|
Although the world’s economic situation may have had some effect on the quantity of our attendees, it certainly didn’t affect the quality of our 2009 "Best Practices" Symposium. As PACA and ASPP members came together in Chicago, they were presented with a program addressing the wide range of issues facing the photo industry today.
Maria Kessler’s Welcome Address was an introspective look into the realities of running a stock photo agency in today’s troubled waters. The rest the first day was primarily geared towards current practices and concerns and included a dynamic Art Buyers Panel, break-out sessions on "Basic Business Practices", "Strategies for an Economic Downturn", "Where Did this Image Come From?", and "Preparing for Court: If You’re Called to Testify". Patrick Ross, Executive Director of the Copyright Alliance, gave a colorful presentation on the long history between copyright and visual artists.
Day two took attendees into the future as the symposium focused on new technologies and new ways to shoot imagery and market your company. Jonathan Ross delivered an amazing session on shooting stock for rights-managed, royalty-free, and microstock agencies—including a time-lapse video of working in his studio. "The Next Best Practices" panel previewed the newest technologies available for registering, searching, and preparing images. The day concluded with a dynamic presentation on social networking strategies for marketing your images by Jack Hollingsworth.
I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who participated in our event. We had an outstanding cast of moderators and panelists that so willingly shared their perspective and insight on industry issues, with audience participation crucial to the success of each session. I send a sincere thank-you to all speakers and presenters.
As with any organization, PACA’s success is directly attributed to everyone who generously volunteered his or her time. I would like to thank the following individuals who helped make this year’s program such a success: Nancy Carrizales, Doug Dawirs, Mimi Dornack, Lynn Eskenazi, Rob Henson, Alexis Hill, Jack Hollingsworth, Maggie Hunt, and George Sinclair (ASPP). Lastly, I want to thank Cathy Aron, PACA’s Executive Director, for her continued guidance.
Be sure to save the date for our next event, when PACA goes to Miami Beach the weekend of October 16-18, 2009, for our 14th Annual International Conference. You will want to extend your stay at the newly renovated Eden Roc Resort & Spa to take advantage of this ideal Floridian oceanfront location.
The program committee is always challenged with bringing new faces and fresh content to our programs. We encourage you to send us your comments and suggestions for both session topics and speakers. If you know of someone who would bring some new perspective to our conference, or if you have an idea for a seminar or panel discussion, please send it to me at internationalmeeting@pacaoffice.org.
Best Regards,
Carissa Fair
Chairperson, Program Committee |