Dear BATW,
We couldn’t have hoped for a better start to the year than the Treasure Island gala, put together by our own Judith Horstman (with special thanks to Morton Beebe, who is on the Treasure Island Museum’s board). Many stars had to align for that event, and some of those heavenly bodies threatened to require liquor permits. But the end result was grand venue, with grand views and grander members.
I am continually in awe at the amount of stepping up BATW members do, whether it’s leveraging connections for meetings, reaching out to prospective members and mentoring them, manning a sign-in table or putting away chairs after an event. Those contributions make up our strength and are what will drive us into the coming decade as an organization for members at every stage of their careers.
As discussed during our membership meeting last Wednesday, there will be ample opportunity to give back to BATW this year for the many of you who have asked about it. And there are a few opportunities available now that are especially impactful:
- Provide us with a list of your past articles about our host destinations — and continue writing them about new ones! Laurie Armstrong Gossy, who chairs our program committee, has already begun an excellent job of laying the groundwork for future events. Helping her build our portfolio of meeting-related articles substantially legitimizes us as a potential guest and is “proof of payment” on our reputation as an organization that produces. If you’re not able to get a timely publication for a piece you’ve written on one of our host destinations, I encourage you to send it to our BATW magazine for consideration (and articles about Treasure Island will qualify you for their “Discover California” contest this February)
- If you have a lead for a BATW event (in-person or digital), let’s talk about it! Related to the above, our events committee depends on our membership’s extensive network in the Bay and in the broader writing world. If there’s something you’d love to see our members experience and cover, but you aren’t sure how to get that process started, please discuss it with Laurie. That committee is a wonderful support system that will help get your meeting in the books and make you the toast of the organization
- If you have a connection who you feel should be a BATW member, let us help reel them! Have a writer, editor or corporate colleague who you think is a perfect match for BATW but has been playing hard to get? Our membership committee, chaired by Ginny Prior, is equipped to help you get folks onboard with a variety of incentives. Every new member strengthens our group and expands our impact
I’m genuinely excited for what this year holds for our group and its members, both present and future. Thank you again for your trust and support — see you on February 8th’s travel showcase.
À la prochaine aventure,
Matthew Eley