Thursday, June 27, 2013

Just Returned from the DRI Products Liability Steering Committee Fly-In Meeting



I just returned from the yearly "fly-in" meeting of the DRI Products Liability Steering Committee.  This is an annual meeting in June where members of the committee get together to discuss and plan the next year's Products Liability Conference.  It is a productive meeting, and it is also a chance to get together with friends on the committee and catch up in between conferences. 

Go ahead and mark your calendar for the 2014 DRI Products Liability Conference, which is scheduled for April 9-11, 2014 at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix, Arizona.  There are going to be a few format changes for the 2014 conference.  The most significant change (for me) is that the Specialized Litigation Group ("SLG") that I chair -- Agricultural, Construction, Mining and Industrial Equipment -- is scheduled to do a one-hour "main stage" presentation.  In the past, the SLGs have done breakout sessions.  This year, certain SLGs are being asked to provide a main stage presentation, and ACMIE is one of them.  I need to submit our topic by July 9, so if you have any ideas and care to share them, let me hear from you!

We also discussed  other topics for the conference, general themes, and membership matters.  We also had an interesting discussion on future venues and how to respond to participant feedback in terms of programming, the preferred month for the conference (as April seems to run into spring break for many people), venue, etc.  It was a productive meeting, and now that I have been involved with this group for four or five years, I have made some good friends and enjoyed the opportunity to catch up with them. 

Unfortunately, my travel home was brutal.  Storms in Chicago, and a missed connection in Charlotte led to a 1:00 a.m. arrival, as opposed to the planned 9:30 p.m. arrival.  But, it is always good to get home.

If you have any interest in DRI, please let me know, as I would be happy to assist with getting you involved. 

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