Happy New Year!  

We hope that you and your organization have had a fantastic start to the 20's!  Our team has been busy preparing for the 10th Annual SSIA Conference in Cancun from February 18th-21st, which will be our most-attended conference outside of the US to date!  

As the SSIA wraps up its first decade in operation, we are grateful for all of the folks that have come together for the purpose of sharing knowledge, networking, saving money through purchasing programs and growing their businesses.  We also look forward to this year and beyond as we enter our second decade in operation.   

In this month's newsletter, we will share important announcements and reminders, introduce our newest SSIA member and sponsor, and share our monthly highlights. 

If you have any questions or comments, or would like to be considered for a future Highlight opportunity, please contact Krissy at krissy@ssia.us.

~ Your SSIA Team

1. If you are leading a seminar, please submit a brief description about your topic to Felix Goodson at felix@govavi.com.  Please also send a bio and headshot to Galen Beers at galen@ssia.us by Tuesday, February 4th.  
2. Sign up for seminars - Some of our seminars have limited space, so check out the agenda to decide which ones you'd like to attend.  You know what they say about those early birds!  Click HERE to sign up for your seminars.
3. Bring a friend or spouse to attend SSIA receptions and dinners! The guest fee is $50/person and includes access to the Welcome Reception, Social Star Reception, Awards Ceremony, and the SSIA Challenge (as an audience member, not a participant).  Please note that this option is not available to SSIA Members, Partners, Sponsors or affiliated employees.  Click HERE to register your guest(s). 
4. Sign up for the Friday Night Social - If you are staying Friday night, please join us for a sunset cruise!  Resort credits can be used towards this excursion so that the cost is only $37.50/person.  Email the hotel directly at lgarduno@hrhcancun.com and cc krissy@ssia.us to reserve your spot.
5. Click HERE to see the roster and connect with your Team Challenge teammates!
6. Stay tuned for more details about the SSIA Conference App - That’s right, the SSIA is bringing back the conference app, which allows attendees to customize their schedules and manage almost everything related to the conference experience from a smart phone. 

We are excited to announce our newest Gold Sponsor, OpenSports!

Thanks to the growing support among members like Heyday Athletic (the new Philly Sports Leagues) and Sons of Pitches FC, OpenSports is processing hundreds of thousands of orders for adult pickup games per year. It’s a new source of revenue for groups that often have otherwise unused fields and acts as an easy gateway to leagues for new players.

The OpenSports system is simple: your members join your group on OpenSports and every time you post an event, they can RSVP and pay in advance. OpenSports handles invitations, memberships, waivers, a multitude of discount options, and features a robust automatic waitlist and refund system so you don’t have to worry about no shows. Whether you want to run lunchtime games, maximize permits, or cross promote your products (leagues, tournaments, and pickups), OpenSports is a homerun!

Their co-founders Alicia and James have fun events planned for Cancun (like a morning running group if you are brave enough!) and are excited to meet all of our members!

If you have questions about launching pickup or to learn more about OpenSports, you can shoot a message to Alicia at alicia@opensports.net.

1. In preparation for the conference, we will pick up the Coffee Chats again in March.  Keep any eye out for more information.