that you have what it takes to be a professional in your organization.

Is there anyone you would like to say hi to at home that couldn’t make it to Forum this year?

I’d like to say hi to all the people back at the Materials Management office and my family who I appreciate them supporting me so much.

Thanks for joining us, Norma and I hope you have a great Forum!

Thank you!

Sights and Sounds from Forum

Here's a quick video with some sights and sounds from this year's Forum, including shots of the bookstore and the registration booth.

Certification - Creative Ways with Certification Pins

Here's a picture from one of our Forum attendees of a creative way they have used their certification pins over the years.  A charm bracelet is a great idea for women who would like to turn their pins into jewelry.  Here's a shot of the charm bracelet our member created.

Forum Day Two: Generations, Certifications, and Socializations

What a fantastic day we had yesterday with the Opening Ceremonies - Norma Hall earned the Albert H. Hall Awards. Make sure you check out our recap of the evening!

Today is set to be full of great speakers in our plenary, networking sessions, and workshops. Here’s a recap of what’s taking place today:

Plenary: Stop Me Before I Strangle Somebody with Meagan Johnson, C.S.P. (follow our tweets starting at 8:30 AM CT!)

Going Green When It’s White presented by Catherine Link, CPPB, Director of Purchasing, and R. Mark Devries, County of McHenry, Woodstock, IL

UPPCC Certifications: Your Gateway to Excellence in the Public Sector presented by Ann Peshoff, Executive Director, Universal Public Purchasing Certification Council, Herndon, VA

Performance-Based Contracting (PBC) for Services: Who’s Doing What? presented by Lawrence Lee Martin, Ph.D., Professor & Director of the Center for Community Partnerships, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL and Clifford McCue, Ph.D., Associate Professor, School of Public Administration, Florida Atlantic University, Fort Lauderdale, FL

Social Event: A Night at the Museum at the St. Louis City Museum

Here’s a peek at the City Museum in St. Louis:

Video from KETC Public Television

Recap of Opening Ceremonies

What a great night we had tonight.  The Opening Ceremonies provided everyone time with friends, good motivation, a few laughs, and great entertainment.  

The night kicked off with an opening with the boyscout color guard and the local community college's choir singing the national anthems from Canada and the USA.  We also saw a video of CEO Rick Grimm visiting the sites and sounds of St. Louis.  Kirk Buffington provided his farewell speech which ushered in the new presidency of Paul Brennan.  We were also introduced to the Board of Directors for NIGP.  Next, we recognized the CPPB and CPPO recipients that were in attendance at Forum, followed by the Albert H. Hall Award, which was awarded to Norma Hall.  Finally the evening was capped with keynote speaker, Mike Rayburn, who's great insight in being your best was truly motivational.  Mike really knows how to play a guitar and provided a ton of laughs for the audience, as well.

Check out the Opening Ceremonies Recap below to view some of the night's events!

Welcome From Your Virtual Host

Forum Starts Today!

Today is our first day at Forum and we have some exciting events planned for today:

NIGP Annual Golf Tournament

Our 5th annual Forum golf event will take place at the Golf Club of Florissant, about 25 minutes north of St. Louis. This event is an all day event, but those participating in the tournament will be back in time for the opening ceremonies.

First-Timers Meeting

This session is for those who will be attending their first Forum. This will cover what you need to know to get the most out of Forum, networking with other first times, and getting to know members who have attended Forum in the past that will help first timers really become part of Forum.

Opening Ceremonies with entertainment from Guitarist and Humorist, Mike Rayburn

Not only will we be greeted by our new President, Paul Brennan, but we also will have entertainment from Mike Rayburn as well as the presentation of the Albert H Hall Award. Those of you that are registered for our Webcast will be able to see a recap of these events on Tuesday at 12:00 PM CT.

Here’s a quick video of Mike Rayburn performing:

Video from Mike Rayburn's YouTube

Many people have either arrived yesterday or today. We’re so excited to welcome our over 800 attendees as well as everyone following us on the web. Check back for updates later today!

Can't wait to get to this year's Forum? Here's a quick recap video from last year's events to get you started. Countdown to St. Louis: 4 days!

If you'll be at Forum...

If you'll be at Forum this year, you can get a ribbon for your badge if you follow NIGP on Twitter or if you are a member of our Linkedin or Facebook groups. You can find me in the NIGP Bookstore on Saturday, August 22 to get your ribbon. We do have a limited amount, so make sure to stop by and get yours on Saturday!

If you haven't signed up for Linkedin, here's a quick tutorial on getting an account today. You can also sign up for Twitter and follow NIGP through this tutorial. These will be the most heavily updated sites during Forum, including this blog.

-Kathleen Ridgely, Distance Learning Coordinator

Forum is Almost Here!

Forum is right around the corner, and we're getting ready here at NIGP headquarters in Herndon, VA. If you haven't heard it already, we recently recorded a podcast with Rick Grimm, CEO of NIGP, about attending this year's Forum. You can listen to the podcast here along with Paul Brennan's message about attending Forum as well.

We are also putting the last preparations on getting the Webcast ready to go. You can still sign up until this Friday, August 14, so don't forget.

Also, if you're going to Forum this year and you are a member of our Linkedin or Facebook groups, or following Forum on Twitter, stop by and find me for a little something to let others know that you are connected...

Finally, you'll notice we now have our Twitter feed at the bottom right corner of our blog. This will update any time a new tweet is posted. I'll be updating Twitter throughout Forum so that you can stay up to date in real time with what's happening during plenary sessions, workshops, or just out talking with our members.

So no matter what, whether you are at Forum or at your home office, you can still stay connected with NIGP throughout the week of Forum!

-Kathleen, Distance Learning Coordinator