Take advantage of advance registration savings for the CCTA 2014 Annual Meeting!

Have you started the countdown until the Caribbean Show on January 27th? There are just two months left between now and the expiration of the best rates for registration and hotel room. Registrations are already being received for the 2014 Annual Meeting and the best spaces in the Exhibit Hall are being reserved. The Advance rates for registration and exhibit space end on January 7, and payments must be received by that date to qualify for them. All the documents you need for attending and participating in the conference are linked to this newsletter, so take a look! The CCTA secured a great room rate at the Sheraton Puerto Rico Hotel & Casino, but it expires on January 4. So use the provided link to make your reservations now.

The theme for the 2014 Annual Meeting is 'Trade Winds: Cable in the Caribbean." All of us realize that our industry is evolving rapidly (think gale-force winds), so our speakers for the Annual Meeting will target new directions and expectations. We are pleased to announce that Chin-Cheng Wu, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Azuki Systems, will be the keynote speaker on Tuesday, January 28. Mr. Wu was named to InteractiveWeek Magazine's "Top 25 Unsung Heroes of the Internet" list in 2000. He has recently received a lot of press for his company's software solutions for delivering video to smartphones and tablets. This will be one interesting keynote address! 

Two other top-notch speakers are also confirmed for the Annual Meeting's Marketing/Management Sessions. We are pleased to welcome back Barry Maher, nationally-known author and

speaker, who will provide his expertise on "Slicing through the Noise: Powerful Communication for Leadership and Professional Success." Mr. Maher's presentation will be given on Wednesday, January 29.

Aaron Wesley Means, dynamic speaker and owner of the Activate marketing firm in North Carolina, will be speaking on "Engagement Marketing", or how to engage clients and potential clients in your products and services. Mr. Means will be speaking on Tuesday, January 28.

Look for continuous updates on the Annual Meeting as further speakers are confirmed and exhibitors sign up. Be sure to check out the "Important Deadlines", so that you don't miss the best rates we're touting.

Everything these days has an expiration date, and so do the best prices for participating in the Annual Meeting.

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Did you know... 

...that the unofficial mascot of Puerto Rico is a tiny tree frog known as the coqui? The amphibian, which is about an inch long and brown in color, has a very distinctive chirp that can be heard for miles. Actually, there are more than 16 different varieties of the frog on Puerto Rico. The males of two of the species produce the unforgettable 'coqui' chirp, as they sing from dusk to dawn in an effort to attract mates.

CCTA Wavelengths: Issue 5 - Summer 2013

CCTA Announces the 2013 Technical Training Sessions

Coming to San Juan July 16, 17 and 18 - don't miss out! The CCTA has just released the registration materials for its annual Technical Training, which will take place from 8am to 5pm on three days: Tuesday, July 16; Wednesday, July 17; and Thursday, July 18. This very popular training usually attracts more than 100 installers, technicians, engineers, supervisory staff and managers from the association's Active Members (cable operators) in the Caribbean, Central and South America.

The Technical Training is available at no cost to employees of the association's Active Members. The CCTA will provide the training and daytime meals (breakfast, morning break, lunch and afternoon break) for each participant, but transportation, dinner and hotel expenses are the responsibility of each attendee. For other individuals wishing to attend the training, there will be a reasonable daily fee to cover meal and administrative expenses. For representatives of Associate Members, the daily fee is $100. For representatives of non-member companies, the daily fee is $140.

Associate Director John T. Kurpinski, Sr., has finalized details of the schedule, which will include three full days of training modules presented by experts in cable industry technology and engineering. Companies and organizations providing trainers are Aurora Networks, Choice Cable TV, CommScope, Incospec Communications, PPC, Tarpon Communications, the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers, and Worldwide Supply. The CCTA Board is very appreciative of these contributions to the association and the industry. Click here for a copy of the schedule.

The 2013 training will take place at the Sheraton Puerto Rico Convention Center & Hotel Casino located at 200 Convention Blvd. in San Juan. The hotel has provided a rate of $130 per night, single or double occupancy, plus 11% tax and a $15 hotel fee. There is also a $1.00 per room, per day maid gratuity and $5.00 per person, one-time bellman gratuity. This special rate will be available from July 13 through July 21, based on availability. Click here for Sheraton's dedicated CCTA reservation site, or call the hotel's Central Reservations office at 1-866-932-7269 to reserve a room. You must mention the "2013 CCTA Technical Training" to be eligible for the special rate, which expires on July 5.

If you are interested in attending the 2013 Technical Training, or having your company sponsor a social event, please contact Executive Director Andrea L. Martin via email, or by calling 1-864-836-8954. She can send you full details of the training, plus the pertinent registration forms. Registrations for the training must be made by Friday, July 12.

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13 Different Carribbean Charities Receive Grants from CCTA

The Board of Directors of the Caribbean Cable and Telecommunications Association unanimously agreed to award a total of $14,000 to charitable organizations located in the Caribbean through the Community Charities Program. Each individual charity was nominated by a cable system operator that is part of the CCTA. The Community Charities Program, which was established by the CCTA in 1993, has awarded more than $281,000 during its existence.

The missions of all nominees were noteworthy, so the board members decided to award each one a grant. The CCTA originally established the program to give just ten grants per year, but the program has generated so much interest among members that the number of applicants continues to exceed the original number. Twelve nominees will receive $1,000 each, and one nominee will receive $2,000 since it was nominated by two different members. The board took this action at its meeting on May 23, 2013.

The St. Maarten Soccer Educational Foundation publicly recognized its contributors in 2012, including the CCTA. The organization was nominated by Wireless Telecommunication Network to receive a $1,000 grant through the Community Charities Program in 2012.

The grant recipients and their sponsoring companies are: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bermuda nominated by Bermuda CableVision Ltd.; The West End Center Committee nominated by BVI Cable TV; Sociedad de Educacion y Rehabilitacion de Puerto Rico nominated by Choice Cable TV of Puerto Rico; Queen Louise Home nominated by Innovative Cable TV St. Croix; Nana Baby Children's Home, Inc. nominated by Innovative Cable TV St. Thomas-St. John; Colegio de Educacion Especial y Rehabilitacion Integral nominated by both Liberty Cablevision of Puerto Rico and OneLink Communications; Comfort Bay Senior Citizens' Home nominated by St. Lucia Cablevision (LIME); Victorious Living Foundation nominated by St. Maarten Cable TV; Adopt an Addict Foundation nominated by SETAR; LEAP (The Learning Empowerment Through the Arts Program) nominated by The Cable of St. Kitts; Stichting Hulp-aan-Curacao nominated by T.V. Distribution Systems N.V. of Curacao; Special Olympics Cayman Islands nominated by WestStar TV Limited; and Safe Haven Foundation nominated by Wireless Telecommunication Network of St. Maarten.

Each cable company was sent a check made payable to the nominated charity in the amount of $1,000. Hopefully, the publicity generated by each check presentation will promote the cable operator, the CCTA and the industry throughout the Caribbean. The funding for the Community Charities Program comes mainly from Auction Proceeds and Raffle Ticket Sales at the Annual Meeting. At the 2013 Annual Meeting, the Auction and Raffle generated nearly $14,000 for the program.

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13 Scenes from the 2012 Annual Technical Training Sessions

SAVE THESE DATES:
JANUARY 27-29, 2014!

Mark your calendars now for the CCTA's 2014 Annual Meeting! It will be held at the Sheraton Puerto Rico Convention Center Hotel & Casino in San Juan, from January 27 to 29. The Board of Directors is in the midst of developing the schedule for the convention, but it will include extended exhibit hall hours and additional time allocated to "Highlights" presentations from our Associate Members.

The CCTA is always open to suggestions for speakers, topics and new activities at the Annual Meeting. So please feel free to send your comments to any member of the Board of Directors or to Executive Director Andrea Martin, at info@cctanet.com.

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CCTA Wavelengths: Issue 4 - Winter 2013

Thanks to All Who Attended the CCTA's 2013 Annual Meeting in Bermuda!

Who can forget Alan Smith dancing with the Gombeys at the Welcome Cocktail Party, or the incredible tour of Bermuda hosted by the Department of Tourism, or Mike Carrosquilla and Patrick Harrell belting out some great songs at the Farewell Cocktail Party?

From beginning to end, the CCTA's 2013 Annual Meeting was filled with unforgettable moments and great business opportunities.

Thank you to everyone who attended the Annual Meeting at the Fairmont Southampton. This was the first Annual Meeting on lovely Bermuda, and 301 industry people were on hand to sample the island's world-famous hospitality and participate in three days of networking and educational activities. The attendees represented 160 companies, firms, and organizations from 22 distinct countries and territories.

2013 Annual Meeting Highlights

Exploring the theme of "Caribbean Meets the Future of Cable TV", the Annual Meeting boasted excellent speakers and of-the-moment topics. Keynote Speaker Joe Jensen of Block Communications and Buckeye Cablevision offered one perspective on the evolving platforms of cable operators.

Moderated by Adriana Waterston of Horowitz Associates, a panel of experts representing both cable operators and programmers discussed "Retaining Customers in a Competitive, Multi-platform Media Environment".

Other sessions explored "Best Practices for Consumer Research in a Competitive Business Environment", "David vs. Goliath Marketing", "Improve Service Quality and Extend Service Offerings with PSIP and SI Metadata", and "Digital Terrestrial Television: Friend or Foe". The CCTA is very grateful to all speakers for sharing their expertise and viewpoints with Annual Meeting participants.

The Exhibit Hall included displays from 87 different companies. The room was buzzing with conversations, as new and returning attendees visited the vendors. The final event of the Annual Meeting was the Auction of items donated by participants, with all proceeds earmarked for the 2013 Community Charities Program. Auctioneer Patrick Harrell of New Frontier Media kept the bidding lively, and at the end of the evening over $13,000 had been raised from raffle ticket sales, auction purchases, and karaoke performances. We thank the generous companies and individuals who donated goods for the Raffle and Auction, and all those who bought tickets and items.

Special thanks to our sponsors ...

We cannot forget our sponsoring companies, who helped make the 2013 Annual Meeting such a success. Without a doubt, our Platinum Sponsor was Bermuda CableVision, the company that hosted the Annual Meeting and helped plan many of the events. Gold Sponsors were BBC Americas and BBC World News; A + E Networks; and Caribbean Cable Cooperative Ltd. Silver Sponsors were HBO; Scripps Networks Interactive; Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.; TVC Communications; Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, PLLC; NBC Universal; and Fox Networks. Bronze sponsors were CommScope; Gone Viral TV; Crown Media Family Networks; MAXXIAN; Incospec Communications; New Frontier Media; TV One; Outdoor Channel; The Weather Channel; and Toner Cable Equipment, Inc.

... and to our Board of Directors and on-site personnel

The Annual Meeting would not have taken place without the hard work and dedication of the CCTA's 2012 Board of Directors, as well as our "loaned" on-site personnel: Zaira Rivera, Joanie Rivera, and Tita Sambolin of Liberty Cablevision of Puerto Rico; Tracey Howes, Marina Inserra, and Silvia Steede of Bermuda CableVision; and Angie Rivero of SETAR.

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Congratulations to the newly-elected members of the 2013 Board of Directors:

Chair Beulah Jonis; Vice Chair and Chair-Elect David Burrows; Past Chair Mike Carrosquilla; Directors Bill Ewing, Naji Khoury, Raul Ponson and Terry Roberson; and Associate Directors Patrick Harrell and John T. Kurpinski, Sr. The board will soon start planning this year's activities as well as next year's Annual Meeting.

Annual Meeting List of Attendees

Representatives of CCTA Member companies can request a full list of Annual Meeting attendees, including addresses and phone numbers, by sending an e-mail to Executive Director Andrea L. Martin.

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Save the Date for the 13th Annual Multicultural Media for Multicultural America Forum

Representatives of CCTA Member companies can attend the 13th Annual Multicultural Media for Multicultural America Forum on March 14, in New York City for the very special price of $199, thanks to speaker and moderator Adriana Waterston of Horowitz Associates. Click here to register for this one-day seminar, and enter code CCTA2013 to get the special rate.

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Download selected presentations from the 2013 Annual Meeting

We are pleased to be able to provide some of the presentations given at the Annual Meeting on the CCTA website or through a link. You can find Serge Francois' "Digital Terrestrial Television: Friend or Foe" under the 2013 Annual Meeting on the CCTA website's Downloads & Forms page. For Adriana Waterston's presentation on "Best Practices for Consumer Research in a Competitive Business Environment", click here to download the presentation as a PDF.

Mark your Calendars now for the 2014 Annual Meeting!

Next year's meeting will take place at the Sheraton Puerto Rico Convention Center Hotel & Casino from January 27 to 29. We look forward to seeing you there!