“We Are a Go!” by Barbara Tiseo, Meeting & Event Planner, Investment Casting Institute


s most of you know, we have been struggling these last few months with how to best serve our Members during this unprecedented Pandemic. After in-depth research and at times what felt like 100’s of Webinars, it was decided that we would explore the possibility of a Virtual Event. The day was Wednesday June 3, 2020 the time 1:30 pm ET. We received an email from Joe, “The special meeting of the Board of Directors had concluded and a decision regarding our 2020 Virtual meeting had been made”…..impromptu Zoom meeting to discuss results scheduled for….well, now..of course! With anticipation built from


A


opportunities for exhibitors with links directly to your booth.


• Networking platforms are available for face to face (or text) chatting directly over most platforms.


Drawbacks • Questions to presenters and exhibitors are answered in real time during live presentations, but when viewing recorded content, there may be a lag in getting a response.


• Exhibitor giveaways, if any, would be mailed rather than picked up at the booth.


• Nothing replaces face to face, in person communications.


To determine whether this was right for us, we surveyed our Members and were equally pleased with the response. The survey went out to 265 ICI Designated Representatives, one for each Member company. Of those, we had 51 respondents, a 19% response rate.


Simply put, the survey data


collected has a 95% confidence interval with 12% margin of error. From the survey, we learned that there is strong support for a virtual event in 2020 from both foundries and suppliers. The results indicate that if fees


® numerous Virtual Meeting demos


reviewed, survey results presented and analyzed and the recommendation from our Ad-Hoc committee, I signed on to the Zoom platform to hear the news. Joe attempted to begin the meeting on a somber note, just to throw us off track a bit, but we all could see the smile of accomplishment light up his eyes. YES!! We are “Good to Go” full BOD approval behind us.


What does this mean to you our


valued Members and colleagues? You have the opportunity to attend a Technical Conference and Exhibit your product during our 2020 Virtual Meeting and Expo. We are still in the planning


are appropriately set, attendance levels could approach, or even surpass 900 delegates plus 60 exhibitors. Typically, we have 250-300 delegates and about 100 exhibitors. We were so encouraged by the results that a special meeting of the Board of Directors was called and the decision to conduct a virtual event was approved. Following the Board meeting, I immediately called an ICI staff meeting and announced that “We are a go!” Work assignments were discussed and the staff kicked into high gear as preparations for the upcoming event commenced. We’ve already issued a Call For Papers. In the coming weeks, we will be selecting a platform, establishing dates and pricing for the event, and with any luck, rolling everything out in next month’s magazine. I recognize that we would not be at this point if not for ongoing Member support, and to those of you who took the time to complete our brief survey, I express my sincere thanks. We are all very excited to be able to offer the investment casting community this event and I look forward to seeing you (virtually) at our Technical Conference and Expo this fall.


stages, lots of work to be done. We all received our “marching orders” and are happily working toward making this the best Virtual Event you have ever attended. You will


receive as information excited and enthusiastic as


it becomes available. I hope that you are


as I


am to bring the Virtual Meeting that began as a tiny idea, 3 months ago, to fruition. I look forward to seeing you all in “CyberSpace” and having the opportunity to reconnect and hear your stories of hope, courage and perseverance. Let’s hope hair salons are open by


then!


Quality, Reliability & Responsiveness


Aerospace // Automotive // Biomedical Castings // Electronics // Oil & Gas Power Generation // Powder Metallurgy Diffusion Bonding // Additive Mfg.


• Eleven Units to 30” in Diameter & 108” Long • Pressures to 30,000 psi (207 MPa) • Temperature to 2550° F (1400° C)


Heat Treating www.pressuretechnology.com


June 2020 ❘ 7


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