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plenary Ohio School Board Association + What Planners Think POST CON Sharing Is Caring at OSBA
MEETING The 2012 Ohio School Board Association (OSBA) annual Capital Conference and Trade Show, held Nov. 11–14 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. As the second- largest-attended education meeting in the United States — attracting more than 9,400 attendees this past year — the Capital Conference brings together educators, school board members, and administrators to learn about the latest advancements in public education. It also makes a place for Ohio’s more than 1.6 million students, who are able to showcase their work at a one-of-a- kind Student Achievement Fair.
CHALLENGES Facing tough spending cuts, public school districts need to be cautious when it comes to professional development. (Read our Pre Con profile of the Capital Conference at convn.org/osba- pre-con.) OSBA avoids this problem by providing a school district the opportunity to pay registration for its first six educators, allowing anyone else from the district to attend for free. “We had 46 percent of our members using that [program],” said Jeff Chambers, OSBA’s director of communication services. “Districts will send coordinators just to talk
to vendors in our trade show, knowing they’re just paying for mileage and lunch.” Convenience was key at the 2012 conference,
especially with the brand-new Hilton Columbus Downtown having opened the month before. Directly connected to the convention center, the hotel provided easy access for attendees, keeping them close and providing more networking oppor- tunities. “The skywalk between the hotel and con- vention center opened the day of our conference,” Chambers said. “It was certainly more of a benefit for us to have more people downtown, in terms of keeping people in close proximity to the conven- tion center.” OSBA also took advantage of a new addition to
the convention center, using it for luncheons and evening receptions. “It was easier for our attendees to move from one location to another,” Chambers said. “It was a larger space, and we were able to have more seating, more tables and chairs. There was a lot more people taking advantage [of their time] and staying a little longer.” Chambers had anticipated potential problems at
the 2012 conference due to changes in loading-dock security at the convention center. “They changed
OSBA Capital Conference
2011 Columbus
9,819 629
Attendees
Exhibitors 2012 Columbus
9,422 603
Attendees Exhibitors
Joyful Noise Students showcase their talents at the OSBA Capital Conference Student Fair.
28 PCMA CONVENE JANUARY 2013