The year in perspective.

• Author: Hermann, Peter R.
• Position: ARMA Board of Directors has focused on ensuring fiscal health of the organization

The ARMA 2002 New Orleans conference is fast approaching and based on the current registration totals, we expect a turnout on par with the Cincinnati (1999), Houston (1998), and Chicago (1997) events. Given the state of the world economy, that's extremely encouraging. Even more encouraging is the all-time-high number of exhibitors expected this year. This Expo will surpass Las Vegas!

Each year's conference has its own unique set of circumstances. Las Vegas broke records, and Montreal--well, let's just say I will never forget the impassioned greeting of New York City Chapter President Lorraine Anderson on behalf of ARMA members closest to Ground Zero. The New Orleans Conference will likely hold some surprises of its own. All of them positive, energizing, and educational, we hope.

This last year has undoubtedly been one of the association's most challenging and promising years. Stepping up to those challenges has been possible because of various decisions, plans, and initiatives made by the ARMA Board of Directors over the past few years.

The board's primary focus has been on ensuring the fiscal health of the organization. Each year, the Financial Planning Committee (FPC) evaluates the allocation of resources based on board-approved strategic goals and objectives. This became especially critical following the September 11 attacks.

During the days immediately following the tragedy, headquarters (HQ) and the FPC worked feverishly to deal with the economic fallout. We were only three weeks out from conference, and the cancellations immediately began rolling in. When it was all said and done, ARMA had refunded an unprecedented $258,000 and lost about $100,000 in expected last-minute registrations that never materialized. Book sales were also down an estimated $10,000. And because most of the conference costs had already been incurred or were nonrefundable, those losses had to come primarily from the bottom line.

The FPC immediately charged HQ with developing and implementing a contingency budget that would mitigate some of the losses resulting from the Montreal conference as well as the impact of the recession as a whole. It was imperative that we proactively manage the bottom line without compromising ARMA's mission and valued services to members. Thus, the focus was on cutting nonessential expenditures, particularly those that did not support content-producing and delivering programs.

For example:

* Staff members were required to participate in...