Conference Call for New & Prospective Members

Winter Greetings Everyone!

We have been fortunate to have an onslaught of interest in our industry and our chapter recently. We have new members and a lot of people who are interested in becoming members.

Let’s chat - about AICI, what we do, where we meet, and how you can get involved.

From my experience, involvement in AICI is one of the fastest and easiest ways to establish oneself as a professional in the industry. I will share my story and I hope it will inspire you to join us and become part of a chapter that is starting to grow and thrive.

We are having a conference call on Tuesday, January 29^th at 8pm to address what AICI can do for you and your career.

We’ll address training options, resources, industry trends, career opportunities, and most importantly, figuring out what is right for YOU and YOUR CAREER GOALS.

Whether you’re already working in the industry, if you’re trained and ready to get going or if you’re just starting to explore the possibility of an image career, be sure to be on this call.

Any AICI member – past or present – is also welcome to join us for a refresher. (We have a lot of past members still on our email list. If you’re interested in getting back into the business, be sure to be on this call.)

I will send out the specifics (call-in number, etc) as the date approaches.

Bring your questions! We are looking forward to speaking with you!!

Kristen Kaleal

President

AICI OH/PA Chapter

kkaleal@aol.com

(440) 742-0385

P.S. We will have a conference call in February for anyone interested in becoming a leader

and board member! More info to come....

Web Update

Sent an update to AICI corporate 11/5 with Columbus meeting dates (PA meetings are TBD). Added pics from the retreat and the satellite meeting.

Minutes from the Board Meeting 11/4/07

Board Meeting Minutes
AICI OH/PA Chapter
November 4th, 2007
Columbus, Ohio 1:00 to 4:00

Board Members:
Kristen Kaleal (President) LisaMarie Luccioni (Treasurer/Past-President)
Erica Torres-Dudziak (Vice-President) Jill Haney (Secretary)

Proceedings

President's Report:

- Update on the Delaware Valley Satellite Meetings.

- The goal is to grow the chapter and have more Eastern Pennsylvania involvement, including leaders with board positions.

- Conference call to be held with current board members and interested OH/PA members from the Delaware Valley area – most likely in January. Will put out an open call shortly.

- The 2008 OH/PA AICI meetings will be held as follows: March 2nd, June 15th, September 7th, and November 9th. All meetings will be held on Sundays in Columbus, Ohio**.

- Discussed possibility of holding next meeting at Macy’s at Easton or Polaris (since we now have a PR contact) for a tour of the store, preview of spring trends, and secrets of department store shopping.

**Other locations to be determined. We are looking for a meeting space that has a meeting room but will not pay for use of room above lunch price (hotels are currently charging $150-$250 setup fee, which as a small chapter, we will not incur). We are also losing $60 or more at each hotel meeting per meeting due to guaranteed counts. A possible option is Panera Bread, which typically has meeting space. If anyone in the Columbus area has any suggestions, please let us know.

Vice-President's Report:

- Discussed the AICI Leadership & VP Marketing conference calls.

- The AICI Publicity Handbook, which can be downloaded on the website, can be used to market our chapter and our own businesses.

- Anytime any of us is in the news, please send the information to AICI headquarters.

Treasurer's Report:

- Our chapter is fiscally sound! The Chapter Financial report was submitted and approved by HQ.

- This report must be submitted to HQ two times a year in order to get chapter rebate of $60 per member.

- Chapter checking account has a balance of $951.43 with additional rebates pending.

Other business:

- Board members discussed the idea of having a chapter retreat in 2009. Pittsburgh is a possibility as it would encompass both the PA members and OH members.

- Members discussed the option of getting CEU's for the retreat as this would help draw more members and possibly members from outside of our chapter, as there was an interest in the 2007 retreat from outside the chapter IF there were CEU credits offered.

- Submitted by Jill Haney, Secretary

Pics from the 1st Delaware Valley Satellite Meeting

JoJami Tyler, Nicole Green, Donna Dixon, Fatiha Occhialini, Brian Lipstein, Dana Persia, Sara Canuso, Ann Bernicker, Diane Reginato, Jennifer Ashton, Chris Baeza

Sara Canuso, Chris Baeza, Diane Reginato, Ann Bernicker

Brian Lipstein, AICI

JoJami Tyler (side of head to camera), Dana Persia, Nicole Green, Sara Canuso, Chris Baeza, Diane Reginato, Ann Bernicker, Jennifer Ashton

Photos courtesy of Renu Dalal

2008 Meeting Schedule for Columbus, OH

Greetings!

We had a very productive board meeting yesterday, and before the official meeting minutes are sent out, I wanted to let you know our meeting schedule for next year.

For those of you who have wanted to attend a Columbus-area meeting and it hasn’t coincided with your schedule, I’m hoping this will be enough advance warning for you :)

Don’t forget that you can always use the chapter blog as your resource for current information. The top section lists our coming meetings and other necessary info. We will also have this list posted on the official AICI chapter site very soon.

As soon as we know the Delaware Valley’s meeting schedule, we will put that on the blog and AICI site as well.

Columbus, OH Meeting Dates for 2008

March 2
June 15
September 7
November 9
(As always, these are all on Sundays)

**If any of the dates change, we will let you know as soon as possible**

We will have reports from yesterday’s board meeting and the first Delaware Valley Satellite Meeting (happening right now!) posted soon.

Here’s a picture of us from the meeting yesterday –

(L-R - me, LisaMarie Luccioni, Erica Torres-Dudziak, Jill Haney)

Kristen Kaleal

President

AICI OH/PA Chapter

kkaleal@aol.com

(440) 742-0385

Board Meeting Agenda - 11/4/07

Current Events & News

State of the Chapter
President’s Notes
Treasurer’s Report

Delaware Valley
Satellite Meetings

Membership Drive
VP Membership conference call – Erica
Brainstorming

Education & Development
Training Ideas
CEU’s

Leadership & Involvement
Future leaders conference call in January
Member of the Year

Promotion
AICI website, blog, email list, etc.

2008 Meetings
Columbus list
DVSM list (from Renu)

Nov. 4th Columbus, OH Meeting - Canceled

Hi Everyone -

Instead of having an Ohio meeting that is open to members, non-members and prospects, the chapter board has voted to use this meeting as a closed strategic planning session for the future of the chapter. We are currently poised to do great things, with meetings happening at two points within our boundaries.

We want to make sure to maximize these opportunities in order to make the chapter stronger and prepare ourselves for a highly successful future.

A couple of the agenda items include creating a list of all Ohio meetings for 2008 and brainstorming ways we can utilize the tremendous enthusiasm of the members in the Delaware Valley area to make us even better.

How exciting is it to be a part of a chapter that is on the move?! I told previous AICI president Marion Gellatly as well as current president Karen Brunger that it is my goal to be the preeminent small chapter in all of AICI. (For those of you who don’t know me well, my plans are always quite grandiose!) Let’s face it, we will never be as big as San Francisco or Southern CA or Atlanta, and that’s fine. But if we can be an exemplary chapter in our own right, I think that is pretty fabulous. Wouldn’t you agree?

With your participation, I am so pleased that we are already making it happen!

We will have a productive planning session on Sunday and we look forward to 2008, where we will continue to flourish in both Ohio AND Pennsylvania!!

All my best,

Kristen Kaleal

President

AICI OH/PA Chapter

kkaleal@aol.com

(440) 742-0385

Delaware Valley Satellite Meeting Agenda

November 5, 2007

5:30 – 6:00pm – Networking / Introduction and Welcome by Renu Dalal, MS, AICI

6:00 – 6:30 – Session 1 – Brian Lipstein, AICI

Topic: The Details of Menswear

· Machine vs. Hand construction in suits.

· What fabrics work best for your client?

· Quality vs. Quantity - how to justify the investment.

Brian Lipstein, AICI is Vice President and Co-Founder of Henry A. Davidsen, Master Tailors & Image Consultants. Building on over 100 years of family tailoring tradition, Henry Davidsen focuses on outfitting professionals and helping clients plan the strategic use of their image in their career.

6:45 – 7:15 – Session 2 – Sara Canuso

Topic: Clarity of your Fees and Services

· Being clear on your services, hourly verses package pricing.

· What are the services you are offering?

· Do you currently have a Niche?

Sara Canuso is President of A Suitable Solution and advises some of the Philadelphia region's most successful men and women on the impact of image. As a speaker, writer, teacher and motivator, she also helps clients entering the business arena to cultivate a polished professional image that commands respect and to acquire a winning presence.

7:30 – 8:00 – Session 3 – Chris Baeza

Topic: Intention; “What you think is what you will receive”

· Creating the vision for what you have “in mind” to be, do and have.

· Vision story

· Mapping

· Feng Shui tips @ intention

Chris Baeza is a trained Fashion Feng Shui® Facilitator. Fashion Feng Shui® is an innovative, transformational dressing technique inspired by Feng Shui, Fashion Feng Shui® teaches you how to dress with mindfulness & intention so that your clothes express your authenticity and attract your deepest desires. Chris has over 15 year in the fashion business, Fashion Feng Shui® Facilitator, and is apprentice to a Color Me Beautiful consultant.

First Delaware Valley Satellite Meeting

Dear AICI members of the Delaware Valley,

I already know some of you, but wanted to introduce myself for the benefit of those whom I have not yet met: my name is Renu Dalal, and I am a personal wardrobe consultant in Philadelphia; I have been an AICI member since 2004.

For some time now, I have been discussing with local colleagues about the inconvenience of going to NYC for AICI meetings, not to mention that Columbus, OH, is virtually impossible to get to without committing a full day or more...So when Kristen Kaleal, the president of the AICI OH/PA Chapter asked about member interest in putting together local meetings, I thought I'd volunteer to coordinate the first (of many, I hope!) Delaware Valley Satellite Meeting.

I believe it is very important to have an AICI presence here in the Delaware Valley - with almost twenty members total in Delaware, SE Pennsylvania, and South Jersey - it would be wonderful to have a network of colleagues with whom we can share tips, ideas, and even overflow business. I have already been in conversation with a few members about possible dates, locations, and topics of discussion.

Mr. Brian Lipstein of Henry Davidsen, has graciously volunteered his showroom at 17th and Spruce Streets, in Center City Philadelphia, as a location for our first meeting, and we are looking at the early evening (5:30-8:00pm) of Monday, November 5th as a tentative date. Please let me know at your earliest convenience if this date, time, and location would work for you - at least for our first meeting, I'd like to have as many people attend as possible.

In addition, if you have any ideas for topics of discussion, or questions you'd like to ask of your colleagues, or if you'd like to lead a short presentation, please let me know at your earliest convenience. Some topics already proposed include: fee structure - hourly vs. package rates; sources for outside sizes (plus, petites, and very tall); and men's' image. Also, just FYI, we would like to collect from each attendee, $5.00 at the door, to cover the cost of refreshments (bottled water, beverages, light snacks) for the evening.

I look forward to hearing from all of you soon - your participation will help us make our first meeting a great success!

Warm Regards,

Renu
484-270-8355
renu@flairconsulting.com

Thank you, Renu! Looks like everyone is looking forward to this event!

- Kristen

Satellite Meetings

If anyone cannot make it to our quarterly meetings in Columbus, OH, but is interested in connecting with other AICI members in your area, please let me know.

We are already setting up some get-togethers and education sessions in Cleveland, since we have a large group of AICI members here. I have suggested that the Cincinnati/Kentucky contingency do the same.

We have several chapter members located in Philadelphia, most of whom we’ve never met, and I’m sure you haven’t met each other either!

If anyone is interested in putting a small local meeting together (maybe over coffee) with members that are close to them, please let me know and I would be happy to make the connections for you.

Kristen Kaleal

President

AICI OH/PA Chapter

kkaleal@aol.com

(440) 742-0385