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PACA REORGANIZATION
June 13, 2002
PACA has been forced to reorganize and dramatically cut costs in the face of severe
financial losses in 2001.
For several years PACA has relied on profits generated from the International
Conference to cover a significant portion of their annual operating expenses. The
conference normally takes place in New York City in late October or early November.
In 2001 the meeting occurred just six weeks after September 11th, and with all the
disruption the terrorists attack caused there was a 47% drop in attendance compared
to the previous year.
As a result revenue for the year was way off, but program and operating costs
continued to rise, leaving a significant deficit. In order to bring the budget back
into balance the PACA Executive and Financial Committees have moved to drastically
cut costs and have terminated Lonnie Schroeder's position as PACA's Executive
Director.
In a report to the membership Sonia Wasco, immediate past President, pointed out that
this was a very difficult decision, but said, "PACA is unable to afford to keep our
staff position. We simply could not incur any further debt. This has been a decision
made with a VERY heavy heart and one that we trust you will understand, even though
understanding may not be easy. Every one of us knows what Lonnie has done for this
organization. She has helped us to grow from a small trade association to one of the
most respected image organizations in the world. We will miss her cheery voice, her
hard work, but especially all the things she did to make this organization seem like
it ran flawlessly."
To ensure PACA's continued health through 2002, and beyond, members of the Executive
Committee have taken over various parts of Lonnie's responsibilities. All PACA phone
calls and emails are being forwarded to the offices of Xenofile. Don Resnick of 20/20
Software will be hosting the web site for free. Jeff Schultz of Alaska Stock will be
acting as treasurer and Cathy Aron of Photo Network will serve as Acting President
while Patrick Donehue recovers from his recent surgery.
2002 International Conference
Chris Ferrone will chair the Seventh International Conference which will be held this
year in South Beach, Miami, Florida. PACA is committed to continuing to sponsor this
event given its importance to PACA members who find it difficult to travel to the
CEPIC conference in Europe. The conference continues to be the best single event for
image sellers from around the world to meet with a large cross section of U.S. image
providers.
This will be the first time the event has been held outside New York City. There will
be increased emphasis on networking and socializing when compared with previous
conferences. The program committee also plans to bring in speakers from the
advertising community who will discuss creative trends and where the industry is
headed in the future. The Florida venue also offers an exciting new range of cultural
and recreational activities at a more affordable price than New York.
It is increasingly apparent that local representatives will still be needed to
provide customer service and marketing as the business transitions from analog to
digital. U.S. image producers will still need marketing representatives overseas and
image suppliers from other countries need representation in the U.S. market. This
conference provides industry leaders an opportunity to explore the new strategies and
techniques that will be necessary to effectively market images in the years ahead.