Mission
The Committee authors the SEALS Conference Hospitality Directory each year, which provides registrants with important information about the conference hotel and the local community.
Committee Members
- Charles Rhodes (S. Texas) (Chair)
- Tiffany Atkins (Elon)
- Vince Cardi (West Virginia)
- Jessica Garcia-Brown (Nova)
- Suparna Malempati (John Marshall, Atlanta)
- Christina Sautter (SMU)
- Pat Tolan (Thomas Cooley)
- Stacy Tovino (Oklahoma)
- Marilyn L. Uzdavines (Nova Southeastern)
Important Links
Annual Reports
2023 Annual Report
The Hospitality Committee’s annual Newcomer Beer-Wine Mixer Sponsored by West Academic, which provides an informal opportunity for new SEALS attendees to mingle with committee members and long-time SEALS participants, has been well attended the last two years and will be held again this year on Sunday, July 23, the first day of the conference. The Committee has also been continuing with our new format for the Hospitality Committee Guide, with both internal and external hyperlinks to make the guide more useful for virtual distribution and dissemination. The Committee hopes SEALS attendees find the guide helpful in navigating both the Boca Raton Resort and the surrounding community. The Committee also has been working on planning additional social opportunities for SEALS attendees; while our planned pickleball learn and play event was rained out last year, we’re hoping to try again at an upcoming conference.
2021 Annual Report
The Hospitality Committee this year focused on improving the Hospitality Guide’s usefulness for virtual distribution and dissemination since it will no longer be distributed in a paper format during the conference. The headings in the table of contents are all hyperlinked to the corresponding pages of the guide, and resort amenities, restaurants, tours, and other activities are linked to outside websites when available. Due to the impact of the pandemic on restaurants and tourist activities, compiling the Guide was more challenging than in years past, but the Committee hopes that the Guide will prove useful to attendees this year as SEALS returns to meeting in person at the Omni Amelia Island Resort. After the Board made the final decision to hold this year’s conference in person, the Committee has also been working to plan informal events for new conference attendees, such as our Newcomers Meet and Greet.
2020 Annual Report
The Hospitality Committee since our last conference focused on preparing the very popular Hospitality Guide and planning our welcome reception for new members and for prior participants needing on location information. Needless to say, that became moot, but our work was good and valuable for the future when hopefully we can meet again. Essentially what the committee has been doing for the past few years has been very well received by our members and appreciated as it provides very practical and necessary information for attending beyond just the registration information, and it encourages new participants to be involved and included with our new attendees reception
2019 Annual Report
The primary responsibility of the Hospitality Committee continues to be the hospitality guides for the annual meetings. The response to the guides has been very positive. We are well on our way to doing the guide for the 2020 meeting in Fort Lauderdale and have already begun updating the prior guide from that location. Dissemination of the guide has changed. It was included in the registration packets, and was previously on the SEALS web site. Upon arrival at this meeting, I was able to get the guide put on the attendee hub along with the conference schedule which was very useful. It will not be included in the registration materials next August as part of the SEALS going green initiative but will be on the attendee hub.
2018 Annual Report
The Hospitality Committee kicked back into gear in 2018 with a very successful hospitality guide. It also organized a “Newcomers Meet & Greet.” The Meet & Greet served as an informal opportunity for those attending their first SEALS Conference to ask questions and receive information about SEALS from Committee members. The event was successful and will be repeated at future meetings.
2017 Annual Report
The Hospitality Committee typically completes a directory for the upcoming meeting. For the 2016 Annual Meeting, the Committee hosted a “Newcomers Meet & Greet.” The Meet & Greet served as an informal opportunity for those attending their first SEALS Conference to ask questions and receive information about SEALS from Committee members. The event was successful and will be repeated at future meetings.