Record Turnout for CMAA’s 2007 National Conference & Trade Show

CMAA’s largest national gathering to date, with more than 750 people participating, took place in Chicago on October 7-9. Attendees heard from two high-impact keynote speakers, installed new leaders and directors for the coming year, honored the industry’s most outstanding achievements, explored critical topics in nearly 40 professional development sessions, toured a dynamic exhibit hall, and took part in a variety of tours and special events.

A major highlight of the Conference was the debut of CMAA's first Online Certificate program. The "Contract Administration" module launches a new effort to move extensive professional development resources into the online environment.

Opening keynote speaker Christopher Lee of CEL & Associates, Inc., led his audience in an exploration of how and why generations “collide” in the workplace.  He described major differences among six generations alive today in terms of career goals, job expectations, and attitudes toward compensation, working hours and other critical topics.

“Today’s managers and supervisors are not trained on how to manage Generation X and Gen Y employees,” Lee said. Managing new generations is especially vital, he noted, since many “Baby Boom” managers are now having to defer retirement out of concern for a lack of well-prepared successors, and this trend is exacerbating frustrations and concerns among younger workers over their advancement and earning prospects.

The Conference’s second keynoter was Stephen M. R. Covey, author of The Speed of Trust. Seen as a concrete business factor rather than a “soft” social virtue, Covey said, “trust changes everything.  Trust is the currency of the new economy.”

Covey went on: “Trust can be an extra accelerator and competitive advantage.  Trust always affects speed and cost, and you can measure speed and cost.”  Covey gave examples of how high trust within an organization produces a wide variety of tangible positive results.

In contrast, however, Covey noted that “low trust is everywhere” in American business, and is significantly hampering organizations’ ability to accomplish their missions.

In addition to the two keynote sessions, the CMAA Conference program offered a first look at the findings of the Eight Annual Owners Survey conducted by FMI and CMAA.  The Professional Development program offered 37 sessions devoted to such topics as:

* The Influence of Financial Decision Makers in Development of Major Capital Programs and Projects.

* Challenges and Benefits of Outsourcing Program Management

* International Consensus Building.

* Formalized Techniques for Realigning Troubled Projects.

* Current DoD Practices Using Program Management.

More than 40 companies took part in the annual CMAA Trade Show, offering a wide range of products and services. 

The Conference concluded with the Industry Recognition Banquet, honoring a dozen highly successful projects along with winners of Distinguished Service and Distinguished Owner Awards, new inductees into the CMAA College of Fellows, and CMAA’s 2007 Person of the Year.

CMAA's next two national meetings are:
Spring Leadership Forum, Baltimore, MD, May 18-20.
2008 National Conference & Trade Show, San Francisco, CA, October 12-14