Page 12 - WBG July 2025

EXECUTIVE

DIRECTOR’S BRIEF

Dear Members,

It seems like I just left an amazing Midterm Board Meeting in
Lisbon where we knocked our attendance record out of
the Ballpark. We had 130 members attend this successful
event. Thank you to all who attended. It’s always a
pleasure to see old friends and meet new members as well.

I saw a lot of smiles during the Board Meeting all of the
events that surrounded it. I had countless attendees tell me
how beautiful Lisbon was. For me it was just blocks down the
street from the first Board Meeting I attended 39 years ago.

As I write this, I am getting ready to leave shortly for our
final Centennial Celebration planning meeting in Chicago.
Wes Bearden, Chuck McLaughlin, Mike LaCorte, Allen Cardoza,
Philip Ryffel and I will have several meetings with our Conference
Services, Audio Visual, Cruise Ship, Casino Night, Sign Company,
Catering, and Sales Managers. It will be a busy three days.

We are confident this will be an amazing experience for
our members and guests. Please be sure to go to our website to
register and reserve your hotel room soon. I have already increased
our hotel block once due to the demand. Once our hotel is sold
out, we will be obtaining additional rooms at a hotel very nearby.

We also have a limit of 300 people who can register for the
conference. Once we are sold out, we will be turning people
away. Due to the complexity and all the various events we must
guarantee, we have set our registration deadline a week earlier
than normal on July 25th. I’m certain this is a conference you will
not want to miss.
Thank you to our generous sponsors. Members, businesses, and
dozens of professional associations from around the world have
stepped up to help with this.

Sincerely.

Bob Heales

Executive Director and Association Manager

10 W.A.D Beyond Global