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We've Moved!
Get our new address and phone numbers as well as information on our new home on page 5. |
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| At the time of their creation, the Scouting program served as an introduction to outdoor living for many of the youth of America. Now, the Boy Scouts of America feature many diverse opportunities to help young people develop new skills and life habits, ranging from the traditional outdoor activities, to the far reaching Explorer and Venture programs. Their membership has soared to over 1.4 million youth in 1998.
Obviously, change has been essential to the growth of the Scouting program. Change in the diversity of their offerings has only been equal to the change in their methods of communicating the message of Scouting. "Be Prepared," the motto of the Boy Scouts, embodies that understanding of change, and the readiness to meet the challenges and opportunities presented by it. When Alford Media met with the Boy Scouts' leadership, we understood their presentation history and the technical nature of their changing needs. Doug Johnson, Multimedia Production Manager for BSA, had a vision of taking the organization's staging events into the millennium. By utilizing cutting edge computer graphics and animations, Doug would forever change the look of BSA events. Having experienced the variables of dealing with unknown staging support companies in the past, he campaigned to work with Alford Media Services in order to deliver this bold new message. The decision to hire and incur the travel costs of a preferred staging company is never an easy one, especially for non-profit organizations. It's a credit to Doug and the leadership of BSA that they chose to maintain, in Doug's words, "the professionalism we've come to expect," by utilizing Alford. Through careful planning and attention to detail, the technicians and coordinators at Alford Media worked with Doug, Bill Christian, Norman Burkhalter, and the many talented members of the BSA staff and volunteers to conduct a series of BSA's most ambitious events to date. Through the annual meeting in San Antonio and the national meeting in Nashville, the synergy between the two organizations continued, sometimes around the clock, as both Alford and BSA worked to accommodate the changes which naturally occur during such sizeable events. The results? According to Doug, "Participants and attendees were unanimous in their acclaim for the shows we presented." In a separate note, he mentioned, "...the can do, want-to-do attitude of the Alford team made sure that all aspects and changes were handled gracefully and professionally." As I reflect upon those words, I remembered my own experiences as a scout, and the lessons in attitude and preparedness that Scouting instilled in me. "Be Prepared," has become a cornerstone in the Alford philosophy of staging events, and we're only too glad to thank the Boy Scouts of America for the chance to demonstrate it. - Dan Thompson |
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