With 20 years in the special-event industry, Tracy blends her creative ideas and extensive resources to take corporate events, galas and award shows to soaring new levels.

Tracy will share her personal story, including challenges she has faced in pulling off events, and will provide some helpful hints for the next event we host, whether it's a luncheon or a family gathering or a board of directors meeting.  

DATE: Wednesday, May 20, 2009

LOCATION: Django, Hotel Fort Des Moines, 210 10th Street, Des Moines, Iowa

TIME: 11:30 am - 1:00 pm

COST: $20 for members | $25 for nonmembers | Late Registration/at the door $30 | Students $15

LUNCH: Choice of Pesto Chicken Sandwich Marinated grilled chicken breast with basil pesto, mayonnaise, Swiss cheese and bacon, with choice of Tomato & Artichoke Bisque soup, salad or fries or Wild Mushroom Crêpes Two crêpes with wild mushrooms, goat cheese and spinach topped with roasted red pepper béchamel, with choice of Tomato & Artichoke Bisque soup, salad or fries, or George's Garden Chicken Salad Seasonal greens, tomato, cucumber & red onion with smoked bacon, Gorgonzola cheese, hearts of palm and grilled chicken breast with buttermilk herb dressing

DESSERT: Crème Caramel, Classic baked French vanilla custard with caramel glaze

Beverage included.

PARKING: Nationwide or Davis Brown Parking ramps as well as street parking is available.

RSVP with LUNCH CHOICE to: Joyce at jperkins@peodsm.org by Friday, May 15th Cancellation policy: If you need to cancel, please let us know by noon May 19th, 2009.

Synopsis:  To increase your ability to identify and manage the transitions
caused by change with less disruption and distress in your life, work, and bottom
line.

Speaker:  Janet Tingwald founded the Coaching Advantage Group in 2000.  She is
a credentialed coach, mesmerizing workshop presenter, and talented
teleclass leader in professional and personal development.  Janet has
worked with individuals and teams from small start-up to global companies
to identify what they value, who they want to be, and a path of action for
getting them to their goals.   In the corporate setting, Janet coaches
people to achieve success strategies and helps employers retain proven
talent as well as taking new talent to the next level.  Please join us for
this exciting event!

Event Date:  Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Location:  West Bank, The David L. Miller Conference Center, 1601 22nd
Street, West Des Moines

Time:  11:30 - 1:00

Cost:  $ 20.00 for Members, $ 25.00 for Non-Members

Menu Selection : TBD

RSVP:  Joyce Perkins at Jperkins@peodsm.org by April 13, 2009

Cancellation Date:  by noon April 14, 2009

Location: Iowa Workforce Development, Board Room-3rd floor, 430 E. Grand

Parking:  West side of building or on street meter parking.

Time:  11:30 - 1:00

Cost:$20 for members | $25 for nonmembers | Late Registration/at the door $30 | Students $15

Menu selection: Noodle Zoo – please advise if you’d like the vegetarian selection:
Sicilian Vegetarian - Fresh seasonal vegetable grilled in Italian herbs, topped with Feta cheese and served on a crusty Baguette.

RSVP:  Joyce Perkins at Jperkins@peodsm.org by Friday, March 6th 

Cancellation Date: by noon March 5th, 2009

Overview:
Networking is not a stack of business cards, or your "links" or "friends!"  A well-built network is designed around a group of people that will help you achieve your goals both professionally and personally AND need you to help them get across the finish line as well.  That network will make it possible for you to develop THE PRODUCT that you will present to THE RESOURCE to achieve YOUR GOAL.

Liz understands the power of life transformation.  Raised by Indian parents who went from peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches to amassing a fortune, Liz went on to conquer adult diagnosed ADHD and climb to an executive position at a mortgage technology company.  After reading a book about creating “vision boards”, she decided to write an article about the fallacies of the process.  Within 5 months, she became a believer, as everything on her vision board came to life.  Now she is committed to sharing her secret.

Plan to join us and hear from Liz on how to build “your” Rockstar Network.

    * Julia Torstenson President/Owner at Promotions, Ltd.
    * Cecelia Munzenmaier, Freelance Writer/Editor and Adjunct Composition Instructor at Kaplan University
    * Kathy Towner Owner WinCommunications/WinM@il
    * Lori Day Owner Focus First, Inc.

You will be guaranteed a great lunch and a fun networking opportunity.

Date:  Wednesday, February 18th

Location:  Django – Hotel Ft. Des Moines Restaurant
210 10th Street, Des Moines

Time:  11:30am – 1:00pm
Lunch will be served promptly at 11:30 followed by introductions and panel.

Cost:  $20 for members | $25 for nonmembers | Late Registration/at the door $30 | Students $15

Lunch Selections:
Pesto Chicken Sandwich                                            
Marinated grilled chicken breast with basil pesto, mayonnaise, Swiss cheese and bacon, with choice of Tomato & Artichoke Bisque soup, salad or fries

Wild Mushroom Crêpes          
Two crêpes with wild mushrooms, goat cheese and spinach topped with roasted red pepper béchamel, with choice of Tomato & Artichoke Bisque soup, salad or fries

George's Garden Chicken Salad
Seasonal greens, tomato, cucumber & red onion with smoked bacon, Gorgonzola cheese, hearts of palm and grilled chicken breast with buttermilk herb dressing

Dessert -  Crème Caramel, Classic baked French vanilla custard with caramel glaze
Beverage included.

Parking: Nationwide or Davis Brown Parking ramps as well as street parking is available.

More tools for developing influencer skills are available at David Maxfield's blog at
http://www.influencerbook.com/home

Photo by Peggy Fleming

Date:  Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Location: Iowa Workforce Development, Conference Room 121, 430 E. Grand

Time:  11:30 - 1:00

Cost:$20 for members | $25 for nonmembers | Late Registration/at the door $30 | Students $15

Menu selection: Noodle Zoo – please advise if you’d like the vegetarian selection:
Sicilian Vegetarian - Fresh seasonal vegetable grilled in Italian herbs, topped with Feta cheese and served on a crusty Baguette.

 RSVP:  Joyce Perkins at Jperkins@peodsm.org
              by  Friday, January 16

Cancellation Date: by noon January 20, 2009

Overview: In this fast-paced and inspiring presentation based on the New York Times bestseller Influencer: The Power to Change Anything, you will learn to create rapid and sustainable change. You will journey from San Francisco to Thailand and meet influence masters who have made change not only achievable and sustainable, but inevitable. You’ll find out why some managers have increased productivity repeatedly and significantly—while others have failed miserably. In short, you’ll discover how to

• Motivate yourself and others to do things you don’t feel like doing

• Rapidly master new skills to achieve greater results

• Harness the power of peer pressure to accelerate change

• Quickly amass the social influence to change the behavior of hundreds or thousands of people

• Use the invisible and constant power of the environment to make change the path of least resistance

The most important capacity you can hold is the capacity to influence behavior. Once you tap into the power of influence, you can begin to solve the problems you care about most—from the simplest to the most persistent, resistant, and profound challenges you can imagine.

Shirley Poertner is President of Poertner Consulting Group, a leadership development firm headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa. She has over 20 years of experience working in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors.  Poertner’s focus is helping executives and their organizations achieve their full potential, accomplishing the results they want for themselves and for those whom they lead.  Her areas of expertise include facilitation of group processes, strategic planning, team development, and executive coaching. She has experience in a variety of industries: finance, energy, research, advertising, manufacturing, publishing, insurance, telecommunications, and agribusiness.

If you're curious about twittering, blogging, or social bookmarking, check out the resources at Common Craft.

Lori Condon Grant says the site has many helpful resources. She especially recommends Social Media in Plain English.

Wednesday, December 10th
11:30 – 1:00
Görtz Haus Gallery
408 First Street (Highway 44), Grimes
Phone:  986-3340

MENU:
Chicken Salad Wrap, served with fresh fruit and vegetable chips or
Adam’s Quiche: vegetarian quiche served with fresh fruit and a semme roll.
Either choice will also include dessert and drink.

COST: $20 for members | $25 for nonmembers, Students $15
RSVPs required by noon, Friday, December 5th

LOCATION: The Görtz Haus Gallery is located in a beautiful landmark building, which served as the home of St. Peter Lutheran Church from 1937 to 2001. The Görtz Haus Gallery opened in 2002 and includes an art gallery, frame shoppe, flower shoppe, and bistro.

WHITE ELEPHANT EXCHANGE: Bring an item you have around the house wrapped to share.

DIRECTIONS:  Five minutes north of I-35/80 (exit 127) on Hwy 141 to exit 52,
then west 10 blocks on 1st St (Hwy 44) to downtown Grimes. The Görtz Haus is on your left.

RSVP to
Joyce at jperkins@peodsm.org by noon Friday, December 5th.

Synopsis: A look at social media and the evolution of communication

Speaker: Hillary Brown is a Social Media Strategist at Lava Row. She returned
to Iowa in July 2008 after spending six years in Los Angeles, where she
worked for Passenger, a provider of branded online communities for Fortune 500 companies. Her experience includes online communities, social networks, and non-traditional and viral marketing.

Event Date: Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Location: West Bank,  The David L. Miller Conference Center, 1601 22nd
Street, West Des Moines

Time: 11:30 - 1:00

Cost: $ 20.00 for Members, $ 25.00 for Non-Members

Menu Selection: Baratta's--Chicken Amaggio (with pasta, red sauce, salad, and dessert )

RSVP: Joyce Perkins at Jperkins@peodsm.org by November 17, 2008

Cancellation Date: by noon November 18, 2008