by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
Two groups are meeting under the same roof in Jacksonville this week. They have little in common when it comes to what they do and the people who are members, but they have quite a bit in common in terms of how they are structured and how they selected the location of their summer 2009 national conventions. Both are meeting this week at the 966-room Hyatt on the St. Johns River.
Established in 1974 with 20 members, the Athletic Equipment Managers Association (AEMA) has grown into a group of more than 900 people who work in NCAA and high school athletics programs making sure the student-athletes and their coaches have all the items they need to compete.
“Before we formed the AEMA, we used to meet every year with the trainers associations,” said Jon Falk, AEMA executive director and the equipment manager at the University of Michigan.
In addition to classes on all aspects of the athletic equipment business that can lead to certification as a manager, the meeting also includes a trade show with exhibitors representing the top brands of team and individual sports equipment. The vendors have taken over the Hyatt’s ballroom this week with more than 100 booths set up for the delegates to visit.
Also in the hotel this week is the National Staff Organization, a nationwide body that has more than 5,000 members who are in the education field.
“We’re the largest independent labor union in the world, but we don’t have any buildings or paid staff,” said its President Charles Agerstrand. “We’re not affiliated with any other union. Our members work for the National Education Association and education associations in all 50 states.”
People who join and run both organizations have full-time jobs, so having national meetings can create financial challenges for members who want to attend. Both Falk and Agerstrand said their groups chose Jacksonville this year for its value and convenience.
“We wanted to have our meeting somewhere our members would like and we found the Hyatt to be very appealing,” Agerstrand. “There is lots to do within walking distance. We can stroll to restaurants and museums and it’s also convenient to the airport. That reduces our transportation costs.
“The Hyatt staff really worked with us to come up with a competitive rate and we found Jacksonville to be very competitive in terms of price. We’re very mindful of the economy because all of our delegates come to the meetings on their own dime.”
Falk agreed Jacksonville’s geographic location is a plus and the city’s image as a convention destination also has benefits. The AEMA has met in other cities like Los Angeles and Las Vegas. However, in this economy being close to members in the Southeast and on the East Coast plus reasonably-priced flights in and out was what attracted the group to Jacksonville, said Falk. He also said that despite Jacksonville being more low-key than other destinations, there’s still plenty of opportunity for recreation.
“Exhibitors are hosting parties for us at Mavericks at the Landing and at the stadium. We’ve also planned golf and fishing outings for our delegates,” said Falk.
One of the vendor booths at the equipment managers meeting will tell the Hyatt’s story and Jacksonville’s story. The hotel is competing with several other destinations for the AEMA’s meetings in 2013 and 2014. Hotels from San Diego, Las Vegas and Orlando are also staffing booths and all the competitors will be making presentations to the AEMA membership at its general meeting. Then a secret ballot will be held and the winner announced before the AEMA delegates head home. The Hyatt sales staff is hoping for another victory like the one they secured a few years ago when they were heading for the Buffalo, N.Y. airport after their presentation to the AEMA. The sales force was notified before they got on the plane that the equipment managers would be coming here in 2009.
“For our presentation we’ll show a short video and then we’re going to have Jaguars mascot Jaxson de Ville and the UNF cheer and dance team. We’re going to have a pep rally,” said Hyatt Senior Sales Manager Laura Cagan.
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