1

Winter 2015

Table of Contents

President’s Message ● 2016 SIUSA Election Results ● FVF Fund Update ● SIUSA Updates

Community Involvement ● SIUSA Club Awards ● SIUSA Resource Center ● Skål Event

Information ● Region I Round Up ● Region II Round Up ● Region III Round Up ● Region

IV Round Up ●

Region V Round Up ● SIUSA Shop ● Skålleague Focus

A Letter from the SIUSA President

Greetings Fellow Skålleagues,

As the 2015 year comes to a close, so does

my term as your SIUSA President.

There are so many successes that we as an

organization should be thankful for this

year.

First, I would like to congratulate SI Long

Island on being recognized at the recent SI

World Congress with the Silver Award for

increased membership. Many of you may

not remember that this club was on the verge

of being shut down by SI just two years ago

because of only having 11 members, but

with the tenacity and leadership of Ken

Walles and the SI Long Island board and

club members they have reached a total of

67 members in a very short time;

Congratulations on this BIG WIN!

Second, congratulations to SI Tucson and SI

Ft Lauderdale/ Palm Beaches on their third

place award for Skål International Club of

the Year! Both clubs have done a great job

over the past year with membership

recruitment as well as completing the

required documentation on time. A number

of clubs are making great strides with

increases in membership during this quarter;

they include SI Boise, Arkansas, Miami and

Las Vegas. Keep it up! Remember, each of

your clubs could be nominated for Skål

International Club of the Year in 2016.

Finally, it was the SIUSA Board’s goal to

have increased visibility nationally among

high level tourism leaders. This was

accomplished through partnerships with

USTA, Brand USA, ASTA, ABA, IMEX,

OMCA and Tourism Cares. For the first

time ever, SIUSA had a booth at IPW and

the ASTA World Congress thanks to

members of SI Washington. SIUSA was

recently represented in London, Ontario

Canada at Ontario Motorcoach Association

(OMCA) through our continued partnership

with SICAN. This was also a first time for

Skål to have a booth at OMCA. There are

many other organizations interested in

welcoming Skål to their events; it just takes

time and money to make it happen. I hope

the newly elected SIUSA officers will

continue with these efforts.

In closing, the past five years have flown by.

When I first was elected to the board as

2

Region IV Vice President in 2011, I had no

idea I would ultimately become your

President in 2015. I know not everyone

always agrees on topics or programs and for

that I am sorry, but it has always been my

goal to give the membership more benefits,

more opportunities to become involved, and

improved professional communication;

these have been accomplished.

It has been an honor and a privilege to serve

as your 2015 president and represent the

2,362 SIUSA members at club events as

well as trade shows and most recently the SI

World Congress in Spain.

Thank you for this opportunity, I wish each

of you a Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah

and prosperous New Year!

Happiness, Good Health, Friendship, Long

Life

All the best and Skål,

Martha M. McClintock

2015 SIUSA President

SIUSA Elections On the afternoon of December 1st, our

SIUSA Auditors and the SIUSA President

met with our Administrators to review and

certify the results of the 2016 SIUSA

Elections. We are pleased to affirm that the

election process netted clean results despite

several closely contested races and we

would like to thank all of the clubs for their

efforts and diligence as we got very close to

100% participation in the voting.

Congratulations to all of the candidates who

ran great campaigns and evidenced the great

interest and the depth of talent available in

the tourism industry and in Skål.

We would like to introduce your newly

elected and re-elected SIUSA Board

members for 2016:

President John Mavros

SI Orange Coast

Vice President Administration Holly Powers

SI Boston

Vice President Finance Alton Hagen

SI Kansas City

International Skål Councillor Cyndi Golden

SI Fort Worth

Vice President Region I Jim Dwyer

SI Northern New Jersey

Vice President Region III Dave Ryan

SI Sacramento

Vice President Region V Klaus Billep

SI Los Angeles

Auditor Anita Peck

SI Albany

We look forward to adding these new

members to our existing board and to the

leadership that they will provide for our

organization in the coming year.

3

Florimond Volckaert Fund

(FVF) Update

What is the Florimond Volckaert Fund?

The Florimond Volckaert fund (FVF) was

set up in 1954, in the name of the

acknowledged founder of Skål, to provide

assistance to Skålleagues and their

immediate families who are in serious need

of assistance, during times of desperation.

If a Skålleague is in need of help, an

application should be sent to either the

President of your Club or the SIUSA

International Councillor, who will convey

the application to the three FVF Trustees.

They will assess the request and quickly

come to a decision.

Policy Change:

All donations to the FVF must be received

by SIUSA within the calendar year for

which the donation is intended. Donations

received after the deadline will be

considered and recognized for the

succeeding year. We can no longer account

for pre-payments or accept payments after

the deadline based on when the funds are

required to be transferred to Skål

International.

The deadline for 2015 FVF contributions

was December 1, 2015.

Donations from the clubs help make the

FVF viable and able to fulfill its special

purpose. We would like to recognize the

following for their contributions in 2015:

SI Arkansas

SI Atlantic City

SI Boise

SI Boston

SI Central Pennsylvania

SI Charlotte

SI Colorado

SI Fort Worth

SI Hawaii

SI Kansas City

SI Long Island

SI Louisville

SI Memphis

SI Northern New Jersey

SI New Orleans

SI Orlando

SI Raleigh-Durham

SI Reno-Tahoe

SI San Jose

SI Sacramento

SI Seattle

SI Tucson

SI Washington

Personal donation on behalf of Lana

Gordon

Contribution by SIUSA in memory of

John McCaul

4

SIUSA Updates

A Message from the VP of Finance

on SIUSA Membership Trends and

the Membership Development Fund

Dear Skålleagues,

Congratulations to the following SIUSA

Clubs for being recognized at the SI World

Congress for having an increase in

membership of at least 10 percent between

October 15, 2014 and October 15, 2015:

SI Long Island 82.35

SI Orange Coast 58.33

SI Kansas City 28.00

SI New Orleans 17.39

SI Santa Fe 17.39

SI Sacramento 17.07

SI Myrtle Beach 15.79

SI Nashville 15.79

SI Las Vegas 12.90

SI Fort Lauderdale & Palm Beaches 12.82

SI Tucson 12.00

SI Baltimore 11.11

SI Hampton Roads 11.11

SI Tampa Bay 10.91

SI Louisville 10.00

There are several clubs that are off to a great

start for next year, as SIUSA has received

over 35 new members since November 1,

2015. Please remember that this is a net

increase, so retention of your current

members is very important.

A listing of the total membership by clubs is

posted on the SIUSA website as of October

15, 2015, and will be updated again at the

end of December.

As your clubs hold membership drives,

please remember that financial assistance is

available from both Skål International and

SIUSA. The forms are posted on the SIUSA

website.

Several clubs have taken advantage of this

program but have filed very late. Going

forward, applications for financial assistance

must be approved well in advance

(minimum 3 weeks prior) of the event and

will be paid on presentation of the

performance report and the appropriate

invoices following the event. This rule must

be respected if grants are to be considered.

I will continue to have this posted quarterly

so you can easily keep track.

Yours in Skål,

Edward M. Davis

Vice President - Finance

SKÅL International USA

P.O. Box 1709

Atlantic City, N J 08404

Phone: 609-287-0311

Ez12ed@aol.com

Delete Members from the Roster

As a reminder, it is your club's responsibility

to remove those members who have

resigned from Skål, passed away, or have

not paid 2015 membership dues. Please

process these deletions prior to December

31, 2015. In the case of any members who

5

pass away, please also notify the SIUSA

offices at siusa@buses.org.

SIUSA will be sending out your initial 2016

dues invoice along with a copy of your

current Club membership roster the week of

December 28th via email. The more new

members who are processed during the

traditional dues free period during

November and December the better.

The Club's Treasurer must send on or before

January 31, a check, payable to SIUSA, for

the Club's membership dues to SIUSA

(including Skål International dues). The

check for dues is sent to the SIUSA

Administrator.

Your club will be charged for any member

who is on the Skål International Directory

on February 28, 2016. If a member has not

paid their 2016 dues by February 1st, it is

suggested to drop them. To reinstate a

member who paid late, send an e-mail to the

Skål International requesting to reinstate

them. There is no need to complete a new

application form. Your Regional Vice

President can assist you in showing you how

to delete members.

New SIUSA Member Benefit:

Credit Card Processing

Do you accept credit cards for your Club

meetings and events? Prepare to get an

additional kick back to jump start your

fundraising efforts through SIUSA’s new

partnership with CBoss/Redstone.

Don’t have a Club website to run event

registrations or accept credit card payments?

No problem, CBoss/Redstone will

customize an online landing page for you to

use to accept your payments free of charge.

Take advantage of the lowest merchant rates

on credit cards available! And use those

percentage points saved to help a good

cause, your local Skål Club.

Any questions? Contact Lydia Taylor. She

can be reached at (330) 726-0429 ext. 122 or

email at ltaylor@cbossinc.com, or reach out

to Matt Fleming at (281) 381-8258 or email

at

MFleming@redstonepaymentsolutions.com

Community Involvement

Share your community involvement

experience!

Please provide the name, dates, and a brief

description of the

events/causes/scholarships/services that you

are involved in via email to

siusa@buses.org.

SI Italy President Toti Piscopo

Meets Pope on the Eve of the

Jubilee of Mercy, Offers Gift

On the eve of the Jubilee dedicated to the

Mercy and the Day for Disability, SI Italy

President Toti Piscopo presented His

Holiness Pope Francesco with a voucher

valid for one week of accommodation in the

cities of the Italian Skål Clubs for 10

families on behalf of the National Council

and all members.

6

This small but symbolic gesture aims to help

restore hope and reawaken the moral values

and the common feeling upon which to

rebuild a better, fairer global society, and a

bulwark against the various forms of

malfeasance, terrorism and fanaticism, while

respecting ethnic, religious and cultural

identities.

SIUSA Partners with Tourism

Cares to Sponsor & Arrange Clean

Up Teams at Events

SIUSA has entered into a partnership with

Tourism Cares for 2015-2016. Tourism

Cares is an excellent way to give back to an

industry that has so enriched each of us. It is

also an excellent opportunity to increase the

visibility and footprint of SIUSA around the

United States as these events usually draw

significant media coverage.

The new partnership kicked off November

1-2, 2015 at Williams, AZ, and a recap can

be found in the Community Involvement

section. This event was part of the Tourism

Cares National Park Service Volunteer

Program series. This program will continue

in 2016 at the following sites:

Chattahoochee National Recreation

Area / Atlanta, GA February 5, 2016

Mississippi River National

Recreation Area / Minneapolis, MN

May 20, 2016

Mount Rainier National Park / WA

September 16, 2016

Ellis Island / Statue of Liberty

November 2016

SIUSA has committed to participating at the

Chattahoochee and Ellis Island events.

Depending on the level of sponsorship

interest, SIUSA may consider doing all four

events.

The SIUSA Board is asking that each of the

52 SIUSA Clubs donate a minimum of $100

(or more) towards the Tourism Cares

initiative. With a high level of participation,

we will have enough to participate in all 5 of

these events. SIUSA will receive a reduced

rate for sponsorship by committing to three

(3) events; a membership to Tourism Cares

which also offers also our representatives to

receive reduced rates to participate at their

events.

To learn more about Tourism Cares, visit

their website at www.tourismcares.org.

If you would like to register, or have

questions regarding how SIUSA and your

club can be more involved, please contact

SIUSA’s liaison with Tourism Cares, Dave

Ryan at dryan@classicvacations.com or

916.752.0187.

Your donation will be recognized on the

SIUSA website, in the newsletter and at the

NCM, NAASC Congress.

SIUSA Volunteers with Tourism

Cares at Williams, AZ

SIUSA Region III VP Dave Ryan and Region V VP

Tom Moulton

7

On November 1-2, 2015, SIUSA took part

in the Tourism Cares National Park Service

Volunteer program series in Williams, AZ.

Nearly 125 travel and tourism industry

volunteers from 26 states and more than 55

companies rolled up their sleeves in

Williams and at the Grand Canyon National

Park to accomplish a huge amount of work –

saving thousands of dollars in labor and

months of time for the City of Williams, US

Forest Service and National Park Service.

Highlights from our two days of

volunteering include:

Three major painting projects completed

at the Visitors Center, City Hall and

Rodeo Grounds - covering nearly

14,000 sq. ft. and using more than 65

gallons of paint!

3 miles of trails cleared and nearly 250

invasive trees removed

More than a dozen large trail marker

signs repainted - helping visitors

navigate their way through Kaibab

Forest trails

450 lbs. of micro-trash eliminated from

Grand Canyon National Park - that's an

average of 6lbs per participant - and

who knows how many California

Condors saved as a result

At the end of the two days, nearly $50,000

was donated to project communities in

Northern AZ. Check out the SIUSA

Facebook page to see more pictures of the

event!

Tourism Cares has been very active in 2015.

Major accomplishments include:

500 volunteers donating $92,000 in

labor to destinations in need

$70,000 provided for talent development

$100,000 raised for tourism recovery

and renewal in Nepal, #GoodTravels

research, and so much more.

8

SIUSA is very excited to partner with

Tourism Cares again in February 2016!

Please see the Upcoming Skål Event

Information section for more information.

Tourism Cares Donations

SIUSA would like to recognize the

following clubs for donating a total of $900

to Tourism Cares in 2015:

SI Albany

SI Arkansas

Mr. Forest Cramer on behalf of SI

Connecticut

SI Fort Worth

SI Northeast PA

SI Sacramento

SI San Jose

SI Tampa Bay

SI Washington

Vanuatu Donations

SIUSA would like to recognize the

following clubs for donating a total of

$1,336 to support the Pacific Island of

Vanuatu and SI Port Villa in the rebuilding

efforts in the aftermath of category 5+

tropical cyclone Pam:

SI Atlanta

SI Fort Lauderdale & Palm Beaches

SI Fort Worth

SI Hawaii

SI Northern New Jersey

SI San Jose

SI Tampa Bay

SI Tucson

Nepal Donations

SIUSA would like to recognize the

following clubs for donating a total of

$1,370 to support Nepal and SI Kathmandu,

and the rebuilding efforts in the aftermath of

the earthquake:

SI Colorado

SI Fort Lauderdale & Palm Beaches

SI New Orleans

SI San Francisco

SI San Jose

SIUSA Club Awards

Skål International Club of the Year

Awards Given Out at SI World

Congress

Congratulations to SI Fort Lauderdale &

Palm Beaches and SI Tucson for winning

third place in Skål International’s Club of

the Year competition!

Former SIUSA President Carlos Banks accepts the

award on behalf of SI Ft. Lauderdale & Palm

Beaches, and current SIUSA President Martha

McClintock accepts on behalf of SI Tucson. Also

pictured are David Fisher, SI Vice President, and

Lou Conkling, SI Senior Director.

9

SI Long Island Receives Silver

Membership Award at SI World

Congress

Congratulations to Skål International Long

Island for receiving the Silver Membership

Award for the third-largest membership

increase in 2015 worldwide at the 76th

Annual Skål International World Congress

held recently in Torremolinos, Spain. This is

their second award in this category, having

received the Gold Award last year.

The date parameters used to determine these

awards are as close to the Congress as

possible, and this year were approximately

October 15, 2014 to October 15, 2015.

These dates will probably remain the same

for next year, as the Congress will start on

October 29, 2016 in Monaco.

SIUSA Club of the Year Award to

be Issued in 2016

The SIUSA Board has elected to bring back

the tradition of recognizing at least one

SIUSA Club annually as the SIUSA Club of

the Year, starting in 2016. The purpose of

the award is to honor the SIUSA Club which

best exemplifies the spirit of Skål and has

achieved the objectives of the Skål

Movement, during the Calendar year. This

award will be presented at the 2016

NAASC, recognizing the performance of a

club in 2015.

QUALIFYING REQUIREMENTS:

• Payment of Club membership fees to

SIUSA and Skål International before

February 28 deadline.

• Form 2 (update of Club’s Officers)

submission to SIUSA and Skål International

before April 15 deadline.

• Paying all invoices in a timely manner

EVALUATION CRITERIA:

1. B2B – Doing business with

members: Documentation of

business transactions within the

club’s members and also with Skål

members worldwide;

2. B2B in the Community – Hosting or

participating in local B2B event(s)

that are educational or supportive of

the travel / hospitality community;

3. Holding Charity or Educational

Support/Event (s) – Establishment

and support of new or ongoing

educational or charitable efforts for

the good of tourism or the

community as a whole;

4. Young Skål – Success promoting the

initiative of Skål International in

growing the Young Skål effort, in

either the student or young

professional categories.

The winning club will receive a single

registration to the NAASC Congress (in the

year awarded) or $1,000 to be used for a

club event.

Clubs that wish to be considered for this

award must submit information

supporting the criteria above to the

10

SIUSA Administrators and SIUSA VP of

Administration Toni Koster at

SIUSA@buses.org and

tkoster@atlantiscasino.com by January 1st.

Examples of supporting materials for the last

three criteria include flyers, agendas, photos,

and recaps of

community/charity/educational/Young Skål

support events/initiatives organized and

attended. Early submissions are appreciated.

SIUSA Young Skålleague of the

Year Award to be Issued in 2016

Beginning in 2016, SIUSA will issue a

SIUSA Young Skålleague of the Year

Award. The purpose of this award is to

honor a Young Skål Member that best

exemplifies the spirit and values of Skål

International.

JUDGES: There will be three Judges, to

include a current Executive Committee

Member whose portfolio includes Young

Skål; a Past Skål International President not

from the US; and the ISC Vice President in

charge of Committee A which is the

Committee in ISC that contains the Young

Skål portfolio.

TIMETABLE: Applications should be

received prior to the March 1

deadline. All applications submitted will

include information collected from the

previous calendar year. This date allows for

the judges to have at least 30 days prior to

the NAASC Congress to determine the

winner.

AWARD PRESENTATION: The award

will be presented at the next NAASC

Congress during the SIUSA AGM. The

award will include a monetary check to the

Young Skålleague of the Year to help

offset travel expenses to the NCM in late

summer of the same year to attend the

Annual North American Young Skål

Symposium. Currently, this line item in the

2016 Budget is $700.

CRITERIA:

1. Young Skålleague (YS) has attended

4 local Skål Club meetings in the

past year or at least 40% of meetings

held.

2. YS must have attended at least one

North American or International

Young Skål Symposium in the past

2/3 years

3. YS must bring at least 2 new YS

members into their local Club;

4. YS must “quantify” in an email

essay/bio at least the following:

a. Community involvement and

volunteer experience

including affiliation with

other associations, etc.

b. Volunteer involvement in the

community

c. Work or internship

experience in hospitality

industry

d. Where do you want to be in

5/10 years?

e. How has SIUSA had an

impact on their achieving any

of the above?

1. ** This essay/bio should also

emphasize what support they expect

from SIUSA in their journey up the

hospitality ladder.

5. YS should submit any additional

support information including, but

not limited to:

a. Letter of recommendation

from immediate boss if

currently in the hospitality

workforce

11

b. Letter from College Professor

or mentor if still in college

c. Any other information that

will give an appropriate

overview of their qualities

that should present them as a

candidate of YS of the Year.

All applicants are required to have a photo

and current resume submitted along with

the contact information.

Please send your submissions to

SIUSA@buses.org.

Featured Club of the Quarter:

SI Long Island

Since its inception in 1983, SI Long Island

has had many challenges over the years.

Despite being in close proximity to

Manhattan and within arm’s reach of SI

New York, members located on Long Island

found a productive avenue to develop

business opportunities in their own

backyard.

Over the years, SI Long Island has gone

through a variety of transitions during the

roller coaster of economic variances, the

Gulf War, 9/11, and a new age of

technology. Our re-birth began

approximately 3 years ago with a challenge

for the dwindling membership to be

creative, search out opportunities for change

and be open-minded, whereby, nothing is

impossible. Our industry has changed

dramatically since the club’s inception.

We’ve turned around our membership

approach, acquired new members that have

decision making authority, and scheduled

our venues at convenient times and locations

for all to ensure maximum attendance.

Membership has increased from 10

members a few short years ago to a current

average of 80, half of which are Young Skål

members.

One of our most recent meetings took place

at Spirit Promise Ranch located in

Riverhead, Long Island. This is a facility

that takes in horses in need of rescue,

kindness and affection that they deserve at

their time of retirement. The meeting was

successful with all funds raised going to the

Spirit Promise Ranch. It was a great

experience for all in attendance. Our club

plans on additional sponsorships going

forward in 2016.

Primary Focus for 2016: For the year

ahead, our primary focus is to continue to

build an effective membership and to

compliment, not compete, with the various

organizations that may share the same goals

within our industry. With the rapid growth

we have experienced, we must maintain a

well-organized structure for communication

and cooperation throughout the membership.

Currently, we have two colleges involved

with Young Skål, with two more on the

horizon. It was realized years ago that many

college graduates leave Long Island due to

the lack of opportunity along and the high

cost of living. Similar problems are apparent

throughout the country. Part of our goal is to

be a voice to reckon with when it comes to

the aspirations of our Political Appointees

that need to address housing and career

development for our Youth.

Chosen Goal: Our goals were obvious,

either we re-develop our objectives to grow

and develop, or we dissolve SI Long Island.

12

Fortunately we chose the former, since the

value has been redefined. As a result, new

life, new ideas, and more importantly, new

members have been brought to the

organization. We can expect the momentum

to continue for the New Year ahead.

Club’s Success: As our club has achieved

the Skål Gold Award in 2014 and Silver

Award in 2015, our clubs success can be

attributed to a renewed commitment with the

energy to boot. We’ve returned to a good

mix of hospitality and travel members to add

value to our membership. Overall teamwork

among the Board and its members has

displayed an attitude for success.

Challenges: Primary challenges have been

coordination to maximize attendance.

Convenient locations along with day of the

week compatible with members work and

travel schedules. Changing old habits had

taken some time, but eventually overcome

with time. As they say, “if you always do

what you always did, you’ll always get what

you always got”. If we didn’t change, we

wouldn’t have a Long Island Club.

Differences: Our club makes every attempt

to make meetings interesting throughout the

year. We mix up the venues with a variety

of events planned in an effort to attract

varying interests. If it clicks well, we

develop solid membership.

Other Club Advice: Listed above we have

summarized what we have done to turn

around to a positive direction. I would

suggest a review of what you’ve been doing

and take members advice into consideration,

don’t alienate anyone. Mix things up to

create new interest. Bring in various

industry speakers that add value to the

meetings along with possibly securing

additional membership as a result.

Keys for New Members: Skål!! Friends

doing Business with Friends… That says it

all to acquire members that you would never

have thought may yield good results. Take

stock in your friends along with industry

associates that you communicate with.

Community Involvement: Exposure and

involvement with complimenting

organizations, i.e.: Visitor and Convention

Bureaus, Chambers of Commerce, Travel

Organizations etc… Reciprocal

memberships add to value, involvement and

knowledge. Reach out to the local colleges

and get involve with their hospitality

programs that will only enhance their

curriculum and education, not to mention

the opportunity for interns hence, potential

long term employment.

SIUSA Resource Center

In Case You Missed It: SIUSA

Webinar: How to Develop Young

Skål Within Your Club November 17, 2015

Presented by Jennifer Ackerson, Nicholle

Fearon, Alexandra Pick, and Cynthia Pisco

from SI Long Island; Burcin Turkkan from

SI Atlanta; and Adrius Valiulis from SI

Toronto.

View the Recording!

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recordi

ng/7887715368898646530

Finding ways to engage the younger

generation is a challenge that nearly all

organizations face. As you learned in a

previous SIUSA webinar, millennials have

different wants, needs, and desires, and

organizations must adapt and be responsive

in order to remain relevant in the future.

13

Skål International has taken a terrific first

step with the formation of Young Skål, but

Skål clubs can certainly take it upon

themselves to create initiatives that will

further incorporate millennials into the

membership. Several clubs in the US and

Canada have set an excellent example with

their efforts to get younger people engaged.

SIUSA invited representatives from several

clubs to participate in this webinar and share

the keys to their success. Click the link

above to view the recording and find out the

keys to recruiting and empowering Young

Skål members!

In Case You Missed It: SIUSA

Webinar: Selling to Millennials

June 30, 2015

Presented by Charlie Funk, SI Nashville

View the Recording!

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register

/8697712387380414978

As we continue to bring in the next

generation of young professionals into the

working ranks as well as the bulk of our

customer base, we need to understand their

motivation - needs and wants. This

emerging group is very unique in their

interests, communication methods and

reference points. In order to better

incorporate them into Skål as well as

leverage their increasing buying power, we

must first try to understand and relate to

their lifestyles and career concepts as well as

how to reach them and get them to engage.

In Case You Missed It: Skål

International USA Webinar -

Public Relations 101

April 16, 2015

Presented by Ronald Flores, SI Puerto Rico

View the Recording!

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register

/5905604861859770882

This Skål International United States of

America (SIUSA) webinar is intended to

help equip you with the tools to help you get

your message out better. Public relations can

be an essential function that SIUSA clubs

can harness to help you get new members.

Don't miss out on hearing new ways to

connect to your members, the media,

prospective members and other clubs!

Upcoming Skål Meeting and

Event Information SIUSA Winter Board Meeting to

Take Place on January 8th in

Louisville During 2016 ABA

Marketplace, Will Assist with Skål

Member Development

The American Bus Association’s

Marketplace will be coming to downtown

Louisville on January 8-12, 2016 at the

Kentucky International Convention Center.

ABA Marketplace is an annual event that

brings together more than 3,500 members of

the motorcoach, hospitality, travel, and

group tourism industry to kick off a new

year of business opportunity and growth. An

active, vibrant forum of buyers and sellers

where business gets done, Marketplace

offers a year’s worth of sales meetings in

just one week through more than 140,000

pre-scheduled appointments and delegates

returned to their offices with an average of

$78,440 in booked business. What a return

on investment!

With legendary networking and social

events, attendees often turn conversations

from the conference floor into long-term

14

business relationships. This event

epitomizes the maxim “doing business

among friends.” The SIUSA Board will

meet on January 8th at the Brown Hotel in

Louisville for its winter meeting and once

again, SIUSA will have a visible presence

on the Marketplace networking floor in the

thick of the delegates.

The SIUSA booth at Marketplace is a

gathering place where all Skålleagues can

feel welcome to stop by and will also serve

as a rallying point for the recruiting efforts

of new Skål members. At last year’s event

more than 90 prospects expressed an interest

in Skål. This year is a special one, as it is the

Louisville club’s 50th anniversary.

We encourage you to register for and attend

the ABA Marketplace. Come out and

support your Club and build your business!

http://www.buses.org/events/event/marketpl

ace-2016/registration.

If you would like to support SIUSA by

volunteering at the booth during

Marketplace, please contact Toni Koster at

tkoster@atlantiscasino.com by December

22nd.

NAASC Returns to the United

States in 2016, Will Take Place on

June 9-12 in Boise, Idaho The North American Alliance of Skål Clubs

(NAASC) is a regionalized meeting of the

largest organization of professional tourism

leaders (16,200 members) around the world,

promoting global tourism and friendship. It

is the only international group uniting all

branches of the travel and tourism industry.

Its members, the industry's managers and

executives, meet at local, national, regional

and international levels to discuss and

pursue topics of common interest.

The meeting will rotate for 2016 to the

United States, and the 55th NAASC

Congress will be hosted by Skål

International Boise, June 9-12 at the

picturesque Riverside Hotel. Click here for

more information and to register.

For 2017, the 56th annual NAASC meeting

will be hosted by Skål International Canada.

2016 SIUSA National Committee

Meeting Site Selected

SI Arkansas has been selected as the host for

the 2016 SIUSA National Committee

Meeting (NCM). The meeting will take

place September 8-11, 2016 at the

Wyndham Riverfront in North Little Rock,

AR. Registration will open in January 2016.

Click here for more information.

2017 SIUSA National Committee

Meeting and Winter Board Meeting

RFPs Are Now Out for Bid

SIUSA is now accepting proposals for the

National Committee Meetings and Winter

Board Meeting in 2017. The SIUSA Board

has determined that the NCM should not be

held earlier than eight (8) weeks prior and

no later than four (4) weeks before the SI

World Congress each year and will also

include the North America Young Skål

Symposium.

SIUSA aims to rotate the meetings among

the regions to showcase different clubs, help

with membership recruitment, and even out

the travel burden for attendees.

If your club is interested in hosting the NCM

or Winter Board Meeting in 2017, please

email your proposal to Toni Koster, VP

Administration at

tkoster@atlantiscasino.com. The SIUSA

15

Board will select the winning bids for 2017

at the board meeting in Boise. The board

will select location of board meeting, and

the membership will select the site for the

NCM during the AGM.

Please plan to budget as a Club for this

meeting as SIUSA is required to hold this

meeting and we would love to see more

clubs represented and members in

attendance. Moving forward, the SIUSA

Board has decided that it would be

appropriate for the SIUSA membership to

consider the proposals for future NCMs and

vote on future locations during these

meetings.

SIUSA Partners with Tourism

Cares to Clean Up the

Chattahoochee River

Join SIUSA just outside Atlanta, GA on

Friday, February 5. Volunteers will spend a

day on the Chattahoochee River - helping

National Park Service staff to clean and

protect the river and its surrounding network

of trails and outdoor space. This recreation

area makes up for 2/3 of all green space in

the Atlanta area - so preservation is vital!

Volunteers will clean debris and litter from

the river on land and by boat, pull invasive

common ivy and plant native species, as

well as help to maintain the trails used by

millions of visitors each year.

The cost to SIUSA members is $130, a

savings of $10 per person with our

membership. Space is very limited, so

register early by contacting Region III RVP

and Community Involvement liaison for

SIUSA Dave Ryan at

dryan@classicvacations.com

Past Skål Meetings & Events

2015 Skål International World

Congress

SIUSA Delegates during the Opening Ceremony

The 2015 Skål International World Congress

took place in Torremolinos, Spain from

October 28 through November 1, and a total

of 295 were in attendance. SIUSA had 29

delegates representing clubs from all five

regions in the United States.

During the General Assembly, the 2016

Executive Committee was elected.

Congratulations to:

President: Nigel Pilkington, New

Zealand

Senior Vice President David Fisher,

Kenya

Junior Vice President Susanna Saari,

Finland

Senior Director Rafael Millan Perez,

Mexico

Director Lavonne Wittmann, South

Africa

Director Jason Samuel, India

Other business during the General Assembly

included a discussion on the proposed statue

16

changes by the European Group; all were

voted down. The Executive Committee term

of office has been extended from 5 years to

a maximum of 6 years; the Directors

position has been extended to maximum of

three years.

Hyderabad, India was selected for the 2017

SI World Congress location; Monaco was

reconfirmed as the host location for the 2016

SI World Congress.

Congratulations to the following SIUSA

delegates who were recognized during the

Gala:

Lou Conkling – Member D’honneur

Martha McClintock – Certificate of

Appreciation

Burcin Turkkan – Certificate of

Appreciation

John Ruzich – Certificate of

Appreciation

Steve Richer – Certificate of

Appreciation

Nahid Olfati, SI San Francisco; Past SI President

Pepe, SI Ibiza (Spain); SIUSA President Martha

McClintock

Esperanza, SIUSA President Martha McClintock,

Past SI President Chuck Lawson

Singing Happy Birthday to President Salih Cene

during the Gala

17

SIUSA Exhibits at IMEX America

Got a Special Skål Occasion

Coming Up?

Installation Ceremony

Formal Dinner

Retirement Ceremony

Monthly Skål Meeting

Industry Event

Need a Commemorative

Note to Send

We’ve Got Your Bling!

Email us with your order: siusa@buses.org

18

SIUSA Regional Round-Up

To find out more about upcoming Club events or to contact a Club while you are traveling

to their neck of the woods, check out our SIUSA “Club Locator” webpage,

http://siusa.org/club-locator/.

Quarterly reports from each of the Regional Vice Presidents are posted here on the SIUSA

website.

News & Highlights from

Region I

A new Facebook page has been created to

highlight upcoming meetings in the region

and share additional pictures from meetings

and events!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/546803

928745080/

Region I Holiday Events

December 15th: SI Philadelphia will be

at the Hilton Garden Inn, 1100 Arch

Street, at 5:30 pm, $45. Contact Frank

Klare, frank.klare@verizon.net.

December 17th: SI New York will hold

its event at the St. Regis Hotel, Two

East 55th Street at Fifth Ave, $125 per

person. Confirm by December 11 at

www.nyskal.com/events.

December 19th: SI Washington will hold

its annual holiday dinner at Ritz Carlton

Tysons, starting at 6:30 pm. Skålleagues

and one guest are $95 each, additional

guests are $105. Make reservations at

www.skaldc.org.

SI Atlantic City Membership Drive

SI Atlantic City was pleased to hold a new

member recruitment cocktail reception on

November 19, 2015. In spite of terrible

weather conditions and a number of no-

19

shows due to weather, SI Atlantic City was

able to host a great event.

After viewing a short video explaining the

many benefits of becoming a Skål member,

SI Atlantic City was pleased to present Mr.

Brian Moore with a scholarship check. As is

our tradition, each year SI Atlantic City

offers scholarship checks to college students

pursuing degrees in hospitality and tourism.

During the cocktail reception, guests were

provided a Skål pamphlet and membership

application along with many laughs and

stories of previous Skål events enjoyed by

the club.

SI Atlantic City was fortunate to get 4 new

members as a result of their efforts.

Additionally, several of the invited guests

that could not attend due to inclement

weather requested invitations to future

meetings to experience the club.

News & Highlights from

Region II

SI Chicago October 19th Meeting –

Tocco

Tom Panici, Lynda Lydon, Raphael Oliver

Sean Peterson, Sharon Symons, and Michael Embrey

20

Michael Embrey at the business session

SI Columbus Membership Drive

On Wednesday, November 18th, Skål

International Columbus held a Membership

Drive meeting at the Crowne Plaza Hotel -

Downtown Columbus. They combined the

Membership Drive with a wine tasting.

Prospective members were encouraged to

attend to learn more about Skål while tasting

some great wines and enjoying some

fantastic food. SIUSA President Martha

McClintock attended the event and helped

recruit some new members. SI Columbus

was very encouraged by the positive

response they received from their current

and prospective members, and will try to

make this an annual event.

SIUSA President Martha McClintock with Dirk

Bengel, GM of the Crown Plaza Columbus and

meeting host

SIUSA President Martha McClintock with SI

Columbus President Scott Wise and SI Columbus

member Cliff Lanthorn

21

Upcoming Issues of

SIUSA Journeys

March 2016

Materials due March 4th

Are You

Following

SIUSA Online?

Join the

Conversation!

Share Your

Club

Stories!

Promote

Your

Meetings!

www.siusa.org

News & Highlights from

Region III

A new Facebook page has been created to

highlight upcoming meetings in the region

and share additional pictures from meetings

and events!

https://www.facebook.com/skalinternationalu

saregion3

News & Highlights from

Region IV

A new Facebook page has been created to

highlight upcoming meetings in the region

and share additional pictures from meetings

and events!

https://www.facebook.com/skalusaregioniv

Region IV Holiday Events

December 14: SI Tampa Bay will hold

their Holiday Party and Fundraiser /

Silent Auction At TPepins Hospitality

Centre

December 15th: SI Raleigh-Durham will

hold their Holiday Dinner at the Hilton

Garden Inn Southpoint, Durham

December 15th: SI Charlotte will meet

for a luncheon at Maggiano’s

December 16th: SI Ft. Lauderdale-Palm

Beaches will hold their Holiday Dinner

Party and Auction at Benvenuto

Caterestaurant

December 17th: SI Atlanta will hold

their Christmas Luncheon at

Maggiano’s Cumberland

December 17th: SI Jacksonville hold

their Holiday Dinner at Flagler College

in the Solarium

22

December 18th: SI Miami will hold their

Christmas Gala Dinner & Auction at

Riviera Club, Coral Gables

SI Charlotte Fundraising Auction

Skål International Charlotte hosted their first

Fundraising Auction this past September

with great success! They were also very

pleased to make donations to two local

charities, Second Harvest Food Bank of

Metrolina and Holy Angels Foundation, in

addition to setting up Travel & Tourism

Scholarships with Johnson & Wales

University in Charlotte and Appalachian

State University in Boone.

Skål International Charlotte – Raffaele Beltram (past

President), Bob Taylor Jenner Wall (Vice President),

Sam Crane, Ken Cohen (President), John Lasater

(Treasurer), Martha McClintock (SIUSA President),

and Alan Baker.

Kay Carter, Executive Director of

Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina

accepting donation from Skål International

Charlotte Vice President and Auction Chair,

Jenner Wall.

News & Highlights from

Region V

Region V Holiday Events:

December 16th: SI Los Angeles Holiday

Luncheon at Lawry’s – 100 N. La

Cinega Blvd., Beverly Hills

Bill Sweet Celebrates 52 Years as a

Member of SI Colorado

Skål International Colorado is proud to

announce that beloved member William C.

Sweet has officially surpassed 50 years of

membership in Skål International!

Bill Sweet joined SI Denver in 1963 while

serving as Executive Assistant Manager of

the historic Brown Palace Hotel; by April

1964 Bill was already active as the

Chairman of the Entertainment Committee

and as the saying goes…the rest is history!

What came to pass over the ensuing 50+

years was an unbroken commitment not only

to the local club, but also to what today is

known as SIUSA and the greater Skål

movement worldwide.

Bill served as SI Denver President in 1971

then was elected to the position of Regional

VP. He became President of the North

23

American Association of Skål Clubs in

1984-85 leading an organization of more

than 100 clubs across Canada, Mexico, the

USA and Affiliated Clubs of the Caribbean.

From 1985 to 2001, Mr. Sweet was the

Executive Secretary for both SIUSA and

NAASC. After being awarded the “Order of

Skål Merit” in 1994 and later named

Honorary President for both SIUSA and

NAASC he was recognized within Skål with

“Membre D’ Honneur” in 2003.

SI Colorado celebrated Bill’s 52 years of

service at the annual Christmas Dinner on

Thursday, December 3, 2015 at the Brown

Palace Hotel & Spa.

SI Colorado Toy Drive

SI Colorado collected a large amount of toys

for Brent’s Place, Children's Hospital

Colorado approved Safe-Clean housing

facility for immune compromised patients

and their families. Thanks to all members

for the support.

SI Los Angeles/Orange Coast Joint

Meeting

A joint dinner meeting with the Orange

Coast Club was held on Wednesday,

October 14, at the Queen Mary in Long

Beach. It was a farewell to past President

Bernhard Clever who moved to St.

Augustine, FL. Orange Coast President Phil

Campanelli presented a special plaque to

Bernard. Some 50 members attended. The

Queen Mary served an outstanding dinner.

Dennis Smith, President, SI Los Angeles; Bernhard

Clever who was honored; Phil Campanelli,

President, SI Orange Coast; and Mok Singh, Past

President of Skål International

SIUSA Shop

Visit us online at http://siusa.org/siusa-

shop/ for all of your Skål jewelry and pin

needs.

Skål Member Ribbons. Stand out from the

crowd! Maximum 50 ribbons per order.

Submit your order online or via email to

siusa@buses.org.

24

Credit Cards are now being

accepted for jewelry orders

To place a jewelry order using a credit card,

fill out and submit the order form on the

SIUSA Shop web page

(www.siusa.org/siusa-shop). There will be a

link at the bottom of the order confirmation

page to pay by credit card rather than

receive an invoice. Please click this link and

fill out the form, selecting the “Other” box

and entering “SIUSA Store” into the text

box. You will only be charged once for your

order. If you choose to pay by credit card,

you will not receive an invoice.

SIUSA Shirts

SIUSA shirts with the official Skål logo are

available from Land’s End. To place an

order, visit the SIUSA Shop at

www.siusa.org/siusa-shop and click the

“Shirts” tab. On this page you will find a

link with step-by-step ordering instructions

as well as the link that will take you to the

Land’s End site to make a purchase. If you

have problems ordering, please contact Matt

Manousoff, SIUSA Administrator at 202-

218-7246 or SIUSA@buses.org.

Skålleague Focus

Peter Filthian Celebrates 50th

Anniversary with SI Hawaii

On August 1, 1965, Peter Filthian joined

Skål International Hawaii. The membership

turned their August dinner at Ruth’s Chris

Steak House into a surprise celebration for

him honoring this very special anniversary

as many familiar faces joined in the fun to

commemorate the occasion.

Mary Lou Lewis reminisces that she has

known Peter since the summer of 1956,

during her first trip to Hawaii when she was

visiting her then fiancée and Peter was the

manager of the Kona Inn. Her (now) father-

in-law, Dudley Lewis, was a good friend of

Peter’s and an avid fisherman, and they met

during a fishing trip. It’s all about

anniversaries for Peter as of late, as in 1959,

Dudley and Peter started the Hawaiian

International Billfish Tournament, which

recently celebrated its 56th successful year.

25

Peter’s assistant, Sharon Mori, wishes him

congratulations and states that over the past

10 years, “He allowed me to grow in my

position… always encouraging me to learn

and have confidence in myself and my

abilities.”

Congratulations Peter! Please enjoy a few

pictures from the event below!