Maybe it’s because the weather has finally improved on the Gold Coast, or maybe it’s because a few days out of the office (and away from clients) works wonders, but the mood at the FPA’s 2009 conference is surprisingly upbeat. Then again, it might be because the sharemarket was down less than 1 per cent today – and, as you’d appreciate, that constitutes a good day at this moment in time.
Finishing touches are being added to the stands at the conference trade exhibition – including Professional Planner’s this year. The magazine’s scribblers, Hoyle and Paech, were tasked with the job of setting up the stand, and when they’d finished there were very few bits left over. Early indications are that it might remain upright for the next three days (which is more than can be said for either of those two).
And – joy to your correspondent’s ears – a liquor license for the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre is in place.
This last point might sound a bit strange but, so it is said, when the venue for the dinner was shifted from a local golf club back to the GCCEC (the venue for the conference itself) there was a brief but determined flurry of activity while the vital paperwork was finalised.
So everything is coming together. All this gig needs now is an audience. About 160 planners have been here for two days of workshops, but the conference kicks off in earnest tomorrow, and the delegate number is expected to swell tenfold.
Serious reporting shall be left to others; your correspondent intends to keep a low profile and to bring you some of the, let’s say, "alternative highlights" of the event.
Of course, if all goes according to plan, then even that might be a bit too hard.
Stay tuned.
