Hey !  first off, congratulations on your run for the board,  you will certainly get my vote and I hope that you can have an impact on IACP.  I will NOT be going to NYC,  cannot afford it and after attending Austin last year, I have to say that I found the conference to be poorly managed and not even close to a good value for the full fee that I paid for the conference and alleged trade show.  I paid the full fee and then find out that I could fit in only one of the sessions I had just paid full fare for - so deceptive billing to get full fee and then not deliver.  Then to be there and see that essentially one could basically walk in to any session. So I feel like I was taken to the cleaners by IACP for being a naive newbie, so once burned will not happen twice in my case. I am barely decided on whether or not I should even renew as at this time, it will sound like sour grapes on my part, but I don’t see a value in being a member of IACP as an organization that makes business happen.  That is unless you can get in there and shake things up !  Good luck, I really hope you win and give me the confidence that there is a reason to continue as a member.    And not to keep gnawing on it,  there was a statement in another piece on the “vaue” of NY IACP being more affordable as Austin - so unless I no longer understand basic math,  how is 5 days @ $170 a day ($850) a better value than 4 days @ $161 ($644), plus the added hotel night plus meals?  Sorry, this doesn’t add up for me, and remembering the Austin folly doesn’t give much hope that they will get NYC right.

Hi Dennis -
I can understand and appreciate your concern and the issues you’ve raised about your experience with IACP. I do think it’s a tricky balance when working with so many members and trying to deliver value to all of them, but one thing I do hope is that this kind of feedback does get filtered through and used to plan future events. I’m sorry to hear that we’ll miss you in NYC, as I would like to continue to use the feedback from members in attendance to always be evolving the conference over time.

One thing I will say, something that I’m very pleased about this year, is the inclusion of pre-sessions by Jackie Gordon and others, trying to help members get the full value of their registration out of IACP. Answering questions about how members can benefit from the conference, and how they can also get value out of the organization as a whole through their membership are crucial to the ongoing support of IACP over the long-term. So, while I’m really sorry to hear about the less-than-expected experience in Austin, I do believe NYC and beyond can deliver those kinds of expectations to members (and when they don’t, having this kind of information early on is always helpful).

I also appreciate your support, both for myself and IACP as a whole. There is a lot of potential that can and will be unlocked over the long-term, and I hope that we can deliver on that promise of value for you and for all our members going forward. There’s much more to come.

Hi Adam, I have just joined, as an associate urged me to do so, to help with contacts in the industry as I have built my empire alone! i am unsure how to take advantage of my membership, I have been going round and round on the website and blog and I am very confused about the programme for the conference as well.
1. I was told membership would help me network with fellow professionals, how? I can’t see a membership list, can’t see which other cooking schools are members, not even how many from which countries.
2. At one stage I saw a note that someone was going to do a webinar on how to take advantage of the conference but now ...just found it again and its been updated but it’s at 11 in the morning on a school day..well actually an hour later as I guess that is NYC time - does it get recorded?
3. Everything seems very USA/Canada centric is that the case? “New York City - the global epicenter of food” really guys?
4. I am flying internationally, staying at an expensive hotel and having to buy clothing for the cold weather and for fancy parties how can I make sure I really take advantage of the conference programme? I am a small business and need to turn that investment back around, there is no write off.
5. I have just spent 10 mins trying to find the online schedule for the conference and then realise you have to click on the red spoon graphic, I suggest you have a clear link below as well - hard working, tired people need a break from clever graphic designers!
6. So there is no content for the programme for the main 3 days? Is it just not ready yet or do you just wander around to see what is going on?
7. The awards - there is no award for cooking schools? Surely they are a large part of your membership? The amount of work and innovation I put into my school has changed tourism in this region, challenging the previously held positions of mega rich attractions. I am sure I am not the only story.
8. The only speaker I have heard of on the list of featured speakers was Grant Achatz (that’s because I have started on my personal quest to eat at the 50 best restaurants in the world)  and they all seem to be from the USA. I think you need to rethink the name of the Association or live up to it.

These are my few pennies worth of comments, said with the best intentions. I have to confirm my flight in the morning and hope someone out there can tell me why I should be going to the conference. I am concerned that is going to be really pretentious and of no practical value.
Please enlighten me!
best to you
Catriona Brown
The Little Mexican Cooking School

Hi, Catriona. First, welcome to IACP! We are so pleased you’ve joined. As you’ll soon discover, IACP is a member-driven organization and we take every bit of member feedback seriously, so thanks for sharing. I’m Julia Usher, BTW, Secretary-Treasurer of the organization and also a longstanding member. I joined IACP about eight years ago when I was looking to transition into food writing, and can say with certainty that I would not have published my first cookbook (or made inroads into this profession without more bumps in the road) had it not been for what I learned at IACP Conference, through monthly webinars, and through the more informal connections made here. I am deeply indebted to IACP for what it has given me professionally and so I now do what I can to help IACP by volunteering on various committees and the board of directors. I hope you’ll confirm your flight in the morning, because I’d love to welcome you to the group personally - and because I think you’ll find IACP and Conference as life changing as I have. I mean this sincerely . . . Now, to answer some of your questions:
1. You joined IACP at just the time we launched a new website, and the new online member directory happens to still be under development. It will be fully unveiled later this month, along with enhanced member forums, that should keep us more closely connected, year-round, than we ever have been in the past. If you’re looking to connect with other Cooking School members in the meantime, one way to do that is to join that interest section or to email Catherine Daum Lucas, Chair of that section: http://www.iacp.com/connect/more/cooking_schools_teachers1. She can loop you in fast. We have 13 sections, representing the different special interests within IACP; you can join as many as you like. Most sections conduct monthly webinars and have quarterly newsletters. There are also face-to-face section meetings at Conference that can quickly connect you with what’s going on in these groups. We’re also working hard to fortify our grassroots and regional conference programs (http://www.iacp.com/attend/more/regional_conferences1) in order to bring members together more often, and in more places, including internationally.
2. Yes, our webinars are recorded. You can find all past sessions here: http://www.iacp.com/learn/more/speaker_series_archives
I’d definitely recommend listening to Jackie Gordon’s webinar about how to make the most of conference, if you can’t attend it. Typically the recordings are published to the site within 24-48 hours of the real thing.
3. Yikes, sorry about the spoon graphic - you can hold me personally accountable (no fancy graphic designers here)! If you need a shortcut to the conference program/registration, you can use the “Register” link in the upper right hand of the site. It takes you directly to the online reg form.
4. Yes, there are definitely workshops and other class content on all the main days of the conference (Fri-Mon) and optional culinary tours on Thursday, generally the arrival day for most to conference. The program is broken down by day and time of day here: https://kiosk.eztix.co/kiosk/conference-schedule/4847. We have over 150 programs (and more coming), which is a record for us. If you have specific questions about navigating the program, please contact the number on the form or HQ.  Contacts in both places are very familiar with it and can help you find what you need.
5. Yes, there are awards for both cooking teachers and cooking schools. They’re part of our Awards of Excellence program. And you’re just in time, as we’re still accepting nominations for those awards through February 9: http://www.iacp.com/award/more/awards_of_excellence
6. I very much appreciate all of your comments, but especially those about our international scope and reach. IACP is a vast organization, and it’s a constant challenge to fairly represent and reach the 32 countries that comprise our membership, not to mention the many varied professional interests within. But enhancing our global relevance and making our non-US members feel more connected are certainly recognized by the Board as deeply important to do. I welcome any and all ideas you have for doing so. Please feel free to contact me at the above email address and we can set up a time to talk further if you’d like. I hope to see you in NYC!

Catriona -
Julia has done a great job of laying out the specifics to your questions, especially as they relate to the annual conference (thanks Julia!). The other thing I did want to add, which Julia touches on, is that while the annual conference is a big piece of the value that comes out of membership in the organization, there’s so much that goes on throughout the year via online outreach, webinars, and other networking events that allows members to connect with each other. Indeed, the value that I’ve found in IACP is the ability to meet people, build connections and enhance my career professionally. But, I understand what you mean completely about the expense involved and wanting to be sure you get as much out of it as possible (and even if there weren’t a big expense involved, you’d still want to!). I strongly encourage use of the member directory once it goes live, and also taking a look at the recording of Jackie Gordon’s session on making the most of IACP, as both will be really helpful. We’ll also be posting more information about specific sessions and discussions on the blog in the coming weeks, so this can be a great resource as well.

I hope to see you at the event!

Take care,

Adam