by Melissa Vogt, Broadway Palm Dinner Theater

Part of the strategic plan that came out of the Board of Directors Retreat last summer was revamping our programs and events to better serve our members. Since then, our Programing and Events Committee has been hard at work reading surveys, listening to feedback from our membership on current programming, hearing ideas for new programming and strategizing together on how to elevate your member experience. The common themes we heard that were most important were networking, professional development, educational resources, and engagement.

I know many of you have attended and are familiar with FAA’s Regional Networking Nights as well as the Attraction Regional Forums. These events have been really wonderful in bringing members in each region together, but another repeat comment is that members wanted more face-to-face opportunities outside of their regions with other attractions throughout the state, and more than just once a year.

We heard you, and while many strategic plans take years to complete, we didn’t want to waste any time. We have come up with a new event that we plan to bring you three times per year that will incorporate everyone’s favorite elements of our current programming and add what you all wanted more of – networking, professional development, education and engagement with attractions across the state.

These will be half day events that will include FAA updates, incredible guest speakers, everyone’s favorite round table sessions, networking and an exclusive attraction experience that is sure to be the icing on the cake of an already awesome day! On behalf of the FAA Staff, Board of Directors and the Programming and Events Committee, we are so excited to share with you this all-new event launching this fall that will allow you, our members, to learn, connect, and explore - Expedition FAA!

We are looking forward to sharing more details soon, but be sure to mark your calendars for Thursday, September 26^th and plan to join us at ZooTampa at Lowry Park for the inaugural Expedition FAA!