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The National Association of Shortwave Broadcasters,
The United States Federal Communications Commission,
The United States Board for International Broadcasting,
and the Summit of the Americas Center at Florida International University
cordially invite the High Frequency Coordinating Committee
and the Arab States Broadcasting Union
to hold the A05 HFCC/ASBU seasonal planning conference on
January 31-February 4, 2005
at the Graham University Center,
Florida International University,
Miami, Florida, USA
Proposal to HFCC/ASBU Steering Board for Conference in the United States
Submitted by the National Association of Shortwave Broadcasters (NASB)
December 8, 2003
Overview
The National Association of Shortwave Broadcasters (NASB) represents 18 privately-owned shortwave stations in the United States which are licensed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The NASB has had one or more representatives at each of the HFCC/ASBU Conferences since the conference in Montreal in August of 2001. We have always participated as part of the FCC delegation.
A few years ago, frequency consultant Stanley Leinwoll suggested that it was inconceivable that the United States -- one of the world’s largest users of the HF spectrum -- had never hosted an HFCC/ASBU conference. We agree, and we would like to offer to host a future conference here in the U.S. In fact, are offering to host two conferences. This proposal is for the A05 conference in Miami.
Meeting Location
We believe that Miami, Florida would be an ideal location for an HFCC/ASBU Conference. There are direct flights to Miami from many major cities around the world, so that most conference participants could either get a direct flight, or would have to make one connection. Miami’s subtropical climate would be ideal for a conference in February -- the middle of the northern hemisphere winter (and February is far away from the hurricane season). Furthermore, Miami is one of the most “international” cities in the United States, with a multilingual, multi-cultural population. Miami has all the necessary facilities and infrastructure for an international conference of this type, and expenses are generally lower than those in Europe, for example.
NASB member station WRMI (Radio Miami International) is located in Miami, and would be the primary local organizer of the event. NASB’s current president, Jeff White, is general manager of WRMI. HFCC members International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB) and Christian Vision also have major centers of operation in Miami.
We have already received a generous offer from Florida International University (FIU, the state-owned public university in Miami) to co-sponsor the conference along with us. Among other things, the University will provide us with a very large meeting space: three ballrooms with a total of 8314 square feet (i.e. 772 square meters) of space -- enough for 400 persons seated at tables or 1000 persons standing. This meeting facility has already been tentatively reserved for us by the Summit of the Americas Center (which is part of the Latin American and Caribbean Center) at FIU from Saturday, January 29 to Friday, February 4, 2005.
The meeting space is located at the Graham University Center on FIU’s main campus in the western suburbs of Miami. The Graham Center, which opened in 1974, is one of the primary university buildings and has an annual traffic flow of 3.5 million persons. It houses the university bookstore, various meeting rooms, a cafeteria, grill, food court with several fast-food restaurants, coffee bar, student affairs offices, a game room, classrooms (in upper floors), a mini-mall, computer lab, radio station, faculty club, credit union, automatic teller machines, postage stamp sales, print shop, hair salon, full-service travel agency, art gallery, etc.
Our plan is to use the Central and West Ballrooms combined as the main meeting room for the conference. Together, they accommodate 285 persons, classroom style. Of course we won’t have that many delegates, but we want to leave extra room between the tables so people can walk through and meet with other delegations. We may also have exhibits from co-sponsors that will occupy some space. The East Ballroom, which accommodates 200 people auditorium style, can be used for a shortwave radio display, the sidebar seminars for students, and for any small group meetings that may need to take place during the week. There is a large lobby area just outside the ballrooms that can be used for the reception-registration area and coffee breaks. Vladislav’s data processing area will likely be in the new Computer Lab that is currently being constructed quite near to the ballroom area.
The primary conference hotel will be the Miccosukee Resort, located seven miles directly west of the FIU campus. This is a five-year-old resort hotel owned by the Miccosukee Indian Tribe on tribal lands at the edge of the Florida Everglades. It is part of a complex which includes a 2000-seat sports and entertainment dome and a Las Vegas-style casino. This is a unique resort, combining many elements of the Miccosukee native American culture with other themes and cultures of South Florida. Large murals with Indian and Everglades themes adorn the walls, and Miccosukee arts and crafts are showcased. The hotel offers a panoramic view of the Everglades -- one of America’s largest wilderness areas.
The resort has 256 rooms and 46 suites with telephone, voice mail, modem connections, 27-inch televisions with cable programming service, mini-bar, coffee maker, hair dryer and in-room safe. There is room service, dry cleaning and laundry service 24 hours per day. The hotel has extensive meeting facilities and a business center with two computers with Internet access (free of charge), copy service, faxes and mail courier services.
Wednesday evening social event
For the now-traditional Wednesday evening social event, we propose a dinner at the popular Bayside Marketplace --an outdoor area of shops, restaurants and entertainment in downtown Miami right on Biscayne Bay. The cost for this would be about US$ 25 per person (plus transportation to and from Bayside), although we will attempt to find one or more sponsors to cover the cost.
Sponsorship and Co-Sponsorship Possibilities
As mentioned above, Florida International University has offered to co-sponsor the HFCC/ASBU Conference along with the NASB. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (HFCC member) will also be a co-sponsor of the event, and the U.S. International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB) has agreed to be a participant in the Conference Committee as well. If the FCC and/or IBB wish to provide sponsorship funds, we will use these to help pay for coffee breaks, dinners, receptions, etc. We will also invite NASB's associate members to be co-sponsors. These associate members include shortwave transmitter and antenna manufacturers, VT Merlin Communications, HCJB, etc. NASB member station WEWN has agreed to provide the conference briefcases as well as audiovisual and computer equipment and assistance and general technical assistance. In addition, the University will assist us in obtaining possible co-sponsors from other sources.
Conference Personnel
Jeff White is the chairman of the NASB’s HFCC Conference Committee. Jeff has represented the NASB at the HFCC/ASBU conferences in Montreal, Bonn, Johannesburg and Dubai. He is assisted by his wife Thais, who attended the HFCC conferences in Montreal, Johannesburg and Dubai. She also works at WRMI and has many years of experience in the hotel and travel agency fields. Jeff is currently president of NASB. His term as President will end in May of 2004, but he is willing to continue to serve as the primary conference organizer should the HFCC/ASBU accept the NASB’s proposal.
We will have tremendous logistical and planning assistance from Florida International University personnel, headed by Mr. Carl Cira, Director of the Summit of the Americas Center, which is part of FIU’s Latin American and Caribbean Center (LACC). The LACC’s mission is to foster high-quality research, education and services dealing with Latin America and the Caribbean, and since its founding it has grown rapidly in both size and prestige. LACC’s programs build on the unique assets of FIU’s inter-American setting and the expertise of close to 200 faculty affiliates representing most departments on campus. As seen in the agenda below, the February 2005 HFCC Conference will have a special focus on Latin America and the Caribbean.
Educational and Promotional Aspects of the Conference
As the university will be co-sponsoring the HFCC/ASBU Conference, they would like for us to provide a limited number of “observer” opportunities in the main meeting room where students and other university personnel might observe the frequency coordination process at times during the meeting, without disturbing the work that is going on.
The university has also asked if we might be able to provide some speakers for seminars that would be attended by FIU students and the general public. We have included some tentative seminar topics in the agenda below. We hope that some of the regular HFCC/ASBU Conference attendees will be willing to participate in one of these sessions, to share a bit of their life experience with students who are studying international relations, electrical engineering, telecommunications, journalism, religion, political science, speech communication, etc. These seminars will be primarily for University students and staff, and are not intended for conference delegates (except those participating in the panels).
In the seminar room, we will also provide space for some exhibits about shortwave radio. In that regard, we will encourage all stations that attend the conference to bring along copies of program schedules and other station information to be handed out to the seminar attendees. (Radio Cairo has already sent exhibit material!) Those who would like to bring along tabletop or other types of exhibits would be most welcome to do so.
Proposed Agenda
As the conference is normally in the first week of February, we have proposed the week of January 30-February 4, 2005. (* Denotes event open to limited number of university observers)
Sunday, Jan. 30, 2005
1200-1700 Registration and tour desk open at Miccosukee Resort hotel for delegate registration, travel arrangements, etc.
1500 Buses leave Miccosukee Resort for optional Everglades tour, visiting the Miccosukee Indian village, museum, alligator show and an airboat ride through the Everglades to see local flora and fauna. (Sponsorship opportunity)
1800-1900 Tropical welcome reception for delegates at Miccosukee Resort hotel, in the outdoor patio garden area. Featuring rum punch, champagne punch and fruit punch, plantain chips, coconut Caribbean chicken with mango puree, and lobster medallions. (Sponsorship opportunity}
1900-2100 Dinner at Empeeke Aaweeke buffet restaurant at Miccosukee Resort. Optional group event; each persons pays his/her own meal. (Sponsorship opportunity)
Monday, Jan. 31, 2005
0700-0900 Buses leave the Miccosukee Resort at regular intervals between 7-9 a.m. for the Florida International University (FIU) campus -- about a 15-minute bus ride. Breakfast is on your own, and may be eaten at the Miccosukee Resort beginning at 6:00 a.m. or at the FIU Graham Center beginning at 7:00 a.m. (Sponsorship opportunity)
0900-1800* Registration and tour desk open (except for lunch break) at FIU Graham Center. Shortwave radio exhibit open to FIU students and the general public in East Ballroom.
1000-1045* Official opening at Graham Center Main Ballroom - remarks by meeting hosts and HFCC/ASBU officials; opening plenary session
1045-1115 Coffee break, with American and Cuban-style espresso coffee, hot and iced tea, juices, Latin pastries, croissants and cookies. (Sponsorship opportunity)
1115-1230* Morning Coordination in Main Ballroom. Alternative program in East Ballroom:
“Introduction to International Shortwave Radio,” with representatives from some of the many stations taking part in the HFCC/ASBU Conference. Emphasis on the cross-cultural communication aspects of the medium. Program open to FIU students and general public.
1230-1330 Lunch in Fresh Food Company cafeteria at the FIU Graham Center. This is an all-you-can-eat buffet featuring Island Cuisine, a Mediterranean Kitchen, American Kitchen, Bistro, Fresh Produce Market, pizzas, Asian stir-fry, grilled sandwiches, fresh cooked pastas, traditional and vegetarian soups, a spectacular salad bar, desserts and more. Featured specials change every day. (Sponsorship opportunity)
1330-1500* Afternoon coordination in Main Ballroom. Alternative program in East Ballroom:
“International Radio and Politics during the Cold War” -- Stanley Leinwoll, former frequency coordinator for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty; George Jacobs, former frequency coordinator for the Voice of America; and Oldrich Cip, frequency coordinator for Radio Prague, relate stories of shortwave radio during the Cold War period, and of worldwide cooperation in present-day international broadcasting. Program open to FIU students and general public.
1500-1530 Coffee break (Sponsorship opportunity)
1530-1700* Afternoon coordination in Main Ballroom. Alternative program in East Ballroom:
“International Broadcasting in the United States,” with representatives from the U.S. International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB, representing the public sector) and the National Association of Shortwave Broadcasters (NASB, representing the private sector). Program open to FIU students and general public.
1700-1900 Presentations and seminars for HFCC Conference delegates (to be announced) in the Main Ballroom.
1700-1900* Alternative program in East Ballroom: “Shortwave Broadcasting to and from Latin America“ -- Panel discussion with representatives from the BBC Latin American Service, Radio Miami International, Christian Vision and HCJB. Including what we know about the shortwave audience from research and anecdotal evidence. Open to FIU students and the general public.
1900 Buses leave Graham Center for Miccosukee Resort
2000-2300 Dinner at Empeeke Cheke restaurant at Miccosukee Resort, featuring native specialties such as alligator, frog legs and Indian fry bread, and standard American and International cuisine. (Sponsorship opportunity)
Tuesday, February 1, 2005
0700-0900 Buses leave the Miccosukee Resort at regular intervals between 7-9 a.m. for the Florida International University (FIU) campus -- about a 15-minute bus ride. Breakfast is on your own, and may be eaten at the Miccosukee Resort beginning at 6:00 a.m. or at the FIU Graham Center beginning at 7:00 a.m. (Sponsorship opportunity)
0900-1800* Registration and tour desk open (except for lunch break) at FIU Graham Center.
Shortwave radio exhibit open to FIU students and the general public in East Ballroom.
0900-1030* Morning Coordination in Main Ballroom. Alternative program in East Ballroom:
“International radio regulatory procedures and spectrum allocation,” with representatives from the International Telecommunication Union in Geneva, the High Frequency Coordinating Committee/Arab States Broadcasting Union (HFCC/ASBU) Steering Board, and the U.S. Federal Communications Commission. Open to FIU students and the general public.
1030-1100 Coffee break with assorted Latin American pastries (Sponsorship opportunity)
1100-1230* Morning Coordination in Main Ballroom. Alternative program in East Ballroom: “Receivers and Antennas for Shortwave Listening.” Program open to FIU students and general public.
1230-1330 Lunch in Fresh Food Company cafeteria at the FIU Graham Center. (Sponsorship opportunity)
1330-1500* Afternoon coordination in Main Ballroom. Optional small group tours to the BBC Latin American studios in Coral Gables, Radio Miami International transmitter site, Christian Vision Latin American studios in Miami Lakes, the Radio Marti studios or to FIU radio station WRGP-FM, if these stations wish to receive visitors.
1500-1530 Coffee break (Sponsorship opportunity)
1530-1700* Afternoon coordination in Main Ballroom. Alternative program in East Ballroom: “Transmitters and Antennas Used for High-Power HF Broadcasting,” with representatives of shortwave stations and transmitter and manufacturing companies. Program open to FIU students and general public.
1700-1800 Presentation for HFCC/ASBU delegates (to be announced) in Main Ballroom.
1700-1800* Alternative program in East Ballroom: “DRM -- Digital Radio Mondiale.“ Seminar and demonstration about the new digital technology that is revolutionizing shortwave broadcasting. With representatives from the DRM Coalition and/or broadcasters now using DRM. Open to FIU students and the general public.
1800 Buses leave Graham Center for Miccosukee Resort
1930 Buses leave Miccosukee Resort for Dolphin Mall
1945-2100 Time for shopping at Dolphin Mall, with over 200 stores under one roof.
2100-2300 Dinner at Brazilian churrascaria (steak house) in Dolphin Mall, where waiters bring to the table all you can eat of freshly-grilled beef, chicken, pork, rice and beans, fried plantains, and an extensive salad bar. Served in the style of the gauchos (cowboys) of Brazil‘s southern state Rio Grande Do Sul. (Sponsorship opportunity)
2300 Buses leave Dolphin Mall for Miccosukee Resort
Wednesday, February 2, 2005
0700-0900 Buses leave the Miccosukee Resort at regular intervals between 7-9 a.m. for the Florida International University (FIU) campus -- about a 15-minute bus ride. Breakfast is on your own, and may be eaten at the Miccosukee Resort beginning at 6:00 a.m. or at the FIU Graham Center beginning at 7:00 a.m. (Sponsorship opportunity)
0900-1700* Registration and tour desk open (except for lunch break) at FIU Graham Center.
Shortwave radio exhibit open to FIU students and the general public in East Ballroom.
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