TSTCI Member Central
2015 Annual Membership MeetingWelcome!It’s almost September and TSTCI is gearing up for our OCTOBER ANNUAL MEETING, TABLE-TOP DISPLAY SHOWCASE & BANQUET. We are throwing a fantastic conference – and you’re invited! Last year we introduced the “Rural Matters Dinner & Awards Banquet” which is now a two-year tradition. Our banquet will provide a more telephone-family-community-environment to announce and introduce our new Board members and Officers. It will also give the Association the platform to recognize a member that has made legendary contributions in word and in deed to TSTCI as an Association over the years with our “TSTCI-Legend Award.” The Legend Award will focus on someone who has help guide the industry and the Association for many years. In addition, we may also recognize someone – either internal or external to TSTCI -- that has or is making an extraordinary difference to/for/in Rural Texas as our “TSTCI - Friend of Rural Award.” Our industry and our members have so much to be proud of and we want to take the time to more officially recognize those efforts. We hope you will join in the celebration of our industry and of our rural roots. So, registration is now open for the Annual Membership Conference/Meeting & Associate Member Table-Top Display at the Westin Riverwalk in San Antonio, October 14-16, 2015. The importance of us coming together as an industry grows in importance every year. This year is no exception as we are looking forward to 2017 which will be one of the most important legislative years for our membership. The Annual Meeting is an opportunity for us to share in some fun and nostalgic social time, give our valuable Associate members some one-on-one face time, and participate in the motivational and educational sessions – but, it is also a time where we will elect the Board and Officers that will help lead the Association in the coming year. The Pre-Agenda for this outstanding meeting is now posted. As we do every year, we begin our time together with the Annual Wesley B. Roberts Memorial Golf Tournament on Wednesday, October 14 at Silverhorn Golf Club. At 7:00 am, we begin serving breakfast at the Golf Clubhouse and Tee-Off is at 8:00 am. The golf fee includes the cart rental, green fees, driving range balls, full breakfast, beverages, lunch and prizes. Registration for the golf tournament and opportunities to assist with golf tournament sponsorships is available on the online registration page. This year, we are beginning the “Vendor TableTops” and “Where the Stars are Still Big & Bright Welcome Reception” earlier – 4:30 pm and going through 7:30pm. This evening event is highlighted by our Associate Member Table-Top Displays – as this gives everyone some one-on-one time for business and with pleasure. We have arranged and rearranged some things for this event as it also includes our traditional PAC-benefiting Silent & Live Auction. Each of these events are important to our Association so we plan to give each aspect of the evening time to shine. We also encourage all attendees to honor our Vendor Displayers with your time and presence. The Silent Auction items will be intermingled and will run from 4:30-7:00 pm. We are also making improvements to our Live Auction event. We will present the Live Auction items in three 15 minute segments (the first beginning around 5:00) and spaced hourly throughout the evening. It is a lot of important stuff offered at one time – but each and every one are worth your time and our effort. The Reception -- mix and mingle/drink and eat; The Table-Tops -- a way to interact with and express appreciation to our valued Associate Members and get information from them on their products and services; The Silent & Live Auctions are a good (and fun) way to benefit the TSTCI PAC Fund. (Note to self -- We are currently accepting items for both of the Auctions so please let us know if you have an auction item). We include a list of all Auction Items and Donors, so help us out and let us know if you’re bringing an auction item and a description and value would be helpful. We want to give credit where credit is always due. Let us know your plans so we can include you in our plans for the program and on-site sponsor board. Thursday morning, Mack Dryden, Motivational/Humorist, will open our program with “Pick Yourself Up, Dust Yourself Off, and Keep Moving Forward.” A two-time cancer survivor, an inmate of an African prison and a survivor of a near fatal marriage, Mack will make you laugh out loud. Speaking of near fatal, we will get a tutorial on the powers of the FCC by Tony Veach, Bennet & Bennet. Tony will give us the blueprint for IP Transition – the Technology and the FCC’s Power. Also Thursday morning, Todd Earley, Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Point of Contact for FirstNet, will give us the status of where this project is, where it is going and what we can expect. Before breaking for lunch, Michael Balhoff, Charlesmead Advisors, will go into the bowls of regulatory hell and give us an FCC Update, including what’s happening with the ConnectAmerica project and fund. After lunch, only those attending the Annual Membership Meeting will return for the afternoon session --Annual Membership Meeting & Election of Directors.” Then, after a day of business, comes an evening of pleasure as we gather for our 2nd Annual Rural Matters Dinner & Awards Ceremony. Last year was such a fun and memorable event and we are hoping for no less for our second year. As there is no additional charge to attendees for the banquet, we would very much appreciate knowing if you are not planning to attend (for catering guarantees). We always make arrangements for a vegetarian dinner option or other special dietary needs, so please let us know of any special dietary requests. We have several opportunities for sponsorships of this important event including “Table-Sponsorships” and “Hosted Bar Sponsorship.” Table sponsorships are a great way to get extra recognition--your table will be reserved with your name and you will also get to invite other registered attendees who you would like to be seated with you at your table for eight. In addition, you will be listed as “Table Sponsor” in our promotional material and will get verbal and signage acknowledgment during the conference. Details for all sponsorship opportunities are included on the website sponsor page. Please make plans to join us for an evening honoring our industry and some of your peers. Friday, after a continental breakfast, TSTCI’s version of Ghost Busters (work with me here), a trio of geek-like ITers, will show you why you should have a “geek squad” at your company too. We will end the day and the conference with a Closing Keynote speaker back by popular demand that will most likely scare the be-geezbers out of you. Returning with new and innovative looks into the “deep web,” Carmen O’Neill, PE, Vantage Point, will take us where none of us really want to go but all of us need to go/know – into Cyber Security. We will end the event with our Grand Prize Drawing graciously sponsored by Texas Communications Expo. We hope you will join us in San Antonio for this important conference!
Sponsorship/Door Prizes/Auction Items If you have questions or need assistance with registration for this meeting, please contact Weldon R. Gray, CEO-TSTCI at 903-658-0055 or Pat Holder, TSTCI Event Planner at 512-349-7470. We look forward to seeing you in San Antonio in October.
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