President's Letter
May, 2011

Greetings Fellow Skalleagues!

After our May meeting at Primavera in Ft. Lauderdale, which by the way was great since we were joined by our ASME friends, Dick Stafford reminded me that I would need to send him the President’s letter so he could post it on our website and send it to the members.

It seemed like an easy enough task but as I sat to write I began to wonder what to say other than to regurgitate what went on in the Board meeting and the usual niceties and to provide upcoming dates of events and such.

I started thinking about change. There have been some changes in my life lately, most recently accepting the South Florida Regional Sales Manager position with MSC Cruises and taking the reins as President of Skål Ft. Lauderdale & Palm Beaches. While change can be exciting, it sometimes is uncomfortable. My position at Travel Guard was secure and I was working for a phenomenal company and offering my travel partners a great product. But in life, as most of you know and have experienced, change happens whether you are ready for it or not and with or without your participation.

This aspect of change made me start thinking about some changes that we as a Club need to work toward. I sometimes refer to our Club as “The Little Engine That Could” since we have only 35 members. I say “only” not in the negative sense of the word, but in amazement as we have achieved some great accolades such being Voted # 2 Skål Club of the Year 2009-2010. Not a small feat considering that we have “only” 35 members. That honor was bestowed upon us due to all of your efforts and participation.

While that was a great accomplishment I’d like us to focus on our Club’s future goals. We are comprised of such a diverse and talented group of people, that I task you to start thinking about how to increase our membership by spreading the word about this wonderful organization. Before I get to the event dates and such, I’ll leave you with this last thought about change that I read recently in a daily e-newsletter that I subscribe to called the Daily OM, . “If our patterns of thought and behavior remain unchanged, our lives will continue to unfold much as they have previously. Stagnation is often a sign that great changes are on the horizon. Courting the change you wish to see in yourself and in the world around you is a matter of acknowledging that only change begets change.”

Skal!

Teresa Nix, President
SKAL Ft. Lauderdale & Palm Beaches

2011 FUTURE MEETINGS:

June 15 – Holiday Inn – Highland Beach
July/August – TBA - Summer Club Fundraiser – Mai Kai, Ft. Lauderdale

We all know someone of management level in Travel / Tourism / Hospitality who is not currently a SKAL member. Invite them to come to a meeting TODAY!