The Florida Festivals and Events Association Awards Six Scholarships
Each year, the Florida Festival and Events Association (FFEA) fulfills it mission to promote professional development in the festival, events, and fair industry by awarding selected FFEA members with scholarships to help offset the cost of the delegate registration fee and make attendance possible. Recipients will use the scholarships to attend the FFEA 14th Annual Convention and Trade Show at the Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate, August 6-8, 2008.
This year, five delegate recipients and one student were selected to receive scholarships:
 Wayne Carter , Executive Director
Eustis Main Street, Eustis, Florida
Wayne Carter believes his FFEA Conference Scholarship will do more than just expose him to general event planning knowledge. He says it will "have a tremendous affect on my community, my organization, and my professional development." Wayne is the Executive Director of Eustis Main Street, which organizes 30 special events per month. Until now, he has focused on the foundation of the organization itself, but now wants to gain knowledge to train volunteers, find sponsors, and successfully organize profitable events. Like so many other communities, Wayne says Eustis' downtown businesses rely on successful events for a positive economic impact. He hopes the FFEA Convention and Trade Show will help him develop an expertise in event production that will help make his events successful and profitable.
 Jennifer Conoley, Community Relations Director
Early Education and Care, Inc., Panama City, Florida
For Jennifer Conoley, the FFEA Scholarship represents an opportunity to improve programs for children and families in need. Jennifer is the Community Relations Director at Early Education and Care, Inc., which seeks to increase young children's
future educational success. She develops, coordinates, and implements various events throughout the year, including the massive fundraising event "Kidfest" which attracts over 9,000 participants from 14 surrounding counties and is in its 16th year. Jennifer says all the Early Education and Care events play a role in the goal of bringing families closer together and strengthening the bond between parent and child. She says "The FFEA Convention and Trade Show will allow me to enhance my event coordination skills, grow our events, especially the fundraisers, and expand upon the great work we already do for families in our community."
 Charla Lucus, Special Events Coordinator
City Of Largo, Largo, Florida
Taking initiative has proven successful for Charla Lucus. When she wanted to learn more about planning large events, she voluntarily shadowed the events coordinator for the City of Largo. That paid off in October of last year when she was promoted to Special Events Coordinator and now has survived her first busy season of city event planning on her own. Charla admits she still has much to learn. "I will be able to bring everything I encounter at the FFEA Convention and Trade Show back to my job with the City Of Largo to put new and exciting aspects to the existing events we offer," according to Charla. She says she's eager to learn about different ways to approach various events, and the services and resources available.
 Bill Richards
Paddle Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Enjoying Florida's natural beauty and "going with the flow" is the mandate for Bill Richards at Paddle Florida. He recently staged his organization’s inaugural event...over
150 people participated in a joint paddling event down 123 miles of the Suwannee River. Now, plans are underway for the next journey in November. Bill must coordinate partnerships, volunteers, and up to 200 participants for a week of camaraderie and fun down one of Florida's waterway gems with nightly stops along the way. Bill hopes his scholarship opportunity at the FFEA Convention and Trade Show will arm him with the information he needs to help grow his organization and the Suwannee River paddling events. He knows he's requested a scholarship from the right place. He says "Our
budget does not allow for outside conferences, and I have been informed that this is the #1 conference of its kind in the Sunshine State."
 Dennis Smolarek, Reference Librarian
Cooper Memorial Library, Clermont, Florida
Today's libraries are not just places for housing books... they are a showcase for special events for all ages including social, educational, literary, and cultural happenings. No one knows that more than Dennis Smolarek, the Reference Librarian at the Cooper Memorial Library in Lake County. He is responsible for planning the libraries many events, and has coordinated fourteen events, including the annual Festival of Reading. For Dennis, getting an FFEA Convention and Trade Show scholarship was important so he can learn how to improve all of the receptions, author events, musical programs, and writing workshops he plans. "I would like to be able to create quality events that will promote the libraries and excite the community and be an invaluable resource for people seeking information about enrichment for both themselves and their families," said Dennis.
 Victoria Shalom, Student
Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida
Victoria Shalom is accustomed to working hard. As a full-time honor student at Florida State University (FSU) on a full-scholarship, she also serves as an events intern with a Tallahassee event-planning company, and serves in several other leadership positions. Victoria is the event coordinator for Level Dance Company and Events Coordinator for the F Word, which promotes gender equality on the FSU Campus. As a recreation and event planning major, Victoria says she is constantly looking for learning and growth opportunities in the event planning field, and she believes the FFEA Convention and Trade Show will provide beneficial, pertinent information that will assist her development in the events industry. "I look forward to hearing from the best in the industry so that my experience and knowledge can flourish even more," says Victoria.
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