Aviation for Women - May/June 2015

Dear WAI Members:
Another WAI conference is
behind us. The myriad of
boxes and crates shipped
back to headquarters have
been unpacked, the silent
auction winners with un-
claimed items have been
notified, exhibitors who
signed up on site for next
year’s conference have been
entered in to the database,
and the staff has almost re-
covered as I write this let-
ter. With the benefit of a few
weeks behind us, and some
time to reflect, this was one of our best conferences ever.

The revised Fast Pass Your Career process went extremely well this year. We have had multiple compliments from individual members and companies alike. Everyone appreciated having priority given to WAI members—based on the number of years of membership—for fast pass time slots. Making the sign-up process electronic rather than having individuals stand in line on site to obtain a fast pass was a great new step. Locating the actual face-to-face meetings, with the 10

companies participating, in a location away from the exhibit hall was also very well received. The lines in the exhibit hall we experienced the past two years were essentially gone.

Combining the packet pick-up with registration reduced one extra line, and eliminating the need to preselect a table for the luncheon or banquet also reduced the time attendees had to stand in line.

A special thanks this year goes out to our generous
sponsors (see a full list on Page 27). Their support of our
conference goes beyond dollars and cents, and that was dem-
onstrated again this year as we implemented a new idea
brought about through sponsor feedback. Each year we pre-
sented plaques to our sponsors in recognition of their con-
tributions. They were nice, but it was suggested the money
could be better spent through the creation of a new scholar-
ship. This year we presented the first $2,500 WAI Sponsor
Award to Sarah Cuendet.

We will be reviewing your feedback from our post-conference survey over the next several weeks to begin making adjustments for our 2016 conference in Nashville, Tennessee. Thank you so much for your feedback.

I would also like to again thank
the hundreds of volunteers who helped make the conference
run so smoothly. There were so many of you who gave your
time to help with a variety of conference responsibilities; it
would be difficult to name them all but please know you are
appreciated.

The WAI membership and marketing committees are currently working on a review of our current benefits package for members. Several of you participated in focus group sessions during the conference and we have your input from a membership survey completed last year. Stay tuned for possible new member benefits in the near future.