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Postcards from the National Association of Collegiate Concessionaires Annual Conference
2008 Host Hotel: Hyatt Place, Las Vegas 2008 Post Cards: Day four of the 2008 NACC conference from Las Vegas Last day at the 2008 NACC conference. We started the morning with Dave Hrechkosy providing the group a look at what is coming at the 2009 conference at Texas A & M University. Texas A & M has started their planning to make next year another great conference. Next year the dates will change back to right before Fathers Day. Mark your 2009 calendar June 16th – June 19th. The UCMT class will not be held in 2009. The next UCMT class will be held at the University Notre Dame in 2010. Look for the 2009 conference mailer with full details coming this Fall.
We began the education sessions with Craig Maffiore – Syracuse University showing a time lapse video of the Syracuse back court concession operation. It is a very impressive setup. He explained the menu, equipment, staff and what the sales were for a basketball game.
Next was a guest speaker, Curtis Smith of SeeSytems Inc. Curtis discussed “Training the Trainer” ideas that everyone can take home and utilize to better train their staff. The final education session for the 2008 conference was the Concession Menu Survey review. For those members that submitted menu data, but were unable to attend the conference we will mail you a copy by the end of June. Please contact the NACC office (info@nacc-online.com) if you do not receive your copy by then. The Concession Bites news letter coming out in July will highlight some changes that will be coming for the 2009 Concession Menu Survey. After a break for lunch the UNLV staff took the members on a tour of the Thomas and Mack Center. Several members that are staying in Las Vegas Friday night will get a look at this impressive operation in action when they host the MMA fights this evening.
The final laptop went to Fred Kraus from the University of Notre Dame, iPod winner was John Sargeant from the University of Oregon and the final $100 winner is Dean Dockter from the University of Wyoming. We ended the conference with dinner at the Hofbrauhaus. Great German food and entertainment. As if that was not enough excitement for one day; several members went back over to the MMA fights at Thomas and Mack. Saturday, Sunday and Monday we will hold the UCMT class in Las Vegas. Mona Kloster and Theresa Traulsen will be teaching the class this year. Good luck to all the students. Thank you to all the staff at UNLV for a really great conference. They not only organized a great conference, they participated in several education sessions all this and running events at their facilities. A challenge that no other conference has had to deal with in this magnitude. Well done by the entire UNLV staff!! We look forward to seeing all the members in College Station, Texas next June, when Texas A & M shows us all a little bit of Texas style hospitality. We want to thank the following conference sponsors for their support of the NACC. Member / Vendor Golf Outing – Dale & Thomas Popcorn and Dynamic Drinkware That is it for the 2008 NACC conference. Theresa Traulsen Day three of the 2008 NACC conference from Las Vegas Day three of the NACC conference started off with a pleasant, air conditioned, bus ride out to Sam Boyd Stadium.
First order of business was voting for the two open spots on the NACC Board. Congratulations to Bill McQuerry from University of Arizona and Chad Weiner from Micros Systems Inc. Thank you to all nominated candidates. We began the education sessions today with Mona Kloster reviewing the Concession Manager Compensation survey results. There were a limited number of surveys turned this year which make the results difficult to draw too many conclusions. Thank you Mona for taking on the task of setting up the survey and summarizing the results!
Our next Education session was regarding “What is New in concession equipment” presented by Judy - SCA Tissue, Kathy - Premier Inc, and Judy Grotts showing the Heinz condiment dispenser. Judy presented the new napkin dispenser by SCA Tissue, Kathy went into detail about the benefits of Premier Inc. purchasing power and how our in-house members can benefit with lower food cost. Judy Grotts presented the new Heinz condiment dispenser that is used at UNLV concession operations.
After lunch Judy, Shawn, and Maria took the NACC members on a tour of the stadium. They gave the NACC group a great look at the concession, catering and suite operations.
After stretching our legs we settled down for 4 round table topics. Hope Kaser – Notre Dame discussed how credit cards were added to her operation over the past year. She covered the pros and cons as well as a few tips for those considering adding credit cards in the future. The second round table was “How many menu items are enough or too much” presented by Kevin Launderville – University of Northern Iowa. He provided great information and shared both success and how to look for some problem menu items and turn them around into a good seller at UNI. The third round table was “Counterfeit Money” presented by Dave Bullock – University of Maryland. Dave did his research and provided the group with great information and handouts that will help them go back and train their NPO’s and staff how to detect counterfeit money. He had a sample of a counterfeit and side by side blindfolded the group could not detect it by feel. But after Dave provided the group with the tools they could tell right away. The fourth round table was “Small Concession Operations” presented by Tom Hinspater – University of Wisconsin – Whitewater, whether you are a small concession operation or a large operation we all have some common issues to resolve. Tom did a great job of pointing that out to our group Thursday.
Dinner tonight was at the club level at the football stadium. Vendors and University members had a chance to relax after a busy day of education sessions and a tour. The club level was a nice location for a great pig roast BBQ and drinks in an air conditioned environment. After dinner the members participated in this year’s Silent Auction. Thanks go out to Hope college manager Marybarbara VandervLiet and her daughter for help Hope Kaser put the auction together. Members were able to obtain special sponsor chips at the trade show and special NACC chips throughout the last two days. They used these chips to out-bid their fellow NACC members for some great prices (digital cameras, digital photo frames, gift cards from major stores, binoculars, gift baskets, and more.) UNLV catering department and their sub-contractors did a great job with dinner. Has anyone else out there gained 5 pounds the last couple of days eating all this great food?
The winner of today’s raffle lap top is Justin Evans from Michigan State University, iPod winner is Ed Devoid from Northern Kentucky University and the winner of the $100 cash is Debbie Henderson from Texas A & M. Friday the meeting starts at 9:30 A.M., last chance to be a raffle winner!! That is it for day three of the 2008 NACC conference. Theresa Traulsen Day two of the 2008 NACC conference from Las Vegas Judy Grotts, Shawn Corr and the entire UNLV staff welcomed the NACC to the UNLV campus. Following Judy was a welcome from Jasen Finfrock Associate Facility Director/Marketing and Ticketing at TMC, Sam Boyd Stadium and Cox Pavilion.
During the general session the Ron Athey Award was presented to Mona Kloster, University of Kansas. The award was presented by the 2006 recipient, Hope Kaser, University of Notre Dame. We began with an education sessions moderated by Joe Carney – University of Wisconsin and Jeff Nunes – University of Oregon. They did a great job starting off the meeting with an Open Forum. They started the group off with a few topics to get things rolling with the membership adding to the discussion. Some of the subjects that were discussed included Non-profit group commissions, recycling programs, Texas A & M on-line training, new ideas recruiting volunteer groups and volunteer group incentives and percentages paid.
We started off the afternoon was a round table session “It’s all about the shot” presented by Shawn Corr – UNLV and Joe Carter – UNLV Director of Food and Beverage. They explained, to the group, their specialty stand that serves shots of Tequila and on tap Margaritas. They explained their assortment of beverages and provided a few samples for those members interested. Our last education topic for the day was “Beer anyone?” presented by Judy Grotts and Shawn Corr. After the two round table sessions we regrouped and discussed serving beer in a University setting. Judy and Shawn have taken calls periodically over the last few years when Universities are considering serving beer. They review some of the most asked questions and opened the floor up to the group to address fresh issues. The winners of day two’s raffle prizes were Marybarbara VandervLiet – Laptop, Dave Hrechkosy– iPod, and finally Aaron Black $100 cash. Dinner tonight was at the Rio Hotel World Carnival Buffet, if anyone went away hungry it was their own fault. There were so many items to choose from, the desserts were endless. Dinner was sponsored by Kernel Seasons. After dinner, members had time to see the carnival in the sky show, do a little gambling and take in a few shops before boarding the bus back to the host hotel. We want to thank the following conference sponsors for their support of the NACC. Member / Vendor Golf Outing – Dale & Thomas Popcorn and Dynamic Drinkware Buses will leave the host hotel at 9:00 A.M. and 9:15 A.M. Thursday morning for Sam Boyd Stadium. Signing off from day two of the 2008 NACC conference. Theresa Traulsen P. S. It is still hot here in Las Vegas! Day one of the 2008 NACC conference from Las Vegas The NACC’s annual golf tournament sponsored by Dale & Thomas Popcorn and Dynamic Drinkware, this year it was held at Royal Links Golf Course. The golfers had a great day for golf.
This year’s winning foursome consisted of Bill Kost, Carol Swift, Kevin Ayres and Shawn Corr. Longest drive winner was John Pugel, straightest drive Bill Kost, closest to the pin Steve Ireland.
The alternate activity this year was a river rafting trip sponsored by J & J Snacks. The group had a great time; floating down the river, seeing wildlife and nature scenes during the 3 ½ hour trip. A couple stops along the way allowed the group to cool off in the clear but cold water. Along the way back to town the group stopped at the number one mega structure in the country, Hoover Dame.
After a great day of fun, the NACC conference kicked off this evening with a bus tour through the Red Rock Canyon. The group had a spectacular trip and the scenery was breathtaking. After the tour we arrived at the Thomas and Mack Center for the Opening Reception at the Jack Daniel’s Bar. The evening was sponsored by Churchill Containers, Johnsonville Sausages and Gehl’s Guernsey Farms. Members had a chance to catch up with old friends and meet a few new ones. UNLV had a five star dinner ready for the hungry group including an open bar. The decorations, food and beverages were great, thank you UNLV management! After dinner we held the first of four member raffles with huge prizes, the winner of the first lap top was Aletha Kalish from University of Arizona, the winner of the first iPod was Keith Tolling from University of Massachusetts and finally, the winner of the $100 cash was John Gibson from Texas A & M University. Each morning, those members that arrive to the first session on time received a raffle ticket. Each afternoon we will draw the daily winner. You have to be present to win so don’t leave the meetings early! The fun didn’t end there a few members wanted to take a ride down to Fremont Street (old Las Vegas) and the largest souvenir store in Vegas. It was a small group but they had a great time. Day two starts at 9:00 A.M., you must be in the Thomas and Mack Board Room by 9:00A.M. to qualify for the daily raffle of a lap top, iPod or $100 cash. Signing off from sunny and hot Las Vegas. Theresa Traulsen |
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Website By: Concession Solutions, Inc. ©2001-2008 National Association of Collegiate Concessionaires. |
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