2000…A Return to the City of Angels…
It didn’t take long to score another repeat host, as UCLA’s Anderson School welcomed the GBC back in 2000. But this time, UCLA wowed delegates with its brand-new state-of-the-art building. Conference Chairman Dave Binetti and his team put together a fantastic slate of presenters and sessions focusing on a very timely theme – “The Net Effect” – how the Internet is changing the face of business. Friday’s activities started with excellent speeches by Lon Hatamiya, Secretary of the California Trade and Commerce Agency, and Christopher Alden, co-founder, President, and CEO of Red Herring Communications. A series of panel discussions with a variety of business leaders then explored the effect of the Internet on industries and disciplines such as Consulting, Finance, and Marketing, and Entrepreneurship. Friday ended with an unbelievable spread of fresh seafood at Gladstone’s on Pacific Coast Highway followed by late-night dancing to the live music stylings of the “Disco Pimps” at one of West L.A.’s hot spots, Lush.
Our UCLA hosts kicked off Saturday’s leadership day with a unique session led by leadership consultants from Blessing/White, Inc. Delegates got a chance to explore their own unique leadership styles and strengths. From there, groups of delegates gathered in break-out sessions to share ideas on issues that they face as student leaders, such as Student Involvement, Diversity and Recruitment, and Leveraging the Internet. Finally, the conference closed with an intriguing speech by Sky Dayton, Founder and Chairman of Earthlink. Delegates got a real-world taste of “The Net Effect” as Mr. Dayton told the story of building Earthlink from a few computers in his basement into one of the world’s largest Internet service providers. Sky Dayton was subsequently given the 2000 GBF Business Leadership Award for his innovation in the Information Technology sector, and leadership in the community.
Saturday night, UCLA’s conference team put together one of the most outstanding social events in recent memory – a superb gala at Sony Picture Studios Backlot. Conference attendees strolled down the boulevards of famous movie sets while dining on fine food and further building the lasting friendships that has become the hallmark of the GBC. The evening was capped by the presentation of the annual Student Leadership Award to Andrew Tulchin from the University of Washington for his work on the Peers Teaching Peers Program. Emory University delegates Travis Dommert and Matt Freeman, in addition to successfully submitting a winning bed to host the 2002 GBC, also joined the GBF as their newest volunteers, as did Kristi Miller student president and delegate from University of Maryland.
