Best Wishes!

The Board of Directors and staff of the Rural Independent Competitive Alliance wish you the happiest of holiays, and many successes in the year to come!

Record Attendance, and Looking Ahead

The RICA-RTG Fall Forum enjoyed not only record attendance, but informative, engaging and enlightening sessions. Total registrations reached over 220 attendees, and evaluations cited high satisfaction with the speakers, the hotel, and the agenda.

If you or your company would like to be involved in planning our next meeting, the Annual Meeting in Chicago on May 28-30, 2008, consider joining a committee. Committees will begin meeting next month, planning speakers and sessions for the Annual Meeting. If you have ideas for speakers, topics of interest to companies like yours, or agenda changes, we invite you to contact staff or the Board of Directors.

Thank you for attending the Fall Forum, and we look forward to seeing you at the Annual Meeting!

It's official!

The 2007 RICA-RTG Fall Forum is on pace to have the best turn out ever for a RICA event! If you haven't registered, there is still time. Visit the RICA website for registration information. See you at the Forum!

Hotel Options - Jacksonville Area

While the 2007 RICA-RTG Fall Forum is being held at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront, there are a number of other hotel options in the area. Below are some of the closest options, along with contact information:

Omni Hotel 904-335-6664; 4 blocks from the Hyatt at 245 Water St.

Crowne Plaza 904-398-8800; other side of St. John River at 1201 Riverplace Blvd.

Wyndham 904-396-5100; other side of St. John River at 1515 Prudential Dr.

Hampton Inn 904-396-7770; other side of St. John River at 1331 Prudential Dr.

Extended Stay 904-396-1777; other side of St. John River at 1413 Prudential Dr.

If you need any assistance with registration or reservations, please contact the RICA staff at info@ricalliance.org.

Countdown

Time is running out to make your group rate hotel room reservations for the RICA-RTG Fall Forum! Some rooms still remain in the block, and the discounted $120/night rate is still available to attendees through October 30th.

Registrations can be made up until the day of the meeting, but room reservations made after the cutoff will be subject to the hotel's standard nightly rate. If you have questions on rooms or registration, email RICA at info@ricalliance.org. See you in Jacksonville!

Hotel Cut-off Extended and Room Block Size Increased!

Due to heavy registration levels, the RICA-RTG room block size for the 2007 Fall Forum at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront in Jacksonville, Florida has been increased. If you had run into difficulty reserving a room in the block previously, you should now be able reserve without issue.

Also due to heavy early registration, the cut-off date for the preferred reservation rate of $120 has been extended until October 30th. If you encounter problems with either of these changes when reserving rooms at the hotel, please email meetings@ricalliance.org and Paula can assist you, or call the general RICA line at 866-472-1209.

Have YOU registered for the Fall Forum?

If you've been putting off your RICA-RTG Fall Forum Registration, you should know you only have 13 days left to meet the hotel room rate cut-off. High numbers of early registrants have already caused additional rooms to be added to the block. So again, if you'd like to attend what is shaping up to be a stellar conference, you have until October 23rd to guarantee the special room rate. To register now, click here.

Chronicles of the RICA BoardMasters - Video 4

You will need Adobe Flash Player to view this video. Please download here for free.

Chronicles of the BoardMasters - Video 3

Don't Touch that Dial!

The next chapter in the Chronicles of the RICA BoardMasters will be hitting the blog soon!

Check back frequently for the latest installments.

And don't forget to register for the 2007 RICA-RTG Fall Forum, November 14-16, 2007 in Jacksonville, Florida!

Thinkin' Jacksonville!

The next installment chronicling the epic journeys of three courageous BoardMasters as they begin "Mapping the Way to a Successful Future" at this year's RICA-RTG Fall Forum in Jacksonville, Florida.




To register for the Fall Forum, click here.

Fall Forum Registration Now Open!

The registration, agenda, event sponsorships, and hotel information for the 2007 Fall Forum have been posted to the RICA website. Click here to view the Fall Forum Information page.

The agenda includes descriptions for all sessions, so begin planning which company representatives you'll send now! Some speakers are still being confirmed, so check back occasionally to view changes.

Event sponsorships are also available for viewing and request. If you are a RICA member and your company would like to sponsor a portion of the RICA Forum, contact a member of the RICA staff to reserve your spot. Or if you are a member company and know of a vendor who is not a member, but who you think might be a good fit for a sponsorship opportunity, pass the information along.

With a great slate of speakers, panels, and roundtable, plus the extra session available due to the combination of RICA and RTG's meetings, this year's Fall Forum is shaping up to be a goldmine of useful information. Plot your course to Jacksonville, and register today!

PS - check back next week for the next video in our series! Some of our RICA Board Directors will be showcasing the "epic" journeys they'll be taking to reach Jacksonville!

Thinkin' Jacksonville...

In partnership with our friends at ViodiTV, the first in a series of epic adventures. Check back frequently for updates, as we begin "Mapping the Way to a Successful Future!"

Thinkin' Jacksonville!

Did you know...

Jacksonville averages 220 sunny days per year?

Thinkin' Jacksonville

RICA and RTG Collaborate!

RICA has joined forces with RTG (Rural Telecommunications Group) to collaboratively produce this year's Fall Forum! The event, "Mapping the Way to a Successful Future," will allow RICA and RTG members to have access to the same top-tier speakers, roundtables, and strategic information they would typically receive at each organization's individual events, but with the added value and benefit of shared registration.

RICA and RTG are currently collaborating on programming for the Forum, and the agenda and registration will open soon. Mark your calendars, book your plane tickets, and plan to attend!

RICA/RTG Fall Forum

Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront

Jacksonville, Florida

November 14-16

"Mapping the Way to a Successful Future"

Thinkin' Jacksonville - 2007 Fall Forum Preparations Underway!

Are YOU "Thinkin' Jacksonville?!"

As those of you who are active participants in the various RICA committees already know, preparations for the 2007 RICA Fall Forum are well underway. For those of you who aren't, you can be sure that all systems are "GO!" for the planning and development of this year's event.

And it's time to start getting excited about the Forum! Even though it's three months away, board members, committee chairs, staff, and of course, member company reps serving on committees are all working diligently on their individual tasks to ensure a high-quality meeting, complete with valuable sessions and take-home information for all RICA member companies and representatives.

The RICA blog and website will be continuously updated as information becomes available on confirmed speakers, topics, panels, and roundtables. Agendas and registration information should be hitting the website in the next week or two, and be sure to look for our RICA ads in upcoming issues of Rural Telecommunications and Roundtable!

And as always, we encourage member companies to invite new members to join us at the Fall Forum. There promises to be something for everyone, along with a few surprises along the way. Stay tuned, and keep "Thinkin' Jacksonville!"

RICA wants to know...

We're polling again! Check out our new poll on the right sidebar of the blog, and give us the status on the development and implementation of new technologies at YOUR company.

Polling begins immediately, and continues through Thursday, August 23, with the poll closing at 10PM.

Poll Results

Last week, RICA asked blog readers to weigh in on the competitive issues they found most relevant to their specific companies. The results are in:

46% of RICA blog readers saw CATV/IPTV as the most pressing issue for their companies
40% viewed wireless services as most pressing
6% voted Internet
6% voted competitive phone services

Stay tuned for the next RICABlog poll!

RICA Poll - LAST DAY TO VOTE!!

Today is the last day to vote in our RICA test poll, "What industry topic is most relavant for your company?" The poll is found on the blog's right sidebar. Cast your vote, and let us know what's important to you! The poll will close at 10PM on Friday, Aug 9th. Thanks to all participants who have already voted, and stay tuned for the next RICA Poll!

Thinkin' Jacksonville - November 14-16, 2007

Did you know...Jacksonville's average daytime temperature during mid-November is 77 degrees?

Start planning now to attend RICA's Fall Forum, November 14-16, 2007 in (beautiful, sunny, warm, not snowing) Jacksonville, Florida!

Welcome to the RICA Blog!

The blog is the latest tool to keep RICA members and guests apprised of happenings within the organization, including events, news, and other information. Feel free to post your thoughts and responses in the comments sections. Comments can be made anonymously, but we prefer they be signed, to help facilitate discussion. Check back often to view updates, or subscribe below to get news reader feeds! Also, don't miss our services poll below!