President's Welcome Message

To the Worldwide IAM Membership and Special Invited Guests,

I would like to extend a warm greeting and my personal invitation to all IAM members and invited guests to attend the 49th Annual Meeting of the International Association of Movers, September 12 – 15, 2011 in Denver, Colorado.  With the stabilization and upturn in the global economy, I am anticipating close to 2,000 attendees and guests participating from over 170 countries.

The Association has never previously held its conference in Denver; therefore, I trust that the membership is as excited as the staff and IAM’s volunteer leadership to be conducting our annual event in new surroundings - especially those as beautiful and diverse as can be found in Colorado.  

The Hyatt Regency Denver at the Colorado Convention Center will be the center of our events.  Also, we’ve contracted with the Denver Grand Hyatt for additional sleeping rooms and executive suites at a slightly lower price point to provide the members with additional choices.

The hotel properties are within two blocks of each other and, with Denver enjoying over 300 days of sunshine a year and September being one of the best weather months, the walk from one hotel to the other should be most enjoyable. The Denver Grand Hyatt is also the site of the PAIMA Conference, being conducted just prior to the IAM Annual Meeting.

Through direct IAM member feedback over many years, we recognize how important the Annual Meeting is to the growth of your businesses, as well as your personal and professional development. With that thought in mind, we’ve selected the following theme for 2011:
 

“Connect. Collaborate. Elevate”
 

The Annual Meeting provides numerous opportunities for attendees and guests to connect with peers from all over the world. Through our trade show, business sessions, Knowledge Labs, and a wide variety of social events, you will have ample time to discover ways to collaborate and thus elevate both your company and yourself.

I also believe that IAM, by involving representatives from all the major moving industry trade associations and some of our major customers, connects our industry through mutual collaboration.  Through this cooperative coordination the Association has been successful in elevating the industry’s image and its efforts to address the issues we all share, regardless of where we work in the world.

There have been a number of changes to our schedule this year, so I encourage everyone to review the Schedule of Events carefully and check back often to the website so you may be aware of any additional program changes. This will help minimize conflicts with the face-to-face appointments you have scheduled during the conference.

We will again being providing members access to IAM GlobalMatch, which was introduced last year and is a no-cost online appointment tool accessed via the Annual Meeting website. This online tool allows registered attendees to view business profiles of other attendees, to request appointment times, and to specify meeting points at the conference site.

We will again be providing a variety of education sessions in the Knowledge Lab (KL), including last year’s popular session for first-time attendees  I encourage everyone to view the KL schedule and make a note to attend programs of interest.

Please note that the IAM Hall of Honor Luncheon, where we traditionally induct Honorees as well as recognize AFW Scholarship Awardees and Contributors, will be held on the first day of the conference, on Monday, September 12 starting at Noon (12:00 PM).  This event will be held in the fabulous Korbel Ballroom within the Colorado Convention Center, immediately across the street from the Hyatt Regency.  At the conclusion of the luncheon, I will also update the membership on the state of the Association and our plans for the future.

That evening, we will repeat last year's success with a special Welcome Reception for new members, first-time attendees, and special guests. The Young Professionals group (YP-35) will again have their own welcome reception immediately preceding the grand Opening Reception, where all the members will be treated to the many tastes and scenes of Colorado.

In our continuing effort to reduce the impact of IAM conference activities on the environment, the Association has partnered for the second year with Carbonfund.org, a global non-profit entity supporting third-party validated renewable energy, energy efficiency, and reforestation projects aimed at reducing carbon dioxide and the threat of climate change. We are providing attendees with a means to calculate your carbon footprint and reduce it through sensible energy reduction efforts or to offset it by donating your footprint's dollar value to a carbon-offset project.

I wish you all safe travels and look forward to seeing everyone in Denver.

Terry R. Head, President
International Association of Movers