IDC to Japan for 2003 convention
Cleaners planning on attending the 2003 International
Drycleaners Congress convention
will be heading all the way to Kobe, Japan.
Plans for the event, which is scheduled
from November 2-6 of this year, are nearly complete.
The convention will host its first
educational session on Monday, November 3. It will focus on the
theme “Customer Satisfaction” and feature a variety
of industry experts, including keynote speaker Mr. Kaoru
Kobayashi. A management critic, he will discuss customer
satisfaction and its future.
IDC’s second session will take place
on the following day and cover “Risk Management.”
One of that session’s seminars,
“Emergency Response,” will be highlighted by the
testimonials of several Japanese cleaners who have survived and
rebuilt their businesses after the devastating earthquake in
Kobe that occurred several years ago. A guest speaker from
outside of Japan who has also gone through a disaster will be
invited to speak, as well.
 | ||
A third session called “Annual
International Updates” will commence on Tuesday, November
4. Speakers from different regions of the globe will converge
to offer updates on what current trends are developing in their
nations.
On Wednesday, November 5, a fourth session
will feature various 2003 fellowship presentations. Younger
association members who have made international journeys will
report on what they have learned and how they applied that
knowledge to the success of their own businesses.
In addition to its educational offerings,
IDC will host a board meeting on Sunday, November 2, allowing
the association’s regional vice presidents a forum to
discuss member concerns.
Other events include a reception and
banquet on the evening of Tuesday, November 4 and a dinner
cruise along Kobe Harbor on Wednesday, November 5. The cruise
will be preceded by a day long tour of several drycleaning
plants in the local area.
On Saturday, November 1 — a day
before the convention officially begins — an Osaka INTEX
Machinery and Supply Exhibition will kick off. Osaka is located
approximately 45 minutes away from Kobe.
Prices are $595 for each complete
registration package, which includes admittance to all business
sessions, the welcome cocktail party, the banquet and the plant
tours.
Hotel accommodations are available at the
Kobe Portopia Hotel. The room rate for single rooms in the main
building is $105 per night. Twin/double rooms in the main
building cost $148 nightly for single occupancy and $192
nightly for more than one occupant.
Additional twin/double rooms are available
in the hotel’s south wing at a rate of $183 nightly for
single occupancy and $226 nightly for more than one occupant.
For more information, call (919) 363-5602,
or visit the association’s web site at
www.idcnews.org.
 |
Pre- and Post-convention tour, cruise
planned
IDC will be offering pre- and
post-convention tours for members in conjunction with its main
convention this year.
Prior to the convention, a nine-day tour
will take attendees throughout multiple landmarks in Japan.
After arriving in Osaka, the tour will
transfer to Kyoto for a visit of the area’s temples and
shrines. Next, attendees will move on to Kanazawa and visit the
Kenrokuen Park and the Museum of Traditional Products and
Crafts.
The trip will also include a motorcoach
ride through the countryside of Ogimachi, a study of the unique
architecture of Gasshozukuri and a visit to the shrines,
temples and bridges of Takayama.
Other highlights include: the Kusakabe
Heritage House, the Hida Kokubunji Temple and the Hida Folk
Village.
Attendees will end the nine-day jaunt by
taking Japan’s speedy “bullet train” back to
Osaka in time for the INTEX Machinery and Supply Exhibition.
IDC’s pre-convention tour will run
from October 24 through November 2 and cost $2,715 per person
for those sharing a room. Registration goes up $750 for each
person with single room accommodations.
A previously planned post-convention tour
of China has been canceled. New plans call for a
post-convention visit to Tokyo followed by a cruise of Hawaii,
leaving from Honolulu. Details will be available from IDC or
the Yamato Travel Bureau, (800) 334-4982.
 |
