By Flor Eugenia Solano MontenegroIn the framework of the COCAL 2008 Congress, in Montevideo, Costa Rica is celebrating not only its birthday number 14 in the Federation but the honour of presenting itself as the host of the next Congress, on March 10 - 14 of 2009.
Together with my colleague and associate Yadyra Simón we ore he privileged actresses of this work. From its beginnings in 1994, hen COCAL's Directive Committee, headed by its president, Carlos Beim the dear master from Uruguay, had the visionary idea of celebrating the Congress in San José, Costa Rica; actually it was called X Formative Seminar for Organizers of Congresses and Related.
A contingent of professionals from various fields come together at the Corobicí Hotel from February 28 to March 4 of 1994, hungry for knowledge to lay the bases for the work we had been doing empirically, with the trial and proof method and heavy doses of common sense, united to lots of love for what we already had transformed into our profession.
There I was honoured to meet Carlos Monferrer, Jorge Castex, Lorenzo Maçuca (of late memory), Ana María Montes, Malú Lentino, Gustavo Rincón, David Burgos, Álvaro Vázquez, Elsa Bateman and other distinguished persons, that today 1 have the privilege of considering colleagues and above all, my Latin American brothers and sisters.
A workshop was strategically held among the Costa Rican participants that left behind a seed, product of what would become the Costa Rican Association: a group of some 30 persons, motivated to constitute the entity, and, identified with the objectives our predecesora, aware of the importance of being part of COCAL.
"Cocaleños" of then were not aware of the ground they were trampling on: Ticos are gregarious by nature, we have a number of associations beyond the imaginable. That some afternoon we named a provisional board of directors, I had the honor to preside. Two weeks later we had our first reunion and by the end of the year, 11 persons signed the constitutive act of Costa Rica's Association of Professional Organizers of Congresses and Related.
Elsa Bateman, COCAL's president elect at the assembly held in Puntarenas, and Alvaro Vázquez her Colombian country man, were our sponsors, supporting us os we afro feted statutes and guidelines to become part of the Confederation.
One year later, by the end of March 1995, four proud "ticos": Jorge Jiménez (of late memory), Marianela Rojas, Beatriz Walter and the undersigned, were participating in the XII Congress held at the Casa Piedra Conventions Center, in Santiago, Chile: We had a post at the Ordinary Assembly of COCAL, with all admittance requirements fulfilled.
I remember COCAL's XIII Congress (March 4 - 7 of 1996) in Maracaibo, Venezuela, as one of the most arduous, for the work undertaken to modify the statutes, labor I assumed as editor. On that occasion I was accompanied by Catalina Dobles and Beatriz Walder. On March of 1997 the Congress took place in two Brazilian cities: Porto Alegre & tramado. Costa Rica was lucky, to be in charge of the coordination of the debate "Ethics in the organization of events, principles and basic norms," I was in charge of it, among great personalities of the sector as: Ana María Montes, president of COCAL; Carlos Monferrer; Roosevelt Haman; Gustavo Rincón and Sergio Baritusio.
Cocal's first congress of the XXI century was held at the Palace of Conventions, Havana, and a enthusiast Costa Rican delegation integrated by Nuvia Ramírez, Yadyra Simón, Christian Irwin and myself travelled along with Teddy Coll, a Costa Rican Tourist Board directive. For the first time we ha a Costa Rica stand at the Expomeeting.
That year was marked as milestone in the history of ADOCA within COCAL, as the Assembly was the longest COCAL had ever had, realized in Varadero. Costa Rica defended to the death hosting COCAL Congress against Brazil, whose delegation carried a list to request it too. Voting for Costa Rica reflected what then showed the respect we had earned, based on our efficient work and commitment.
Colleagues Yadyra Simón, Nuvia Ramírez and María Asunción Dangla attended Montevideo overcoming a thousand difficulties as they missed the flight and had to find their way to get there, no matter how, since they would present Costa Rica as host for the XIX Congress, held in San José, April 23-17 of 2002.
The enthusiasm achieved by our colleagues made a difference, and united to a committed and disinterested work from every associate, resulted in an excellent Congress, not only for the number of attendees but the high quality of the program and lecturers, support services, institutional endorsement and display of what can be achieved by Costa Rica in this field. We can't forget mentioning the support received from our very dear Eulogio Rodríguez, president of COCAL at that time.
In March of 2003 I represented the country in Curitiba, Brazil. One year following I attended the Congress in Lima with Juan Carlos Ramírez.
The XXII Congress, in March of 2004, was the celebration of COCAL's 25th anniversary in Mar del Plato, Argentina. I was present then with my colleague Lenín Jiménez. One year later, in Cartagena, Leonel Bonilla and I constituted the country's delegation; likewise for the XXIV edition, held in Monterrey, México.
As the supporter I have been of COCAL, os a uniting entity for the Latin American region, during these 14 years, I look back and appraise the positive aspects of being inside the organization. As a country it gives us a regional perspective within the world context we cannot lose sight of in a global era when countries can't achieve anything on their own.
As national association, COCAL links us to largest organizations, leaders at regional and world level: IAPCO, IICA, EFAPCO and AFIDA, among others. On the contrary Costa Rica has built bridges for the integration of our Central American brothers into the Federation. As individuals-professionals-impresarios of COCAL we obtain opportunities for exchange, feedback, alliances, collaboration, & training, to excel and grow in these three dimensions.
Nevertheless, most of the time I dare think of the future and glimpse COCAL: in harmony with worldwide activities, actively promoting the region as o destination, facing the new competitors, "optimizing business," as promised at Montevideo's Congress. With o certain amount of reminiscence, this historical account finishes, thinking of the 14 years-old child: Costa Rica in COCAL, o child no longer Next year reaching 15 years of age, to celebrate the gala of reaching maturity in San José, March 10 - 14 of 2009, at the XXVI Congress invites you to 'gather with nature."
