2009 CAM-X Convention Report

By Gary Blair, president

December 2009

The beautiful backdrop of Kelowna, BC, was home to the CAM-X 45th Annual Convention and Trade Show.  I want to thank the convention committee of Mary Anne Straw, Paul Lloyd, Barbara Bradbury, Tom Sheridan, Nicole Linde, Gail Smit, Brad Swift, and our staff of Linda Osip and Ida Rowlands for a great convention.  This year's quality content and hands-on workshop approach raised the bar for future conventions.  

We thank our presenters for taking time out from their busy schedules to enrich us all by sharing their experiences and knowledge; they are Tim Searcy, Brad French, Gail Smit, Trisha Stenberg, and John Ratliff, as well as panel members Doug Swift, Dana Lloyd, Casey Smit, Cindy Roma, Judy Craig, Barbara Bradbury, Paul Lloyd, and Bill Tucker.  Of course, no CAM-X convention would be possible without the support of our loyal vendor members.

Congratulations go to this year's winners of the Award of Excellence and Call Centre Award of Distinction.  The growing number of participants each year is a testament to an increased focus on quality; it speaks volumes about the collective elevated level of service that is now the industry norm.  Another first was that the Awards Luncheon was streamed live. 

It was only fitting that, on the twentieth anniversary of this program, the man who conceived the idea of the Award of Excellence, Paul Lloyd, (photo) was inducted into the CAM-X Hall of Fame.  Additionally, the Tom Ryan Award for Ethics, Integrity, and Quality was awarded to Doug Swift and Tigertel, an honor that he was able to share with several members of his senior management team.

New to this year's convention was the attendance of the first beneficiary of the Don Swift Education Endowment, Ann Legault from TAS Communications in Belleville, Ontario.  Doug Swift officially welcomed Ann at the opening cocktail reception, and Ann expressed her thanks for the wonderful opportunity.

This year, Nicole Linde and Gail Smit spearheaded our charity event for the United Way, with over $24,000 raised between our members' home-based initiatives and our silent auction, which was emceed by Gary Pudles.

Returning to the CAM-X board are Mary Anne Straw as immediate past president, Gary Blair as president, Tom Sheridan as first vice president and president-elect, and Nicole Linde; new to the board are Brad French as second vice president, Denise Williams, Tim Carwell, and our vendor representative, Patty Anderson. 

The convention had the highest delegate attendance of the past three years.  Next year our 46th Annual Convention and Trade Show will be held jointly with the Western States Telemessaging Association at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, on October 3-6, 2010.