Riding The Waves of the Future: CCTA 2015 Annual Meeting

WHAT: "RIDING THE WAVES OF THE FUTURE:
CABLE AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS IN THE CARIBBEAN" THE 2015 ANNUAL MEETING OF THE CARIBBEAN CABLE AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS ASSOCIATION

WHERE: HILTON ROSE HALL RESORT AND MONTEGO BAY CONVENTION CENTRE IN MONTEGO BAY, JAMAICA

WHEN: FEBRUARY 2 TO 5, 2015

WHO:

• CABLE AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS PROVIDERS IN THE CARIBBEAN

• PROGRAMMERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

• GLOBAL HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE SUPPLIERS

• INTERNET, TELEPHONY AND DATA INNOVATORS

WHY: BEST SHOW IN THE REGION!

For the first time in its 31-year history, the CCTA will hold its Annual Meeting on the beautiful island of Jamaica. The warm and hospitable city of Montego Bay will host the meeting. Activities will take place at two locations - the Hilton Rose Hall Resort and Montego Bay Convention Centre - with easy access between both venues. A thorough review of the Schedule of Events will convince you that the Annual Meeting's well-crafted itinerary offers full educational sessions interspersed with social activities designed for networking, all in an exquisite Caribbean setting!

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NEW: CONVENIENT ONLINE REGISTRATION!

Another first for the CCTA is our convenient new online registration. Whether your company is a member of the Association, or you represent a company which is not a CCTA member, you’ll find everything you need in one handy location.

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REGISTER ONLINE FOR THE CCTA 2015 ANNUAL MEETING

Click here to easily access any of the following registration options:

• Full and One-Day Registration for CCTA Member Attendees and Exhibitors

• Full and One-Day Registration for Non-Member Attendees and Exhibitors

• Sponsorships

If your company is a member of the Association and 2015 membership dues have been paid, or you are a representative of a non-member company, you can take advantage of special Advance Rates by registering early. The special Advance Rates are available only for registrations received through January 12, 2015.

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RESERVE YOUR STAY AT THE JAMAICA HILTON ROSE HALL RESORT AND SPA FOR THE 2015 ANNUAL MEETING

The Hilton Rose Hall Resort has established a special reservations page for use by Annual Meeting attendees. Reservations must be made by January 16, 2015. By using the link above, you will ensure that you receive the specially-negotiated hotel room rate for your stay in Montego Bay.

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HELPFUL INFORMATION, GUIDELINES AND FORMS

To ensure your effective and easy participation in the 2015 Annual Meeting and to help make the most of your stay in Jamaica, the CCTA has prepared the following Informational Documents and Guidelines for your use:

• Guidelines for Traveling to and Staying in Montego Bay

• Guidelines and Forms for 2015 Annual Meeting Exhibitors

• Guidelines and Forms for Shipping to and from Jamaica

• Important Deadlines

• Schedule of Events

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SPONSORSHIPS

The Annual Meeting relies heavily on the generosity of its participating companies, primarily through sponsorships, to cover the activities at the Annual Meeting. Visit this link to select and secure your sponsorships. Sponsorships must be selected by January 12, 2015, in order to receive proper recognition. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Executive Director at info@cctanet.com.

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HIGHLIGHTS PARTICIPATION

Especially for Associate Members, the CCTA offers five-minute speaking spots during the Highlights Sessions on February 4. If you want to secure a spot, please download and complete the 2015 Highlights Participation Form and submit it to the Executive Director at info@cctanet.com or send by fax to 561-952-4002. Speaking slots are limited, so make sure you submit your request as soon as you have completed your Annual Meeting registration. Please read the conditions for participation closely.

We have provided plenty of information for you, but we think you'll find reading it very worthwhile. The CCTA's Board of Directors look forward to seeing you in warm, sunny Montego Bay in February. Pack those sunglasses and get ready for a bright mid-winter getaway!

CCTA Wavelengths: Issue 7 - Summer 2014

More Details on the 2015 Annual Meeting

Since the CCTA announced that the 2015 Annual Meeting will be held in Montego Bay, Jamaica, interest in the meeting and venue has skyrocketed. The board of directors recently approved the schedule for the three-day meeting, which will be held in two locations - Hilton Rose Hall Resort and Montego Bay Convention Centre.

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You are the first to know this info!

Here is a brief synopsis of the schedule:

Monday, February 2

• Registration

• Board of Directors' Meeting

• Tuesday, February 3

• Golf Tournament

• Tennis Tournament

• Exhibit Hall Set-up

• Welcome Cocktail Party

  Wednesday, February 4

• Programming and Technical Highlights Sessions

• Marketing/Management Topic 1

• Technical Topic 1

• Luncheon with Keynote Speaker

• Exhibit Hall

• Banquet on the Beach

  Thursday, February 5

• Associate Members' Meeting

• Annual Membership Meeting including Reports from Cable Operators

• Marketing/Management Topic 2

• Technical Topic 2

• Luncheon in Exhibit Hall

• Exhibit Hall, Farewell Cocktail Party and Auction
  

  Friday, February 6

• Exhibit Hall Breakdown

As more information becomes available, we will be sharing it in upcoming e-mail announcements!

The Jamaica Hilton Rose Hall Resort and Spa

2014 Technical Training Session Announced
July 15th through 17th

The CCTA has just released the registration materials for its annual Technical Training, which will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on three days - Tuesday, July 15; Wednesday, July 16; and Thursday, July 17. 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., is busy finalizing details of the schedule, which will include three full days of training modules presented by experts in cable industry technology and engineering. Some of the topics to be covered are WiFi 101 and Implementing WiFi over HFC Networks; Home Installation Process and Certification; Troubleshooting Techniques; Cable Staff Training; CLI/LTE Interference; TDR Event Analysis; Code Error Rate; and From HFC to FTTH - How to migrate from the current HFC networks to a FTTH architecture. A full schedule will be released shortly.

The 2014 training will take place at the Sheraton Puerto Rico Hotel & Casino located at 200 Convention Boulevard in San Juan. The hotel has provided a rate of $135 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 12 through July 20, based on availability. Reservations can be made here. You may also call the hotel's Central Reservations office at 1-866-932-7269 to reserve a room. You must mention the "2014 CCTA Technical Training" to be eligible for the special rate, which expires on July 3.

If you are interested in attending the 2014 Technical Training, or having your company sponsor a social event, please contact Executive Director Andrea L. Martin at info@cctanet.com or at 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 Wednesday, July 9.

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Lisa Burke of Weststar TV presents a check for $1,000 from the CCTA's Community Charities Program to athletes involved in Special Olympics Cayman Islands.

2014 Community Charities Program

Twelve exceptional charities will benefit from the CCTA's Community Charities Program this year. The board of directors unanimously agreed to award $1,000 to each organization that was nominated by a cable system member of the CCTA.

David Burrows, CCTA chair and head of marketing for Cable Bahamas, stated, "The missions of these 12 nominees range from health services to education, from senior care to humane care. All nominees provide vital services to their communities and we are pleased to be able to help each one." The board made the decision to provide all 2014 nominees with $1,000 at their meeting on May 22.

The 12 grant recipients and their sponsoring companies are: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bermuda nominated by Bermuda CableVision Ltd.; Bregado Flax Primary School nominated by BVI Cable TV; Go Gogo Foundation Corp. nominated by Choice Cable TV of Puerto Rico; Clarendon Infirmary nominated by General Satelite Network Company Ltd. of Jamaica; 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 Liberty Cablevision of Puerto Rico; St. Maarten Animal Welfare Foundation nominated by St. Maarten Cable TV; Warriors for Christ Pathfinder Club nominated by The Cable of St. Kitts; Fundashon Pro Bista nominated by T.V. Distribution Systems of Curacao; Special Olympics Cayman Islands nominated by WestStar TV Limited; and Home Away From Home nominated by Wireless Telecommunication Network of St. Maarten.

The Community Charities Program was established by the CCTA in 1993. Since then, the program has distributed over $293,000 in grants to more than 120 charities in the region.

The CCTA extends its appreciation to Broadband Library (Mobile) for its continuing support of the cable and telecommunications community and for its coverage of the CCTA Annual Meetings. Be sure to check out BBL’s great quarterly publications for informative cable industry news and updates.

CCTA Wavelengths: Issue 6 - Spring 2014

And the answer to the big question is...Jamaica!

That's right, the 2015 Annual Meeting will be held in Montego Bay, Jamaica, next February! The Board of Directors recently made the decision to head to Jamaica for the first time in the CCTA's history. The site hotel will be the Hilton Rose Hall Resort and Spa (located right on the beach), while the Exhibit Hall and several sessions will be held at the beautiful Montego Bay Convention Centre just down the road. The exact dates of the three-day Annual Meeting are February 3, 4 and 5, 2015. So Save Those Dates. The host cable system will be General Satellite Network, so be prepared to enjoy some great Jamaican hospitality. More details on the 2015 Annual Meeting will be available later this year.

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More great training just around the corner

Here are more dates to save on your calendar: July 15, 16 and 17! That's when the highly-successful Technical Training will take place, once again at the Sheraton Puerto Rico Hotel & Casino in San Juan. Associate Director John T. Kurpinski, Sr., will be developing the agenda and he is asking for suggestions for topics from the association's cable operators. For all you Active Members out there, you know what your staffs need in the way of education. So send your ideas to info@cctanet.com and they will be forwarded to John. Whenever possible, John sources speakers from among our Associate Members. Registration and information on booking rooms at the Sheraton will be released closer to the dates.

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2014 Community Charities Program underway

The 2014 Community Charities Program recently opened for nominations. Since 1993, the CCTA has contributed more than $281,000 to charitable organizations in the region. The charities are nominated by the Active Members and then reviewed by the members of the Board of Directors who make the final selection. Nominations for this year's program must be submitted by May 15, 2014. Over the years, the grants have ranged between $750 and $1,000 each. Active Members are urged to use the presentation of the checks to their nominated charities to promote their companies, the association, and the cable television industry in the Caribbean.

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Lignum Vitae blossoms; the national flower of Jamaica

Did You Know...

... that Montego Bay is the capital of St. James parish, located on the northwest side of the island of Jamaica? Frequently called Mobay, the city is situated on the ocean and surrounded by majestic hills. The city has its own airport, Sangster International Airport (MBJ). Don't make the mistake of flying into Kingston, because then you'll have to rent a car and drive for hours before glimpsing enchanting Montego Bay.