For more information regarding the hotel please view the Hotel Fact Sheet!

Anyone involved in the purchasing of goods and services for the public sector.

One innovative or new idea could save your agency thousands of dollars! The NIGP Annual Forum and Products Exposition is the largest national conference exclusively for individuals in Public Purchasing and is NIGP's educational highlight of the year! This is a once-a-year opportunity to engage in professional development by attending educational workshops and general sessions, and to gain new ideas, tips, and techniques by networking with purchasing peers from across the United States and Canada. The Products Expo is the ideal place to meet with vendors and discover the newest products and services available to the government.

The NIGP Annual Forum and Products Exposition is the largest North American educational conference exclusively for individuals in Public Purchasing! During the NIGP Forum event, you connect with procurement professionals from the federal government, cities, states, provinces, counties, colleges, libraries, hospitals, and other public agencies in the U.S., Canada and around the world. The Forum is open to all public purchasing professionals and is typically attended by 1000 to 1400 Delegates (attendance records are broken each year!).  There is potential of receiving as many as 25 international delegates and VIPs from Europe, Asia, Austria, Australia and Africa at the Forum.  Get your share of new ideas, innovative techniques, informative workshops, and network with your peers to find out what they are doing to meet the demands placed on them by their customers and constituencies. customers and constituencies.

The NIGP Forum and Products Exposition is the premier place to immerse yourself in professional development and networking.  Practitioners who have a high degree of expertise on specific subjects facilitate solid, informative workshops and network sessions.  This productive and spirited business environment also features the Products Exposition -- a great place to meet industry representatives and discover technological innovations that can help you better serve your taxpayers.

www.nigp.org/Events/Forum.htm

MAPP, the Mid-America Council of Public Purchasing, and St. Louis-Metro Chapters will play key roles in helping to plan and coordinate this Forum. NIGP relies on the support of local NIGP Chapters to assist in the overall success of hosting a Forum. While NIGP provides the standard programs for the Forum (workshops, seminars, exhibits, and traditional meal functions) the Local Chapter Committees generally set the tone and theme for the Forum through its own creativity and imagination, which comes to life in the social events, guest tours, and local flavor.

Below is a list of committees and their role descriptions in planning this huge and important national event. These committees are forming NOW and initial planning stages have already begun. It is not too late to volunteer your services for this event.  Please contact the following person to indicate your interest in volunteering:

This committee's responsibilities may include:

• writing articles regarding the city location, planned forum activities, etc. for publication in the NIGP publications or on the NIGP website
• Assisting in the selection of logo and tagline
• Obtaining communication equipment to be used during the Forum such as two-way radios, cellular phones, or pagers.

This committee responsibilities may include obtaining and managing the host committee suite, managing the Presidential suite, work at the merchandising/souvenir/photo booth, obtain VIP gifts, setting up the welcome booth,  help with the promotional booth at the 2008 Forum, obtaining individuals to perform at the opening function, and solicit in-kind donations.

This committee responsibilities may include preparing brochures and information binders regarding the local community for Forum attendees.  Provide local information tables posted in the lobbies of the Forum hotels.

This committee responsibilities may include recommending the location, theme, transportation, entertainment, and menu for the social events such as the welcome event and guest tours.

This committee responsibilities may include assisting with the coordination of specialized transportation for delegates with special needs and mass transit only if required to transport to/from host hotel to Convention Center and/or social events.

This committee will be a core group of individuals that will help with various activities during the Forum.

At this stage of planning the following activities are occurring 12 to 18 months Prior To Your Forum:

• Events
• Finalize day within Forum schedule to conduct Main Social Event
• Finalize theme for Host Chapter Social Event
• Initiate listing of potential local/regional suppliers for Products Expo
• Activities
• Serve on QCT of current year's Forum

This Team is an arm of the Forum and Products Exposition Committee and is activated during each Forum to support the infrastructure of the Forum, particularly in the areas of materials distribution, meeting room set-up, audio-visual verification, and banquet set-up. Each year, the Forum and Products Exposition Committee will seek volunteers who are interested in serving on the QCT. Since this is an excellent way to understand the inner-workings of the Forum, members of your Host Committee should volunteer to serve on the QCT for the 2 years preceding your own Forum. Wear your sneakers!

• Organizational
• Finalize logo and tagline

The Forum tagline/theme should uniquely represent each Forum and reflect the geographic and cultural notability of the host area, while attempting to incorporate it into the purchasing profession.

Here's some examples of recent taglines

• Tuning Up the Profession: Nashville, 2003
• Spanning the Future: Tampa, 2006
• "Insure" Your Success in New England's Rising Star: Hartford, 2007

As of 1/29/08, the 2009 NIGP St. Louis Forum tag line has been selected and finalized! This forum will be known as: "Gateway to Excellence"

• Set attendance goals
• Develop vision/mission statements and strategic plan
• Create and implement databases