2008 Conference

Indianapolis Impaired Driving Conference

The Impaired Driving Conference was held August 10^th through 12^th in Indianapolis. As part of this write-up I may seem a little biased, but by all accountants, it was a success. Attendees seemed very pleased with the site of the conference. From everything our officers heard, they were very pleased with all the activities available downtown. The weather even cooperated as it broke from the heat and humidity the week before to be beautiful throughout the conference.

All of the external gatherings went very well. The opening night mixer hosted by IACP had great food, was relaxed, and very well attended. The street party and Indians baseball game also went smoothly with very good attendance. The close proximity to restaurants and clubs downtown made for easy access for the non-planned activities as well. Everyone seemed to have a good time.

The most important portion of the conference, and the reason we were there was the conference agenda. We set out to present a conference that was not only a nice social event, but a very strong training as well. While I had to rely on attendees comments for everything else, I can say with some pride, we accomplished our goals on the course presentations.

I have received a number compliments and are still receiving emails talking about the success of the conference. While I appreciate them all, the ones that I am proudest of are the ones discussing the presenters. One of the best comments I received was from Sergeant Mike Delgadio with LAPD. He was unable to attend the conference because his triplets were starting school. He said the people from his agency returned saying the conference information, from the main speakers through the breakouts, was information they could use. That is what we were trying for with our agenda.

I would like to thank everyone involved in putting the conference together. The planning committee worked well together and carried out things from start to finish, including running the shuttles before and after the conference. They deserve all the credit with special kudos to Marie Gregor Smith and the members of Advocates Against Impaired Driving (AAID). There support both financially and physically went quite a way toward the success of the conference.

Again, thank everyone for their assistance, their kind remarks, and good luck to the people in Little Rock, Arkansas, site of next year’s Impaired Driving Conference.