National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners 2016 Annual Meeting
Nov. 13–16, 2016
La Quinta Resort and Club
La Quinta, California

CHALLENGES Getting to scenic La Quinta will have many attendees crossing the country, so the planning team for the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) took measures to keep people from Eastern states on site through the last day of the conference. “To keep attendance stronger, we changed Wednesday’s start time from 9 to 8:30 a.m. and shortened our closing general session by 30 minutes,” said Michelle A. Malloy, CMP, CAE, NARUC’s director of meetings. “We now plan to end at 11 a.m., which will allow attendees to easily catch flights east while still being able to fully participate.”

INITIATIVES To combat persistent no-shows — and the food waste generated by their uneaten meals — NARUC is charging non-members who wish to attend this year’s Installation Luncheon. “The philosophy is that the fee will help with the guarantee,” Malloy said, “and the event will be filled with people who want to be there.”