Attending: Tom, Gail, Lucy, Casey, Katie, Rusty, Rick, Katie, Suzi

Denver Meeting Specifics

Update on Registration:

15 people registered

Budget, Contracts and Costs:

Lucy and Casey have talked about budget, feeling like they have a good handle on costs.
For the hotel contract, Casey is working with the hotel provider to avoid penalties.

Transportation:

Shannon and Rusty have personal cars. Casey also has a rental car. On last call, Shannon mentioned SUV rental that could be secured, if our numbers were low. With three cars, that is probably enough to ferry folks to and from the Botanic Garden.

Besides car transport, hotel is ½ walk or shorter bike ride to the Botanic Garden.
Recommendation is taking the train to downtown, and then walking or hailing a taxi to hotel.

Catering

Our meeting will be held in a historic house that houses admin offices of Denver Botanic Garden ~ common meeting space and breakout spaces.
DBG has an exclusive caterer, that includes box lunch on Friday.
Action Item: If attendees have dietary restrictions, please get that to Casey ASAP. This request will go in the pre-conference packet that will be sent out by the afternoon of the 22nd.
If we’re over budget on catering, Casey and Denver Botanic Garden will work on cost-overruns, together.
Catering Note: End day with an hour tour of the botanic garden. Since we eat at noon, and then don’t eat dinner to 6 or 7pm, let’s have the pm break with snacks.

Update Agenda

Wednesday

Arrival day
5-6pm, complimentary wine tasting
6-7:30pm, group dinner ~ place still undecided. Action Item: Rusty and Shannon will work to get restaurant name for Thursday night and Friday night. We should get that information out to people, prior to their arrival.
later in the evening, gather in the bar area

Thursday

Transportation leaving at 7:30am
Arrive at Botanic Garden by 7:50am, continental breakfast
8:15am ~ start the agenda
Welcome ~ Tom, Casey (If available, Brian Vogt, CEO of Denver Botanic Garden)
Recognition and Appreciation ~ Casey
Thursday morning piece is work
- Presenting mission, vision, structure: Tom to present
- Work on objectives relative to goals
- Break
- Present and populate the draft organizational structure: Casey ~ goal is that by noon, we have work teams that make sense with this organizational structure. Question ~ could this session be broadcast via webcam? Action Item ~ Rusty will set up a Zoom session for 11am – noon, Mountain time. Zoom address will be included in the pre-conference packet.
- Question: how do we engage folks who might want to participate in NICH organizational structure . . . but are not in Denver?
  - Casey suggested we can have ‘ideal’ candidates in mind, to approach them to participate.
  - Lucy suggested that we reach out to those who have interest in NICH, but will not be in Denver. Lucy suggested sending out a note to the listserv letting them know about NICH leadership and participation opportunities.
  - Action Item: By early to mid, next week, Casey will send out pre-conference packet to all 131 folks on the listserv, and that will include a note letting them know about leadership opportunities. ‘Whether you can join us in Denver, or not, we are inviting you to be engaged in the leadership of this group. Here are ways you can get involved.
    - Pre-Conference Packet: Action Item: Ellen, Lucy, Rusty, Casey will work on Pre-conference packet note. Pre-conference packet should go out by the afternoon of the 22nd. Casey will ask Katie and Suzie to take a look at pre-conference packet before it goes out.
      - Zoom session URL
      - Note to send dietary restrictions to Casey
      - Invitation to become involved with NICH
      - General information about meeting logistics
      - Pre-conference survey (from Rusty, will edit survey to take names off)
Lunch (Catering by Design)
Industry Expert Panel ~ Suzie, Katie (and Shannon is working on getting two folks for the panel)
- Brief overview of NICH / introduction ~ and why do we need industry to be involved (Action Item: ask Ellen if she can present brief overview and/or make the ‘pitch’ to the industry panel). Also, Rusty will send panelists materials from NICH, prior to meeting.
- Use panel as a ‘focus group’ If we were going to approach an industry group . . . what would our steps be?
- With the panel, briefly present our NICH ‘pitch’, and then get feedback from panel on what was positive, and what needs work.
- What about the initiative is exciting? What are the sticking points?
- How to approach industry ~ what are the time constraints, perspective, interests that would encourage or discourage participation.
- Outcomes of the Panel ~ List of potential industry participants. Be able to articulate: What, exactly, do we want from industry? What are we asking them to give? What is it going to cost?
- Action Item: potential panel participants for to follow up on, by end of week ~ look for direct to consumer participant, such as big garden center, seed, company, greenhouse, Welby Gardens (Dan Geraise, Casey can make connection), Botanical Interest (Katie has contact information), Lake Valley, BVD, Tacoma, Davey Tree (Kevin Marks), Swingle Tree Service (Steve Geist). Rusty will contact Jessica, and will work to confirm industry panelists by Monday or next week.
After panel ~ Work teams will create action plans to accomplish objectives.
- Bookmark ~ encourage folks to exchange contact information. Include as part of next steps.
- Thursday Dinner on your own: Action Item: Rusty and Shannon will get name of restaurant.

Friday

Recap and report back from Thursday work
Friday also could be used as time to address important issues/items that emerge from Thursday work
Action Item: Rusty will get Casey pre-conference survey will be included in pre-conference packet.
Box lunch to go.

Question: With 15 participants, how many people per work team? Also, how do we work with folks who are very interested in being part of a work group, but aren’t present in Denver? Should we query the listserv before the meeting, to get their interest around different work groups?
Suggested Response: Let people choose their work team, based upon interest. Parcel folks to other work teams, so that we have enough work/structure on them to move forward after the meeting.