The 2009 Chromosome 18 Conference was held in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the beautiful Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa. The annual conference is a time to meet new friends, reconnect with old friends, learn, share and network. This year we had 253 attendees from seven countries that included United States, Canada, Australia, England, Finland, Germany and Israel.
Every conference profile is a little different depending on the chairpersons, the planning committee and the host city. Each program also varies each year for the same reasons. As our organization grows, the goal is to try to listen to suggestions and make the changes that are necessary to meet the needs of our members. Our children are different ages and have differing needs, but one thing remains consistent: we love our children and want what is best for them.
Our annual conference is extremely important to our families. This year I served as chair with support from, Racine Ghiz and Tracy Sims, in planning our conference. Many members helped during the conference as volunteers. As a result, the registration process and operations during the conference went smoothly. One way we try to improve our yearly meeting is to ask attendees to fill out evaluation forms. This helps us keep a pulse on what worked and what didn’t, as well as learning what our members hope to gain from future conferences. Our Welcoming Reception was exciting and a bit crazy. Most folks travel that day and their routines are out of whack. People are hungry, tired, excited and overwhelmed. We decided to make the Welcome Reception with light snacks and beverages. We envisioned people up and down with their kids and mingling back and forth with other Chromosome 18 families.
Childcare is always the biggest challenge for our conference planners. In the past we relied 100% on volunteers to watch our children while we attended sessions. As our organization and the conferences have grown, the childcare needs and liabilities increase accordingly. Given that our children are the reason we are at these conferences, we feel it important that they are in a program they are enjoying as well. This was our second year to hire a professional organization, Corporate Kids Events, to work in conjunction with volunteers. The entire experience for kids and parents was great; however the rooms were too small. Parents told us they felt safe and that their children were happy and actually looked forward to each day. There were lots of fun activities for children of all ages while adults were learning and sharing with each other.
Most attendees agreed that the Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa was a great venue for our conference, away from the strip, and the staff was very accommodating to our needs. The Feast Buffet, truly accommodated for our needs by allowing us to walk right in and get our meals, plus they provided special meals for our families with dietary requirements.
We had a total of 19 presenters that included our Chromosome 18 Young Adults Dance D.J., Mark Sogard. Some of our own talented members were presenters or volunteered. We had our standard features such as: Chromosome 18 Research Update, Molecular Biology, Young Adult Panel, Sibling Panel (back by popular demand), Rick Guidotti’s Positive Exposure and our Syndrome Breakout Groups, which are always well-received. Last year we learned that no matter how small a syndrome group, each group must have its own space. We definitely had more room for each syndrome group. In addition to a full schedule of speakers, there was Mom’s Night Out, our first Dad’s Night Out, and our Young Adult’s Night Out still looking beautiful and dapper from the morning dance.
The Young Adults were able to attend sessions including Do Your Own Advocacy, Financial, Employment, Education, Living, Medical, Etiquette, Transition Planning and Wellness Life Coaching. They also received a make-over and a night out at Cabo Mexican restaurant. These young adults are an inspiration to all of us, and even though some of our children may be very young now, we all know how quickly time flies. Special thanks to family and friends who helped during the make-over time and the dance. Our Young Adults really enjoyed the dance and the music, even though the room was small and the air conditioning was not turned down prior. Everyone in the room, including the watchful parents, had a marvelous time and huge smiles on their faces. Most enjoyed the dance so much that they would like it to continue for all future conferences.
Whether you’ve never been to a conference or if you try to come every year, you won’t want to miss all of the excitement being planned for our conference at the Renaissance Tulsa Convention Hotel, July 11, 2010 – July 14, 2010. Oklahoma! See you in June!
Anita Wagner
The 2009 Chromosome 18 Conference was held in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the beautiful Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa. The annual conference is a time to meet new friends, reconnect with old friends, learn, share and network. This year we had 253 attendees from seven countries that included United States, Canada, Australia, England, Finland, Germany and Israel.
Every conference profile is a little different depending on the chairpersons, the planning committee and the host city. Each program also varies each year for the same reasons. As our organization grows, the goal is to try to listen to suggestions and make the changes that are necessary to meet the needs of our members. Our children are different ages and have differing needs, but one thing remains consistent: we love our children and want what is best for them.
Our annual conference is extremely important to our families. This year I served as chair with support from, Racine Ghiz and Tracy Sims, in planning our conference. Many members helped during the conference as volunteers. As a result, the registration process and operations during the conference went smoothly. One way we try to improve our yearly meeting is to ask attendees to fill out evaluation forms. This helps us keep a pulse on what worked and what didn’t, as well as learning what our members hope to gain from future conferences. Our Welcoming Reception was exciting and a bit crazy. Most folks travel that day and their routines are out of whack. People are hungry, tired, excited and overwhelmed. We decided to make the Welcome Reception with light snacks and beverages. We envisioned people up and down with their kids and mingling back and forth with other Chromosome 18 families.
Childcare is always the biggest challenge for our conference planners. In the past we relied 100% on volunteers to watch our children while we attended sessions. As our organization and the conferences have grown, the childcare needs and liabilities increase accordingly. Given that our children are the reason we are at these conferences, we feel it important that they are in a program they are enjoying as well. This was our second year to hire a professional organization, Corporate Kids Events, to work in conjunction with volunteers. The entire experience for kids and parents was great; however the rooms were too small. Parents told us they felt safe and that their children were happy and actually looked forward to each day. There were lots of fun activities for children of all ages while adults were learning and sharing with each other.
Most attendees agreed that the Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa was a great venue for our conference, away from the strip, and the staff was very accommodating to our needs. The Feast Buffet, truly accommodated for our needs by allowing us to walk right in and get our meals, plus they provided special meals for our families with dietary requirements.
We had a total of 19 presenters that included our Chromosome 18 Young Adults Dance D.J., Mark Sogard. Some of our own talented members were presenters or volunteered. We had our standard features such as: Chromosome 18 Research Update, Molecular Biology, Young Adult Panel, Sibling Panel (back by popular demand), Rick Guidotti’s Positive Exposure and our Syndrome Breakout Groups, which are always well-received. Last year we learned that no matter how small a syndrome group, each group must have its own space. We definitely had more room for each syndrome group. In addition to a full schedule of speakers, there was Mom’s Night Out, our first Dad’s Night Out, and our Young Adult’s Night Out still looking beautiful and dapper from the morning dance.
The Young Adults were able to attend sessions including Do Your Own Advocacy, Financial, Employment, Education, Living, Medical, Etiquette, Transition Planning and Wellness Life Coaching. They also received a make-over and a night out at Cabo Mexican restaurant. These young adults are an inspiration to all of us, and even though some of our children may be very young now, we all know how quickly time flies. Special thanks to family and friends who helped during the make-over time and the dance. Our Young Adults really enjoyed the dance and the music, even though the room was small and the air conditioning was not turned down prior. Everyone in the room, including the watchful parents, had a marvelous time and huge smiles on their faces. Most enjoyed the dance so much that they would like it to continue for all future conferences.
Whether you’ve never been to a conference or if you try to come every year, you won’t want to miss all of the excitement being planned for our conference at the Renaissance Tulsa Convention Hotel, July 11, 2010 – July 14, 2010. Oklahoma! See you in June!
Anita Wagner