By Michael Pearsall, P.Eng., CVS, CVM, FICE, FEC – Director of Conferences, SAVE International
I recently returned from a brief trip to Portland where I was able to take some time and fully tour our 2019 Value Summit venue. I am very glad that the opportunity worked out for me to do this as it gave me a really good opportunity to see first-hand a little of Portland around our venue and get excited about it.
Portland is an interesting city and even though I was inside in meetings most of my time there, we did seem to have idyllic weather and I enjoyed some nice strolls around the neighborhood of the hotel. I was also favorably impressed with the Max light rail system and enjoyed an economical smooth ride from the airport to a short walk from our hotel.
Portland is Oregon’s largest city, yet it still maintains lots of small town charm and doesn’t have a stark over-urbanized feel. It’s known for its food-trucks, parks, bridges and bicycle paths, as well as for its eco-friendliness. I was surprised with how many people I saw on Lime rental scooters going around and the riverside park in front of our hotel was always busting with activity. I also saw a couple interesting clusters of food trucks that I hope to have time explore further next June. Portland residents seem to take pride in some of their eccentricities and there certainly is a liberal vibe you can feel. I think everyone will find something to enjoy and inspire them in Portland.
A big congratulation to Jessica Hickey from the SAVE International Cascadia Chapter for our conference theme of “Move Mountains with VE”. I had the opportunity of a spectacular view of Mount Hood on my flight into Portland and I can see why it is featured on many Portland images and now as part of our 2019 Value Summit logo.
I am excited to see the progress Mark Gabel has made organizing the Transportation Track. When I think about moving mountains, this month Mark comes to the front of my mind.
Have you been moving mountains with a recent study? We would really like to hear about it and have you share your story with others at the 2019 Value Summit. I know preparing a paper can be a daunting task, but it is also so rewarding when you share this with others. Please consider what you can share and contribute at the Value Summit.
Just a reminder that the Call for Papers and Workshop submissions was issued August 13. I hope you have already been thinking about what you would like to present at this year’s Summit. Please keep in mind that we will be asking authors to clearly demonstrate how their paper ties to one or more of our core competencies. Function analysis focused and facilitation focused sessions are always popular and fit well with our core competencies. See the Paper Submission Guidelines for more details.
We are also looking for pre-Summit workshop submissions. In addition, we will once again be offering VMF 1 and VMF 2 as post-Summit training, so block your calendars now if you are interested.
Lastly, it is never too early to jump in as a sponsor for the Summit. Sponsorship is very important, without sponsorship we cannot have a quality event at a reasonable cost. Please start now considering sponsorship opportunities.
Your enthusiastic and dedicated 2019 Value Summit planning committee with the help of the Cascadia Chapter is off to a running start and we look forward to seeing you in Portland.
Please plan on being in Portland, Oregon June 8-11, 2019 for the 2019 Value Summit.
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