Don't miss ISM's 2009 conference in Chicago.

The ISM Agenda Committee met on Jan. 13-15 in Chicago at the Marriott Magnificent Mile, site of the 2009 conference to be held Aug. 30-Sept. 2, to begin crafting what they expect will be the best agenda ever for an ISM conference. Twenty-five government and private-sector IT professionals brainstormed for two days on topics of interest for the conference attendees. They were aided by 61 proposed topic abstracts received in December in response to the ISM call for papers.

The committee members will now hold multiple weekly phone calls for the next four to five months as they strive to perfect the agenda and arrange for the best possible speakers to address the topics that they feel are relevant to the human service professionals who attend the conference. It is important to remember that the ISM conference is geared to all human service professionals who have to work on a daily basis with IT--which is pretty much everyone in the field. The conference has three breakout tracks, a business track, a solutions track and a technical track to cover the waterfront of the human service professions.

Speaking of waterfronts, it was cold while the committee met in Chicago, but in August the weather should be very nice, with the mild breezes coming off nearby Lake Michigan. The Marriott Magnificent Mile is a wonderful facility with large meeting rooms and ample overnight rooms. Its location is ideal for enjoying the attractions of downtown Chicago. ISM is the one conference that you will not want to miss this year.

IT Solutions Management for Human Services an affiliate of the American Public Human Services Association