The 2021 ASPE Tech Symposium is right around the corner. After 18 months of minimal travel, I am pretty excited to go to San Diego. I know many Chapters have started in-person meetings once again, but many employers still have restricted travel policies. Many factors go into the events that make up one’s life, but as I sat down this morning to write this article, one thing rang true: No matter the complications or other factors that weigh in, this excitement for me is similar to the first day of school. I am truly excited to see my friends, my peeps, our manufacturer reps, ASPE Staff, everyone.
Yes, this is the time to get your CEUs and continue your career in excellence. Yes, San Diego is a great venue. ASPE has plans for you to have a great experience—one you can share. Help keep everyone informed while you are there! It is good to use group texts to keep everyone in touch at the hotel and to share information on what is happening and where.
Sometimes travel is all about the location, and we are going to a great location. The San Diego Marriott Mission Valley has significant travel appeal. On the hotel’s website you will discover that San Diego is a great place to take your family and maybe take an extra vacation day to explore. The hotel is located near Mission Beach and it’s just a hop on the trolley to explore Mission Bay, Old Town, and the Downtown San Diego Gaslamp Quarter.
The technical education session schedule is set. You can find session descriptions and speaker bios on the 2021 ASPE Tech Symposium website.
We will have an excellent Product Show on Thursday night and Friday morning. This is a great time to get the message out and invite new members to our Product Show, where they can see new products and speak with our manufacturers.
Social events at this Symposium will be fun. We have a Welcome Party sponsored by Charlotte Pipe on Friday night and an AYP networking event on Saturday night. As I mentioned, the Gaslamp Quarter is a few minutes away. This will be a great time for fun.
ASPE Board Update
The ASPE Board of Directors will be meeting face to face just prior to the Symposium. We are planning to go through all of the items that keep our Society functioning for our members and the details of our operations to keep the budget tight and ASPE strong.
The focus for us at this time is to work with each other to make the Symposium a success and continue supporting our Chapters and members, with a key focus on providing more training and education. We want to also continue our strong relationships with our industry partners.
Let’s not forget that Convention year is 2022, just a few months away. If you are running for a Board position, start planning now. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me or anyone else on the Board. We will be happy to answer any questions you might have.
ASPE Chapter Update
Almost all Chapters have submitted their annual reports. Thank you, Chapters, for getting these completed. For those of you still lacking a few items, please get this information entered as soon as possible. This information is necessary for rechartering our Chapters.
We are hearing from multiple fronts that Chapters are heading back to face-to-face or a hybrid approach to meetings. I am sure this will be welcomed by one and all. As always, Chapters should adjust as they must for their area and the needs of our members. It is great to hear, though, that people are working back to a modified normal.
Wrap Up
Registration numbers for the Symposium continue to increase as we get closer to the event. We expect to see many of you during this exciting time. The Symposium will be a great opportunity for our members. We look forward to seeing you! It is time to be excited.
ASPE is a Family. We are the Voice of the Plumbing Engineering Industry. I thank all of you for this opportunity to grow and strengthen this magnificent Society. You are a group of amazing people.
