Chiefs,
The Order’s centennial has come and gone. Fueled by the excitement of this past year, each of us is ready to plan for what’s coming NEXT at the 2015 National Planning Meeting. Now, we’d like to give you a glimpse of what to expect at the planning meeting of the century:
ARRIVAL INFORMATION
Once you land at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport on December 27th, grab your bags and head to Terminal C, baggage claim C31, where a uniformed representative will meet you and provide your transportation to the Marriott Solana Hotel. You can check in and receive your room credentials with the Order of the Arrow staff set up in the lobby of the hotel.
PROGRAM INFORMATION
The meeting will begin promptly at 5:00 p.m. with a fellowship reception followed by dinner. Be sure to look sharp in your field uniform with OA sash for both events. Dinner will be followed by a presentation that asks an important question: Why NEXT? This information will be vital to you as you work throughout the rest of the meeting to plan the 2016 program of emphasis — NEXT: A New Century.
From there, section chiefs will proceed directly into the national chief and vice chief election. These elections are known to run late, so make sure you are well rested when you arrive at the Solana. Heading straight to bed following these elections is highly recommended, as breakfast will be served at 7:00 a.m. the next morning, followed by the region chief elections at 8:00 a.m.
The rest of the morning will consist of two special sessions for section chiefs on two of the most significant programs in the OA today: OA High Adventure and Operation Arrow, the OA staff at the 2017 national jamboree. A photo session will follow, during which individual photos of planning meeting attendees will be taken.
In the afternoon, the 2016 officers will be installed, your NEXT program committee assignments will be announced, and NEXT planning will commence! You will break out into program committees, where initial, big picture discussions of your committee’s role at NEXT will take place. You will also choose a conference vice chief (CVC) to lead your committee during the year.
The rest of the meeting will be spent compiling your plan to deliver on your respective committee’s part at NEXT. These committee breakouts will test your creativity. An open mind, new ideas and fresh perspective are necessary characteristics of the planners of the most innovative event that the Order of the Arrow has ever seen.
Of course, the planning meeting is not 100% strictly business. You will have the chance to enjoy fellowship with other planning meeting attendees, as well as see first-hand the exciting things happening in the Order of the Arrow.
On December 30th, continental breakfast will be served and we each will depart our separate ways, ready to put on an event of a lifetime.
As we approach the start of the meeting, please be sure all of your paperwork has been submitted, and that you have reviewed all of the event information that was sent to you a few weeks ago. Questions can be directed to the national Order of the Arrow director, Matt Dukeman, at matthew.dukeman@scouting.org, or to either of us.
We look forward to planning the Order’s future with you in just a few short days!
With excitement for the road ahead,
Alex Call Donnie Stephens
2015 National Chief 2015 National Vice Chief
2015chief@oa-bsa.org 2015vicechief@oa-bsa.org
@OANationalChief @OANationalVC