2024-2-07-Education Meeting notes

   CIECA 500 Westover Dr  #11617; Sanford,  NC  27330 

Date

Feb 7, 2024

Chair: Don Porter

Agenda

Antitrust Statement

• This meeting is subject to the terms of our anti-trust statement shown above. In addition, this meeting will be recorded. 

• Review and approval of minutes

• SCRS Ad

• CIECA Webinars

• CONNEX: Theme and Presenters

Meeting Minutes

• The antitrust was read and the minutes were approved.

• CONNEX:

  • We are planning CONNEX for September 24 & 25 in Detroit, MI, and holding the tour at the American Center for Mobility (ACM).

  • Paul is working with the hotel planner, John, to find a hotel to host the event. He shared a spreadsheet outlining the hotels that have been evaluated. The two key factors are locale--being close to restaurants and other places rather than being isolated--and the size of venue so we don’t have to turn people away due to lack of space. Room rates are also important because we want to keep rooms affordable. Paul asked the committee for feedback.

    • The DoubleTree by Hilton in Dearborn seems to be a good fit. It’s not in the best location but there are 12 restaurants within a mile of the hotel. Many are chain restaurants like Chilis. The rate is $169 and there are sufficient rooms and meeting space.

    • The Sheraton Detroit Metro Airport near the Detroit Metro Airport is a pretty good fit. However, there aren’t restaurants nearby. The room rate is $220.

    • The Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest near the golf course and ACM is more expensive at $279/night. ACM is looking into a discounted rate for us.

    • The Cambria Hotel downtown is nice but small and expensive. They only have 150 rooms and the price is $279/night.

    • The Doubletree by Hilton downtown ($259) and the Westin by the airport ($269) are other options but expensive.

  • Don said the price are not prohibitive because we might get a lower rate with enough rooms booked. Paul noted the prices quoted are the group rate. The Ann Arbor Marriott is surrounded by a golf course in a resort setting but is a standalone hotel.

  • Greg was asked if the cost was prohibitive in his opinion working at an insurance company. He felt it was a point of concern for carriers.

  • Paul said we could host the event at one facility and identify other hotels in the area that might be less expensive and share them on the conference website but that goes against the goal of having everyone together.

  • Petra said the Marriott downtown is probably the best as far as not feeling imprisoned in a hotel due to the waterfront nearby. There are many restaurants nearby. Paul noted that the Marriott Renaissance is even more expensive than the ones we are looking at.

  • Sandy asked about the square footage at the DoubleTree and asked if there was enough space. Paul said John was aware of the square footage we would need for 150-175 people to attend. He said even the Cambria would be able to accommodate our group, although it’s a smaller hotel. Sandy also said that the DoubleTree is an older hotel.

  • Petra felt the DoubleTree was a good fit, even when you add taxes to the rate.

  • Petra said Ann Arbor is a nice walkable city, almost European where there are a lot of restaurants and shops. However, there is likely not a big enough hotel to accommodate 150 people. We looked it up on on Google during the meeting and found a Sheraton there.

  • Petra recommended keeping in mind the cost of an Uber for attendees if they have to travel from the airport to a hotel. Don said that attendees will likely want to go to restaurants nearby. Paul said that John looked at about 60 hotels and narrowed it down to about six choices.

  • Petra recommended looking into downtown hotels to see if there are some lower cost options. She also recommended looking into the casinos, such as the Greektown Casino and MGM Grand.

  • Don asked about the food and beverage budget and Paul said it was in the $20,000-$30,000 range.

  • Paul typically plans the hotel and this is the first year using a hotel planner. Don said the hotel typically pays the planner 10% of each room booked. He is able to negotiate and get 5% cash back at the end. Sandy said their event planner never took a percentage at their events.

• CIECA’s 30th anniversary & Theme

  • CIECA is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. Petra was instrumental in CIC’s recent celebration. We talked about whether to tie in the them to the anniversary. Some of the ideas for a theme include: Driving on Autopilot, Cruising on Autopilot and Cruising on Autonomous Wheels. Don recommended giving out a CIECA pin to commemorate the anniversary. Sandy recommended tying in the anniversary to the theme in some way.

  • Kelly said she doesn’t like using the word “autopilot” because it sounds like someone isn’t working on anything innovative or new. Don and Petra agreed.

  • Petra suggested incorporating the word “connect” because that is what CIECA does, connecting people, connecting solutions to problems, connecting systems. Greg asked if there was a list of the themes from past conferences. Maybe they can be tied in to the 30th anniversary or get the creative juices flowing. Paul said the first few conferences were implementation seminars/workshops. A theme was introduced about a decade ago.

  • Kelly suggested: Revolutionizing Connectivity, Electrify & Connect, and Connecting to the Future

  • Don talked about connecting the past and future

• CONNEX Presenters

  • Paul suggested Autonomy of an API

  • Speaker from American Center for Mobility and possibly MCity

  • OEMs sharing information about autonomous features

  • Transportation Research Center in Ohio representative

  • Sandy said the theme might come out of the presenters/agenda. Maybe when we choose the keynote speaker it will help drive theme.

  • Petra recommended AI

  • Don recommended EVs and Sandy brought up hybrids

  • Greg asked if surveys have been conducted and if people shared topics they would like to hear about.

  • Don suggested sending out correspondence asking if people would like to present or be part of planning the conference. Kelly suggested this be part of the Save the Date announcement and people could reply if they have ideas for a specific topic they would like to learn about. Sandy said ARA send out a call for presentations.

  • Bill Garoutte offered to be emcee for event.

• CONNEX Sponsorships

  • Paul discussed the change this year with sponsorship opportunities and the opportunity to sponsor specific meals.

• Next year’s conference

  • We talked about booking the 2025 conference a year in advance.

Great meeting everyone. Thank you for your participation. Have a great week!

Up Next

• Antitrust Agreement and Meeting minutes acceptance

Action items

Decisions

Participants

• @Stacey Phillips - Facilitator

• @Paul Barry

• @Paulette Reed

• Don Porter

• Sandy Blalock

• Greg Best

• Petra Schroeder

• Participants in the meetings are noted for your information.  If you have questions on the committee’s activities, please contact a recent attendee. Education Committee