IACC CEO Mark Cooper announced the theme and lineup of speakers and presenters for the 2014 IACC-Americas Annual Conference.  The event is scheduled for March 19-21, 2014 at Pacific Palms Resortin Los Angeles, CA.  Cooper commented that the conference will focus on educating members on what it takes to remain innovative and competitive in today's marketplace.

According to Ken Misterly, the Conference chair and general manager at The Millennium Centre in Johnson City, "This conference will be more participation driven with an emphasis on relevant, cutting-edge content along with important opportunities for networking", said Cooper.  "Our key objective is to provide an exceptional "IACC meeting experience" for all attendees attending from all over the Americas and indeed from around the globe."

The theme for the 33^rd IACC Annual Americas Conference is Catch the Wave of latest trends in the conference center industry with education supporting:

Industry superstar Cindy Novotny of Master Connection Associates will kick off the conference with her keynote "Disrupt Your Status Quo" encouraging the delegates to "reinvent yourself and your sales process NOW." Cindy notes, "The conference center model remains unique and the meetings industry has been challenged in recent times and without some dramatic change to your mindset you will constantly struggle to win more business." Cindy's no-nonsense, reality- based delivery provides a reason to go back to work and make immediate change.

Avinash Chandarana, MCI's group director Global Learning will present an entertaining and insightful plenary session on "Crossroads of Culture--How to Do Business and Work Together in a Global Marketplace."  Chandarana, a leading figure on intercultural issues, shares insights in how to make your interactions count by honing your cross-cultural skills and discover a simple yet effective framework that will transform your perspective on culture.

An insightful workshop "Innovative Conference Center Design" will be presented by John Potterton, operations director from FMC Technologies Learning Center. This workshop will present some of IACC's most creative members talking about how they design winning meeting environments and just how much thought goes into creating spaces and services to deliver the very best IACC Meetings Experiences!

Mark Woodworth, president, PKF Hospitality Research, will present "PKF Industry Trends" - a popular workshop on the state of the economy and how it is affecting the Hospitality and Meetings Industry in the Americas.

Other workshops will include:

The 33^rd annual conference will also feature the 11 ^th Copper Skillet competition featuring IACC conference centre chefs from around the world gathered to compete for the prestigious culinary award - the Copper Skillet - and the distinction of becoming the IACC Conference Centre Chef of the Year.