It's hard to believe how fast 2013 has gone by! So much has happened this year, the first jamboree at The Summit, the Lodge Legacy Project is now in full swing, and you were elected to serve as your section's chief, maybe for a second term. As 2013 comes to an end, it's time for you and your fellow chiefs to meet in Dallas for the National Planning Meeting. This year's meeting will be held on December 27-30, 2013 at the Marriott Solana in beautiful Westlake, TX. By now, you all know that at the planning meeting, you elect new national officers. But what do you get to do after the elections? Are Matt and Jordan just going to kick you out of the hotel and send you home after elections since NOAC isn't until 2015? Of course not! There's a lot of work to do! This year, you and your fellow chiefs will plan the 2015 OA Centennial Caravan. Here's a breakdown of what you can expect when you touchdown at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport: (Remember, don't go to Love Field!)
When you land, you will grab your bags and head to Terminal C, baggage claim C-31, and check-in with the uniformed BSA represented who will give you transportation to the hotel. Once you get to the hotel, you can check in to your room and wait for the program to start.
On the night of the 27th, there is a reception, dinner, and then the section chiefs go straight into the national chief and vice-chief elections. The elections are notoriously known to end late at night, so make sure you are well rested when you get to the hotel. After the elections, you'll want to head to bed because you will have to wake up in the morning on the 28th for breakfast and region chief elections. Each region will meet in a separate room and elect a chief. After these elections, you will be split into committees to help plan the 2015 Centennial Caravan.
Wondering what this caravan thing is all about? National Vice Chief Jordan Hughes described the program saying "caravans will be travelling across all four regions throughout the early summer in 2015, leading up to the national conference, to help local lodges and sections celebrate the centennial". One noticeable difference for the caravan is that each region will have its own incident command structure comprised of a program committee, staff team committee, and a public relations/marketing committee. The program group will develop the activities and events associated with in-camp visitations. This includes a ceremonial component as well as the static displays that will be presented at each camp visit. The public relations and marketing group will be responsible for building the outreach programs for lodges and the council to use to engage constituents and other members of the Scouting family. This team will be responsible for developing the OA Caravan logo and theme support, branding, and promotional materials. The staff group will be responsible for building out the plan to engage local youth/adult lodge coordinators. This includes communication and training packages for lodges and local teams/staff. The staff group will also coordinate in-camp programs staff requirements as well as establish ancillary support structure at local camps. (e.g. trading post, housing, food service)
Jordan says "the bulk of the planning will be done together, regardless of region, but the regions will be the ones actually executing the plan." On the 29th, chiefs will meet back with their committees and continue to plan the caravan. On the 30th, there will be a continental breakfast and then you will be taken back to the airport to enjoy the rest of the holidays with your family and friends.
The national planning meeting is sure to be a good time for all. You are among a select, and fortunate, group of Arrowmen who get to take part in the event.