The Annual Meeting Committee has been hard at work planning since early this year.

October 14-15, Thursday and Friday following the ABC Show
Las Vegas, Nevada

10/14 early AM – Retailer and Diaper Service Meetings
10/14 late AM – Manufacturer Meeting
10/14 AM – breakout session
10/14 lunch – Social
10/14 afternoon – Keynote
10/14 afternoon – breakout session
10/14 evening – Annual Meeting of Members
10/15 AM – breakout sessions

Pre-registration and more details about the meeting should be available by early April.

Annual Meeting Committee

Shayla Boyd-Gill (Aylahs Alternatives), Chair and Board Liaison
Ann-Marie Speirs (Cozy Baby Boutique)
Judy Aagard (Tiny Tots Diaper Service and Baby Boutique)
Summer Johnston (No Sugar Added)
Matt Guckin (Diaper Junction)
Rachel Aube (Real Diaper Industry Association)

The Committee needs your help in planning and carrying out the annual meeting. Would you like to join in the planning? Can you donate a few hours of your time during the meeting to help with registration, set up, or documentation? Contact Shayla at shayla@realdiaperindustry.org.

The Real Diaper Industry Association board held their annual board meeting Saturday, September 12 and elected new officers to lead the association during this exciting time of growth for the cloth diaper industry.

• Chairperson, Leah Carter – Better for Babies (Manufacturer)
• Vice Chairperson, Shayla Boyd-Gill – Alyahs Alternatives (Retailer)
• Secretary, Lori Taylor – Fuzbaby (Small Manufacturer)
• Treasurer, Dennis Frederick – All Together Diaper (Manufacturer)

Cloth diaper business meeting start tomorrow, Monday, September 14 with members-only meetings of Manufacturers, Diaper Services, and Retailers. Breakout sessions will continue through the late morning and afternoon on “Tapping into Your Local Community” (Shayla Boyd-Gill, Vice Chairperson), “Regulations / CPSIA” (Leah Carter, Chairperson), “Brick and Mortar Strategies” (Molly Ging of The Little Seedling), a business panel (Dennis Frederick, Treasurer; Diana Alatalo of Babies Bottoms and More, Annual Meeting Chair; Shannon Doan of Wildflower Diapers, outgoing board member; Linda Byerline of Happy Heinys; and Judy Aagard of Tiny Tots Diaper Service & Baby Boutique, board member), and “SEO / Social Media” (Lori Taylor, Secretary).

See the full meeting schedule and visit our meeting sponsors. If you will be at the ABC Kids Expo in Las Vegas, please visit the exhibiting RDIA members’ booths.

If you can’t be at the RDIA meetings in Las Vegas this year, follow along on Twitter. @RealDiaperIA and others will be live tweeting using #rdia09 during the meetings. Frequent updates will also be posted here on the RDIA blog.

Have you registered for the RDIA annual meeting yet? Registration is free to RDIA members. Non-members and press are welcome.

Today is the last day to register before there is a $10 late fee (to cover the costs of making changes).

From today’s press release:

The Real Diaper Industry Association (RDIA) is proud to announce the Cloth Diaper Business Conference and 2nd Annual RDIA Meeting September 13 -14, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event will take place at the Las Vegas Convention Center. This year’s theme is What Happens in Vegas Can Change Your Business Forever. It is free to members and $40.00 for other attendees.

The Real Diaper Industry Association relies on volunteer board and committee members to continue its success. This event will bring together cloth diaper manufacturers, retailers, diaper service providers and diaper information services from across the United States and Canada. Members will gather to network and discuss the goals for the organization.

A number of topics important to the cloth diaper industry will be addressed:

• Jennifer Billock, owner, Over the Moon Diapers, will present the latest research in the cloth diaper industry.
• Shayla Boyd-Gill, owner, Alyahs Alternatives, will present information on networking in the local communities.
• Leah Carter, owner, Better for Babies, will present Regulation and CSPIA news.
• Lori Taylor, owner, FuzBaby and Firefly Diapers, will present SEO and Social Media tips and techniques.
• A variety of other presenters will lead discussion such as: brick and mortar strategies and business chat.

“I am excited that RDIA has members that are committed to sharing the benefits of cloth diapers with families worldwide,” said Jennifer Labit, CEO of Cotton Babies, Inc and RDIA board member, “We are working hard to bring much needed support to cloth diaper business owners and create an organization that they can use to enhance their businesses.”