Welcome to Grand Rapids!

It’s Thursday morning, March 13, and we are set and ready for everyone’s arrival at the 2008 SLC! Michigan BPA staff are meeting right now with Grand Rapids staff to go over final preparations and details, and registration packets are being prepared to be distributed, and having final quality control checks done before the chapters pick them up this evening.

While we’re waiting for everyone to get here, we thought we’d take a second to let you know what to expect from this blog in the coming days. Our goal in creating this blog is that it will allow parents and community members back home to keep up on what’s going on in Grand Rapids, and to really get a feel for what the SLC experience is like. At the same time, we hope those of you joining us at the conference will visit this blog often, share your experiences by commenting, and enjoy catching a glimpse behind the scenes of all the work that goes into the SLC.

This truly is a live blog, meaning that we’ll be discussing events as they happen. You’ll want to check back frequently, as there will be multiple posts throughout each day of the conference. Each morning, we’ll begin the day with a morning post outlining some of the exciting events in store for the day ahead, and giving you a chance to comment early in the day. This is our first year doing this, so we hope you’ll let us know how we’re doing in the comments.

The Calm Before the Storm

It’s late Wednesday night, the night before the SLC begins! The State Executive Council and most Michigan BPA staff members have been in Grand Rapids all day getting set for tomorrow, when more than 2,000 high school business students, advisors, parents and special guests will be arriving to kick off the 2008 SLC. We’re really excited to see everyone tomorrow, but we thought that for now, it might be fun to take a look at what our conference facility looks like before all of our Michigan BPA friends arrive.

(Click photos for full-size images)

Here’s the Pantlind Lobby, a historic lobby in the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel.

The Ambassador Ballroom, where our Legacy Launcher dynamic leadership workshop series will be taking place.

Looking from the second floor over the Grand Foyer towards the first floor.

And here it is…the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, our home for the next five days!

See you tomorrow!

Welcome!

Welcome to our new Live Blog for the State Leadership Conference! The SLC is scheduled for March 13-16, 2008, and we invite you to check back to this blog during the conference for an inside look at everything that goes on at the SLC. Michigan BPA staff, alumni, and student members will be using this space to share their experiences of the conference, give you a behind the scenes look at the work that goes into making the SLC happen, and help you stay connected to all the action. You’ll want to check back to this blog often during the SLC, as it will be updated live as things happen!

Students: Are you interested in being a guest blogger during the SLC? Let us know! We’re looking for student members of Michigan BPA to write about their memories of past State Leadership Conferences, and share their experiences from this year’s conference. If you’d like to be a published writer, we want to know! Send an email to Nathan Cradit, and be sure to put “SLC Live Blogger” in the subject line. Please include your name, year in school, chapter, and events in which you’ll be participating at the conference.

Alumni: We want your insights as well! Email Nate using the link above, so we can share your stories with parents and community members. Your input will be a valuable part of this new live blog!