West Coast Super Conference Highlights for Private Investigators
- July 14, 2012
- by Kimberly Faber
- Associations
Video Highlights from the West Coast Super Conference
PInow.com sat down with Jimmie Mesis of PI Magazine, California Association of Licensed Investigators (CALI) President Chris Reyonlds, and attending investigators, speakers and vendors to bring you video highlights from the West Coast Super Conference. Watch now for more on speakers, vendors, a spectacular evening on the U.S.S. Midway, and what's in store for CALI next year.
Speakers and topics
With a packed speaker schedule, the seminars kicked off with keynote speaker Diane Dimond. Best known for breaking the story about the Michael Jackson molestation trial, Dimond recently released a book about White House party crashers Tareq and Michaele Salahi Dimond. She is an investigative journalist and special correspondent for Newsweek and TheDailyBeast.com, and provides commentary on a variety of shows including CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC. During her presentation she shared her experiences with a variety of high profile cases and shared some personal experiences with Anthony Pelicano.
“I work with so many PIs all over the country that I thought this would be a great opportunity to come and not only talk to PIs about interactions with the media, but also to get some contacts,” Dimond explained, “I’m glad I did this.”
Reynolds noted that one of the benefits of hosting a combined conference was the caliber of seminars and topics. “With a bigger conference you have the opportunity to attract a higher quality group of speakers,” he said. Speakers covered business topics, forensics, laws, and a variety of other topics. Michele Stuart covered internet profiling and social media while returning speaker David Queen discussed the relationship between private investigators and attorneys. Forensic analyst Jaco Swanepoel discussed physical matching and tool marks, Kevin Ripa discussed computer and cellular forensics, and other speakers covered internet marketing, attribution error, surveillance, and much more.
“There’s just a broad range of topics,” Reynolds concluded, “and any investigator could show up at this conference and be completely satisfied in going to one of the presentations.” Many attendees felt that with so many relevant and interesting topics spread throughout the concurrent sessions, there just wasn’t enough time in the day to attend everything they wanted to.
An evening at the U.S.S. Midway
In what was described as a spectacular event that will be impossible to top, attending private investigators were shuttled to a private event at the U.S.S. Midway. Investigators were able to browse the museum and ask various volunteers (most of whom served on the ship) questions about the planes, the ship, the equipment and how to land a plane on the carrier. As the sun set investigators dined on the flight deck and watched a special USO style show presented by the band NRG. During the show, the band sang and danced a variety of classic tunes, including Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy and Louis Armstrong's What a Wonderful World. Later in the night they kicked it up a notch and investigators and vendors alike hit the dance floor with classic rock covers of Journey's Don't Stop Believing and Def Leppard's Pour Some Sugar on Me.
What’s in store for CALI next year
With this year’s conference setting the new standard for future CALI conferences, board members hope for a large turn out in 2013. Newly elected CALI President Mike Julian explained that next year’s conference will be held in the Palo Alto area. “We want to do the high-tech thing since it’s so prevalent in our industry,” he explained, “we thought it would be neat to get a tour at Google or one of the high-tech companies.” Julian has been a member of CALI since 1995, and described his election as a big honor and great way to give back to the association.
Missed it? Register for the East Coast Super Conference today!
“I would say to private investigators who missed this conference: too bad!” attending private investigator Ken Childs began, “Too bad, because you missed out.” Investigators who missed this conference, however, have a second opportunity to attend a high caliber joint conference with great speakers. Visit PI Magazine to register for the East Coast Super Conference on October 10th, 11th, and 12th. The conference will be held in Atlantic City at the Tropicana Casino and Resort.
PInow will be exhibiting at the East Coast Super Conference as well, and we hope to see you there!
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