And now... for something completely different: Sunday at the ASAE Conference

The opening event at the ASAE conference 2007 was phenomenal, as I previously posted.  So I was pretty excited about how the conference would move along - hoping I would have some valuable information and enjoy my time here in Chicago. 

Sunday morning's event was fantastic!

ASAE hired a PCI Communications to organize a three act musical that would be presented on Sunday morning, Monday morning and Tuesday afternoon at the ASAE conference.  PCI was given the task of hiring the talent, choosing the songs and changing the lyrics, writing a script and tying it to the association industry and creating a fun musical to inform and entertain the people attending the conference (WOW, that's a long sentence!).  The end product (so far) has been excellent!

Sunday, the musical covered the inner struggles of "The American Generic Society". The music was awesome with songs like "There's No Profit in Non-Profit" (sung to "There's No Business Like Show Business") and "A Committee" (sung to West Side Story's "I Feel Pretty").  They were able to tie in conversations with some of ASAE's leadership acting in the show.  VERY entertaining and I think most  of the audience loved it and walked away with some useful information.

The keynote speakers after the musical were just as wonderful!  Ann Compton of ABC News interviewed Bob Woodruff and his wife Lee.  The interview was very warm and emotional. 

Bob Woodruff has been a journalist for over 20 years.  In January of 2006, he was reporting from Iraq and he was seriously injured by a road-side bomb.  The interview offered us a glimpse into the nightmare that he and his loved ones endured.  He was in a comma for over 30 days; his wife and his mother were constant pillars of strength for the rest of the family; ABC News and the Disney Corporation were amazing throughout and continue to be this way.

The story was heart-wrenching and inspiring.

Bob is still recovering from the injury to his brain... but he has come a long way from not being able to communicate to now being able to do his work as a journalist.  He is an engaging speaker and now is a strong advocate for medical recovery of all the soldiers in this war.

I noticed many people in the audience engulfed in tears, but also laughing with the wonderful stories told by Bob and his wife.

If you ever have the opportunity to watch or listen to Bob, I highly recommend it.