Editorials
Musings from PACA’s 2006 International Conference in Key West
The sun was shining in an azure sky, from which pelicans dived into a tranquil sea in search of fish. Palm trees waved in a light breeze, their leafy fronds giving shade to a buzz of activity that was somewhat at odds with the relaxed feeling of the environment at the Casa Marina resort. Yet surely this is the hallmark of a successful congress; a great location where doing business is a pleasure and plenty of opportunity to do such.
Tireless work by Cathy Aron and the crew resulted in a great congress, and thanks must be given to them, and all the speakers who made the seminar programme so full and exciting.
A typical day started with breakfast on the patio, with business moving to the marketing hub, which was situated in an air conditioned tent in the beach. Meetings could take place anywhere in the complex, but many chose to make use of shaded areas near the pool. Quite a change to the normal office environment, but I am sure many delegates found this a more relaxed way of doing business and were less stressed after three days of intense negotiations than might have been the case otherwise.
The congress was opened by PACA President Roger Ressmeyer who said about pricing that "we must learn to say no to people who want too much for too little." He suggested that company policy must reflect the interests of the industry which is ultimately the same as that of the company. "PACA must be the catalyst for positive change."
Once again, many industry issues were raised and discussed. Microstock was on the agenda as well as wholly owned content and Digital Asset Management. Legal updates were brought to us by the tireless Nancy Wolfe, who always seemed to be on duty and available for a quick brain picking, even on a shopping trip up Duval Street! Perhaps the most significant announcement was that PLUS is now ready for launch after much hard work from Jeff Sedlick and Jeff Burke. There is still much development ahead, but the first step has now firmly been taken.
As with any congress there is the unforseeable, and due to the hurricanes of last year, there was still some building work going on, which did cause inconvenience to some. However, PACA had made a deliberate decision to keep the congress at the Casa Marina despite the renovations not being complete, in order to support the community which had been so badly hit by the disasters of last year. A good decision!
All in all, everyone seemed to have a great time and most people felt it was worth the effort of getting down to Key West. It certainly led to a good social programme, and the Duval street bars, where there is definitely something for everyone, were filled by PACA every night. A 4am finish was early for some! Of course, if you preferred, there was always a sunset cruise, snorkelling or a visit to Hemingway's house.
If you missed out this year, don't worry; The 2007 congress is in Las Vegas. Quite a contrast, but the potential to be a whole lot of fun... oh, and there'll probably be time to fit in a little networking too! See you there.
For more info about the author visit Paul Brown's bio.
All pictures contributed by Paul Brown. To view more pictures or share your pictures with industry colleagues visit the "Stock NewsPix" group on Flickr.
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Posted in: Editorials, PACA, Stock Photo Companies
