I’m Not Tailgating, I’m Drafting

Every year, the Platinum Partner Party has been a convention highlight and every year, the themes keep getting better and better. In 2010, attendees donned their favorite football attire for our Platinum Partner Tailgate Party. This year, we won’t be tailgating…we will be drafting. Get your trucker hats, jean shorts, and #8 tee-shirts ready because this year you will be attending the NASCAR themed Platinum Partner 500.

Join us Thursday evening, October 13, for a fun night of games, delicious food and drinks, great music, and prizes! Here are some event highlights.

Games

The best part of any Platinum Partner Party is the games. If you thought last year’s games and activities were fun, your expectations will surely be exceeded. Besides the Platinum Partner staple game of corn hole, we have a variety of fast-paced activities that will make you feel like an official Sprint Cup Series driver.

If your favorite part of a race is the pit stops, you are in luck. You will have the opportunity to play pit crew, and quickly (the challenge is timed!) replace tires on a stock car. If you think the pit crew has an easy job, this challenge will surely change your mind. Do you know what it feels like to sit in the driver’s seat and go over 150 miles an hour? For safety purposes, we hope the answer to that question is no, but you can safely try out the virtual reality race cars. You will be able to race a virtual NASCAR stock cars with fellow attendees…try not to crash! Document your time at the Platinum Partner 500 by posing in front of a green screen and get an official party photo taken; you will have a choice of various backgrounds to choose.

Courtesy of funny-business.com

Remember going to amusement parks and racing tiny stock cars on little tracks? Well we will have a micro-reality track and stock cars at this party. There will be various heats throughout the party, where you will be able to remotely drive your mini-stock car around the track, while competing with seven other attendees. Like all the other activities listed above, winning gets you ticket prizes!

­Food

Bring your competitive edge AND your appetite to this party. We will have various stations with all of your favorite foods: sliders, wings, nachos, hot dogs, mac and cheese, BBQ, BBQ, and more BBQ. Try and save room for desert because there will be a warm brownie sundae bar…need we say more. If you are more thirsty than hungry, there will be a bar with various wine and beer selections. You will have drink tickets for this event, but once you run out of drink tickets, you can still buy more.

Prizes

Courtesy of nascar.com

One of the best parts of the Platinum Partner Parties is the prizes. Each partner donates awesome prizes for attendees to claim, should they be so lucky. Increase your chances of winning prizes by collecting as many raffle tickets as you can from the Platinum Partners (who will be wearing special NASCAR attire). How do you do this? By winning games! It pays to play so be sure to collect as many tickets as you can.

Before the party on Saturday, you will also have a chance to win a special prize, simply by attending the IEC Electric Expo 2011. You will be given a “bingo card” with every Platinum Partner’s logo. Get all the logo’s stamped and return your card to the IEC booth in the expo hall. The drawing will take place at the Platinum Partner 500 so if you participated in this game, be sure to attend the party.

What to Wear

If you have any NASCAR attire, pack it! If you don’t have any official racing apparel , casual dress is suggested.

Go crazy and get creative with this theme! If you want to wear an entire jump suit, we applaud you. Does your company want to make matching pit crew tee-shirts? Go for it! Our main concern is that you have fun.

Courtesy of USA Today

The Platinum Partner 500 will take place at the Marriott Louisville Downtown Hotel on Thursday, October 13, at 7:00. See you at the finish line!

IEC National Platinum Partners

Time’s a Wastin’

We are now less than a month away from the 54^th Annual IEC National Convention & Electric Expo. We’ve been telling you about all the great learning opportunities, networking, and good times you will receive if you attend our event. The real question is, have you registered yet?

If not, do it NOW. IEC has extended the regular registration rates and the hotel room block! You now have until the end of Friday, September 16, to save money on regular registration rates and discounted hotel rooms. After this deadline, the IEC hotel room block will no longer be available to attendees, and registration rates will increase.

You know what they say…time is money; and it couldn’t be truer when making travel arrangements. The longer you wait, the more it’s going to cost you. After you read this post and immediately click here to register, then click here to reserve your hotel room, don’t forget about other travel arrangements!

Are you within driving distance? Lucky you! If not, chances are that you will need to purchase airfare. The longer you wait to make these travel arrangements, the more it’s going to cost you. Bing Travel is perhaps the most convenient tool when booking airfare. It tells you when to book and when to wait. Here is what Bing has to say about booking flights out of some of our member-populous cities:

San Antonio - $255; 82% chance prices will rise in 7 days.
Denver - $279; 76% chance prices will increase.
St. Louis - $161; 50% chance prices will increase within 30 days.
Atlanta - $298; 80% chance prices will rise within 7 days.
Portland - $364, 74% chance prices will rise within 30 days.

Moral of the story? Don’t hesitate when it comes to making travel plans. Set some time aside today to register for our convention (because you won’t want to miss it), reserve a hotel room, and book your travel method (plane, train, or automobile).

See you in a month!

It's in the Hole!

It wouldn’t be a business trip if golf wasn’t involved. Show us your swing while helping future electricians at the annual Tom Jones Memorial Golf Tournament.

After much consideration, the chosen course for this event is the Covered Bridge Golf Club in Sellersburg, Indiana, which is just minutes away from our host city, Louisville (transportation provided). This particular course was designed by Masters, U.S. Open, and Senior PGA winner, Fuzzy Zoller.

Play 18 holes of golf on one of the most beautiful courses in the Midwest.  If you are a golf enthusiast, here are some interesting facts about the course:

Course set-up

• It’s a par 72 circuit
• Features five lakes and a meandering creek
• Includes contoured hills and trap placements that will make the course challenging; we know our attendees love a good challenge
• Each hole offers a choice of four separate tees, which match the course to your skill level

This annual golf tournament is the perfect way to start of the convention. Meet and mingle with other convention attendees over a bloody mary, while sharing best practices and stories from the field. Whether you’re a veteran to the IEC convention or a first time attendee, this is the perfect venue to meet new acquaintances and reconnect with old friends.

Philanthropy:

Proceeds from this event help strengthen the future of the electrical industry. A majority of the funds raised from this event go towards the IEC Foundation Scholarship Fund, which helps young electricians afford their education.

Another portion of the funds raised from the golf tournament will go towards a charity in the Louisville area. Last year, funds went towards a Phoenix youth program.

So not only can you have fun with your peers on the links, but you will also be helping future electricians and others in need.

Logistics:

When: Tuesday, October 11
Buses leave the host hotel at 6:45am and will return at 3:00pm
Where: Covered Bridge Golf Club in Sellersburg, Indiana
Cost: $175 per person, or $600 per foursome. Prices increase after Friday, September 9.
Register: Fill out an online form by clicking here, and return to the IEC National Office.