Dear friend of quality growth, As an attendee of last year's Plain Talk on Quality Growth conference, I want to make you aware of an important event that is coming to East Tennessee next week. The Tennessee Department of Tourism has put together a first rate conference on sustainable tourism that will be held next Monday and Tuesday, April 28th and 29th, at the Knoxville Convention Center. The Great Smoky Mountains Sustainable Tourism Summit promises to be an event of quality and significance that is breaking new ground for a major segment of our regional economy. If you haven't already registered for this conference, I want to encourage you to consider doing so. I believe it will be well worth your time, and I expect it to be a watershed event for bringing a new focus to our regional tourism industry. I have attached documents representing some of the highlights of the summit. For the most complete and up to date information, please go to the web site at http://sustainabletourismsummit.com Online registration closes at midnight tonight, Tuesday 4/24/08, but you can still sign up by faxing or calling the telephone numbers listed on the registration page at the above website. If you've been wondering about what happens next after last year's Plain Talk on Quality Growth conference, you won't have to wonder much longer. A new organization is being formed to take the lead on promoting and facilitating quality growth in East Tennessee. You can expect to hear more about it very soon, so stay tuned. Until then, I look forward to seeing you at next week's conference on sustainable tourism. Joe Hultquist Chairman East Tennessee Quality Growth Steering Committee