(Pictured above: EDPA Midwest Chapter accepting Chapter of the Year award at EDPA ACCESS 2019)
by H. K. Wilson
EDPA chapters across the country are celebrating new leadership and opportunities for growth in 2020. At EDPA ACCESS 2019, Dec. 4-6 in Tucson, Ariz., Amy Sondrup was welcomed as the organization’s 53rd president. During the President’s Gala, she underscored her commitment to EDPA and her vision for the future. “I want to continue the momentum by elevating content, engagement and attendance at key meetings, as well as the conversation about the value we bring to our members. Our growth strategy needs to include reaching out to the next generation, embracing sustainability and focusing on audience engagement. I’m thrilled with the opportunity to move EDPA forward.”
“Amy is both passionate and collaborative,” says EDPA Executive Director Dasher Lowe. “She has shown time and again that she cares about EDPA, about expanding our membership, and about the quality of education and networking we offer. Part of her mission up to this point has been focusing on the ‘E’—experiential in EDPA—and sourcing speakers who help our members grow their businesses. Her message is one of inclusion, attracting all participants in the experiential process. I’m delighted to be working with her.”
EDPA Midwest Earns Chapter of the Year at ACCESS 2019
Every year, members anticipate the awards ceremony presented during the President’s Gala at EDPA ACCESS. This year, EDPA Midwest Chapter was honored as Chapter of the Year, a distinction that is awarded for excellence in eight categories and acknowledges members for demonstrating the organization’s mission of driving growth within the experiential, exhibit and event industry through advocacy, networking, education and good works.
Chapter President Jacqueline Hake says, “We are so proud that our chapter has been acknowledged for making an outstanding contribution to our organization and the industry. We continuously set new goals for our chapter and strive to bring value to our members above and beyond their expectations. Thank you to all of our sponsors, members and volunteers for getting us to where we are! We are looking forward to a fantastic 2020!”
A Night to Remember in the Upper Midwest
EDPA members in the Upper Midwest are looking forward to their winter meeting at Holman’s Table in St. Paul, Minnesota on Monday, Feb. 3, 4-7:30 p.m. According to the planners, this one-of-a-kind venue is the ideal location to inspire a group of experiential designers and producers, with luxurious surroundings and a finely curated menu that pays homage to the “beau monde essence of jet-set travel.” The restaurant offers dinner and a helicopter ride with Minnesota Helicopters to the adventurous.
Bemidji State students will be present to showcase their exhibit design work in advance of ExhibitorLive 2020, and Dan Greene will repeat his ACCESS 2019 presentation by recapping the industry’s economic outlook at the meeting.
EDPA Las Vegas Has a Heart for the Community
The EDPA Las Vegas Chapter just completed its annual food drive for Whitney Elementary school. Through the efforts of chapter members and corporate sponsors, they were successful in providing 400 meals for low income families of the school, including turkeys, pies and all the trimmings that go with traditional Thanksgiving and Christmas feasts.
The Las Vegas chapter is also looking forward to a New Year Kickoff mixer in January. For details, contact Chapter President Mike Sunseri at msunseri@dslgroup.com or visit www.edpalv.com.
EDPA Northeast Honors Our Nation’s Veterans
For the fourth year in a row, EDPA Northeast members banded together to raise funds for military families in need through a partnership with Project New Hope. The organization exists to help veterans rebuild with honor by providing mutual support, targeted services and the camaraderie of friends. “Together, we raised $1800 to help spread holiday spirit,” says EDPA Northeast President Michael Vallone.
EDPA Expands in the Great Lakes Region
EDPA recently activated in the Great Lakes region under the leadership of Chapter President Kevin Sacharski. He says, “The Great Lakes Chapter is a new presence in the area and hopes to attract the best and brightest minds in the experiential space to make a difference.”
On Thursday, January 23 at 6 p.m., the EDPA Great Lakes Chapter hosts its January association event at the newly-named TCF Center in Detroit, Mich. The guest speaker will be Andrea Trudeau, Exhibit Compliance & Show Floor Director for NAIAS. “With the North American International Auto Show moving to June in 2020, it was vital to become informed as to what this change means for the metro-Detroit area and exhibiting industry as a whole,” Sacharski says.
EDPA Southeast Chapter Members Make the Holidays Happy for Children in Need
Members of the EDPA Southeast Chapter recently participated in their second annual Light Up the Night toy drive. Toys were collected by the chapter in cooperation with the Peachtree City Police Department to ensure that needy children in the community would receive something special this holiday season.
“More than 10 companies in the Atlanta area helped to make this happen,” says EDPA Southeast President Sandra Braun.
According to John Lamb, EDPA Southeast Chapter Board Member and Business Development Manager for Champion Logistics Group, “We collected and filled over 100 stockings and six larger boxes/bags of toys and clothing too big to fit in stockings. This year’s participation by the chapter members far exceeded last year. We are hoping this continues to be a successful event as we look forward to year number three.”
EDPA NorCal Names its 2020-2021 Leadership Roster
EDPA NorCal Chapter is coming into the new year strong with the announcement of its incoming board of directors. It includes: President Naveen Koneru, Expand International of America, Inc.; Vice President John Peck, CORT, Trade Show & Event Furnishings; Treasurer Kate Mosley, Platinum Cargo Logistics, Inc.; President Emeritus Melinda Stewart, OnSite Exhibitor Service; and board members Blaize Wheaton, Brumark Total Flooring Solutions; Emma Christen, beMatrix USA; Nicole Klein; and Stan Bender, AAA Flag.
EDPA SoCal
The SoCal EDPA chapter invited industry friends to gather for a fun after party during ACCESS in Tucson, Ariz. In a suite on the fifth floor of the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort, with a stunning view of the city lights in the valley below, old friends reconnected, new friendships were made and jokes were shared over snacks and beverages provided by the event’s sponsor, Color Reflections.
EDPA SoCal Vice President Antonia Nuzzulo says, “The SoCal EDPA chapter is looking forward to 2020. We are working through plans for next year’s educational events, social events and charity activities. We are actively conscious about staying true to our goals of offering value to our members—including sharing knowledge, providing a platform to network and fostering community development—and feel that next year’s events will allow us to accomplish this.”
A Big Howdy From EDPA Texas!
EDPA Texas Chapter is newly activated and looking forward to its first meeting in January 2020. The chapter will establish its board under the direction of Chapter President Matthew D. Little, general manager at Nuvista.
This story originally appeared in the January/February issue of Exhibit City News, p. 62. For original layout, visit https://issuu.com/exhibitcitynews/docs/exhibitcitynews_janfeb_2020
