Over 450 Taus and guests converged on the Renaissance SeaWorld Resort
in Orlando, Fla. on August 4, 2010 for what has become the largest
gathering of ATOs every two years. The 79th ATO Congress played host to
133 chapters and colonies from across the nation.
The opener on Wednesday night kicked off with a lot of excitement and
unveils. The new ATO Mobile web-application for smart phones was
released, and the new ATO Roadshow plan was unveiled. Possibly the
biggest hit of the night, however, was the live-stream that was
engineered for our viewers at home.
Throughout the week, ATO streamed a live feed of many sessions during
Congress. After all was said and done, with Congress at a close, the
numbers topped over 1,000 views of Congress via the web with over 500
hours of video streamed by viewers just like you. Not to mention there
were viewers from other countries tuning in too, making this
ground-breaking Congress a worldwide event.
ATO Congress is an incredibly unique experience. All week, brothers
stood together in fellowship and learned from the extremely
knowledgable staff of Consultants and guest speakers. The line-up of
guest speakers included Dave Westol of
Limberlost Consulting, Matt Mattson of
Phired Up Productions, Brad Karsh of
Job Bound and Adam Ritz of
Ritz Enterprises.
ATO also had the opportunity to host a VIP Panel, which was MC'ed by
Bruce O-Donoghue, Florida '73, and was composed of Phil Bender,
Missouri '84, Chas Bailes, Georgia Tech '72, and Brett Trapp, North
Alabama '00.
Not only did brothers participate in educational sessions and panels
aimed at preparing them to better manage their chapters, but they also
celebrated each others triumphs. The Final Banquet on Saturday night
saw 28 chapters walk away with True Merit. Baylor was announced as the
Top Chapter Runner-Up, and Alabama's Beta Delta chapter took home the
ultimate prize of 2010 Top Chapter.
Given the many remarks that the Headquarters has received in the days
following Congress, it is safe to place the 79th ATO Congress into the
history books for the innovative technical achievements, ATO firsts,
and overall experience provided to the brothers of ATO.
Thanks to all who made Congress such a great experience for all involved. Welcome to The ATO Story.