ID# March 19, 2008

Las Vegas Conference issue
This special issue of interact is your guide to the upcoming 100th National Planning Conference and the outstanding professional development opportunities it offers. APA President Robert Hunter, FAICP, and AICP President Graham Billingsley, AICP, and their colleagues invite you to read all about the conference. Please forward interact to your colleagues, co-workers, and associates and ask them to join you in Las Vegas at the year's premier planning event.
Earn CM credits
You can earn Certification Maintenance (CM) credits for many conference activities. In fact, with careful planning, you can earn all 32 CM credits you need for your first reporting period — including the required law and ethics credits — at the conference.
APA will also make it easy to report CM credits you earn onsite: Just have your conference badge scanned by the volunteers at each CM–approved activity you attend. Then, after the conference, log in to your online CM log to review the list of your conference activities, rate them, and submit them for credit. Don't forget to stop by the AICP booth in the APA Pavilion for all the latest on Certification Maintenance — including a demonstration of how the online CM logs work.
Registration options
Regular APA members who register for the entire conference by March 27 will pay $200 less than nonmembers, and $50 less than the cost of on-site registration. There are additional discounts for new professional, life, retired, and non-U.S. members. There is a special rate to attend Sunday and Monday only, as well as options tailored for planning commissioners and elected or appointed officials. Advance registration ends March 27.
While you're in Las Vegas, sign up for the 2009 National Planning Conference in Minneapolis — at 2008 rates! Visit the 2009 Minneapolis booth near registration to learn more.
Daily keynotes
Anna Tibaijuka, executive director of UN-HABITAT, spearheads international efforts to bring sustainability to every nation. She will share her unique and inspiring outlook at Monday morning's opening keynote address. CM | 1.00
Learn about an exciting new Congressional initiative to address America's infrastructure crisis by creating an infrastructure investment commission. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) will describe the effort and answer questions in Monday's policy keynote.
How will technology determine planning's path? Look ahead at Tuesday's practice keynote when ESRI President Jack Dangermond offers a spatial thinking slant on current and future planning tools. CM | 1.00
Get international perspectives at Wednesday's World Planning keynote. APA President Robert Hunter, FAICP, will be joined by his counterparts from Canada and the United Kingdom and the party secretary of the city of Zhenjiang, China. CM | 1.00
At Thursday's closing keynote, "Learning Anew from Las Vegas," New Yorker architecture critic Paul Goldberger will look at how and why Las Vegas is changing and what it teaches planners about community. CM | 1.00
This conference has something for everyone
APA's suggested schedule for planning directors includes facilitated discussions in the Planning Director Hospitality Suite and the Planning Directors Breakfast on Wednesday morning. Sessions to put on your list include "America at 1 Billion?" (CM | 1.25) for a report on population and demographic trends, sessions on climate change and cities, and "Planning Directors in the Hot Seat" (CM | 1.25).
New directors and those ready to step up to executive-level management should sign up for Sunday's all-day New Directors Institute. CM | 9.00
The new professionals program includes a session on "The New Generation of Planners" and facilitated discussions on "Climbing the Career Ladder" and "Starting Your Own Firm." Sunday training workshops — "Site Planning," "Speak the Language of Success," (CM | 3.00) and "Effective Presentations" (CM | 3.00) — are other useful choices for new professionals.
If this is your first APA conference, attend the First-Timers Orientation to learn how to use the final conference program, meet colleagues, and maximize your professional education and your fun — without getting lost. Get the inside scoop on lively receptions and interesting sidelights.
Need tech training? Build your software knowledge and tech skills at a half-day, hands-on GIS workshop. Attend one of 19 sessions that incorporate GIS. Or go to a Technology Showcase presentation and participate in an application demonstration. A keyword search on the conference website will find all activities that incorporate technology and GIS. CM
Sunday's 27 workshops offer hands-on, in-depth learning. Whether you need training on management, transportation planning, site plan review, hazard mitigation, regulatory drafting, or economic development, there is a workshop for you. CM
In the Exhibit Hall
Meet presenters one-on-one at Tuesday's poster exhibits and sessions, starting at noon. Discover new research, special projects, and innovative ideas, and enjoy personal conversations with poster presenters.
The Technology Showcase will feature the latest research projects, software, and data integration technology. Presenters include government agencies, nonprofits, researchers, and Tech Showcase sponsors ESRI and Google. CM
The APA Pavilion is the conference portal to all the programs, services, new initiatives and member benefits APA offers. Stop by for presentations at Live from APA and bring your questions about membership, publications, and certification.
Do you have something to say about the planning profession — past or present? At the APA Pavilion, we'll be recording members for future podcasts and web videos. Tell us about projects you're working on, your remembrance of planning milestones, or your views on the issues facing planners today.
Put Job Connection on your conference schedule and take advantage of this once-a-year, members-only opportunity! Look now at available jobs listed on the Job Connection webpage and stop by in the Exhibit Hall to find more postings and apply for jobs that interest you.
Book your hotel by March 27
One APA member who reserves housing through the APA Housing Bureau will win a free registration to next year's conference! Rooms are still available at Bally's and Paris Las Vegas April 27–May 1.
Build your schedule or choose one of ours
Use APA's online tool to track CM credits for scheduled events. Select or build a schedule and make it your guide throughout the conference. Experienced conference-goers will easily select from the hundreds of sessions, workshops, and events, but first-timers may prefer to use one of APA's suggested schedules. Either way, plan ahead to take full advantage of this year's program and earn the CM credits you need.
Terrific tracks
Conference session tracks spotlight planning's hot issues, new trends, best techniques, and exciting research. On offer this year: Transportation for Tomorrow's Population; Paying for Growth; Tourism, Leisure, and Entertainment; Partnerships and Intergovernmental Relationships; Health and Communities; Brownfield Revitalization; Energy Planning; Green Communities in the Desert; and Small Town and Rural Planning. Look for tracks and associated sessions in the final conference program.
Help make a great community happen
The 8th annual AICP Community Planning Workshop on Sunday offers the chance to provide pro bono planning services to the West Las Vegas neighborhood, a near-downtown community that has experienced disinvestment, poverty, and little economic development. Brainstorm with community stakeholders to devise redevelopment policies and strategies that are sensitive to community history.
Viva Las Vegas!
Kick off the conference at Sunday night's Rock-n-Roll in the Wine Cellar at the Rio Suites Hotel, the city's most famous wine bar! Tuesday's after-hours events include magician Lance Burton at the Monte Carlo and the 18-and-over Jubilee show at Bally's. Wednesday evening, join friends downtown at Sip Off The Strip. Pre-registration is required for all special events.
There is much more to see and do in Las Vegas and the surrounding region, from a neon museum, to top restaurants, to the Hoover Dam. Find out what local planners recommend in the Planners' Guide to Las Vegas, now available online.
APA PlanningBooks.com
Be sure to visit the APA PlanningBooks.com store. Buy just-released books from APA's Planners Press, stock up on classic titles, and try out CD-ROM training packages. Take advantage of conference-only deals and enter Tuesday's drawing for an iPod Touch. Meet authors at book signing events throughout the conference.
No group child care
APA has learned that because of Clark County (Nevada) Child Care Regulations, we are not permitted to provide child-care services in any casino hotel, including Bally's and Paris. However, licensed child-care providers are permitted in your sleeping room and are available through either hotel by contacting the concierge at 702-946-4433. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause conference attendees.
Annual meeting
Who will win this year's APA/AICP elections? Find out at the Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony on Wednesday. APA also will recognize the contributions of national, chapter, and division leaders and honor the winners of APA's 2008 National Planning Awards and others. If you have a question you'd like APA leaders to answer at the annual meeting, e-mail getinvolved@planning.org.
Last call
March 27 Pre-register for the 2008 National Planning Conference
March 27 Reserve conference housing
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