LONG BEACH, CA: With a theme like "Honoring Generations, Uniting Families, Celebrating Cultures", the LPS annual convention held at the Long Beach Convention Center on March 1-2 was deemed a smashing success. On March 1, over 150 youths, 18 years and over were treated to a three-hour cruise with Indian food and entertainment.

Due to limited capacity on the cruise, an overwhelming number of youths were not able to join their friends. LPS officers have taken note of this and will hire a bigger boat in the future. Others enjoyed a welcome reception with dinner and entertainment on March 1 at the above venue. Unfortunately, there were no activities planned for young adults between the ages 15-18.Sunday March 2 was an important day for Leuvas from Surat, Navsari and Valsad districts of south Gujarat, as they gathered in business attire to witness the lamp lighting ceremony and opening of the general session.

Harshad Patel, Chairman and Hasubhai Patel, Co-Chair of the convention welcomed all and thanked all the silver sponsors, namely, Aahoa, Accor, Guest Supply, Haven Trust and State Bank of Texas. They were also very happy to see over a thousand people attend this two-day convention and said that LPS is heading in the right direction.

Hiten Bhutta, CEO, CGS Infotech, who has thousands of clients in 40 countries, gave a powerful presentation of Technology Plus - Role of Technology in Hotel success. He spoke in Gujarati and first explained what LPS means to him: "Love, Power & Service. Most management theories about hospitality will say that Customer is King and, therefore, treat the guest like king," said Bhutta. He discussed techniques and tools to create and implement winning technology strategy.

However, very few hoteliers understand the enormous impact of Internet and emerging technology on their success. In his lecture, Bhutta discussed three major technologies that will impact the hotel industry. They are: SEO, PPC & Email Marketing; Social Media Optimization; Second Life and Hotels in virtual world.He showed a PowerPoint presentation of the importance of the internet to the hotel industry citing that over 86 percent of all travel and vacation research is now done online and over 50 percent of all travel reservations are done online and there are three main opportunities that online sales present:Incremental revenues, reduced cost of sale, enhanced brand loyalty and client relationships.

He emphasized that reviews written on properties should be taken very seriously. These Travel-Generated Content (TGC) refers to all travel-related and blog entries posted on the Internet for fellow travelers to read. Reviews are permanent and negative reviews should be taken very seriously. Experts agree that the content is not only being read, but it also has become a trusted resource that travelers rely on during their purchasing process.

TGC is more trusted than professional travel reviews and these reviews create a brand, not a franchisor. Also, all hotels should create their own review section on their hotel website.Niraj Baxi introduced the next speaker - Babu Suthar - eminent educationalist - Univ. of Pennsylvania. Suthar spoke in Gujarati about what forms a language. "It is spoken, understood, written - languages of the world are dying and Gujarati needs to survive" said Suthar. With a PH.D in Gujarati, he has published a literary magazine in America.

Hindu philosopher, spiritual leader, motivational lecturer, author of motivational books, Munelal Maharaj of Trinidad was called upon the stage to enlighten the audience. He is a familiar face to many as he has addressed at other LPS gatherings. Munelal's advice to all was to be humble, simple and to be a person that god wants you to become. Meditation is important in one's life and explained what spirituality is and how to differentiate spirituality and religion. Going to temple does not make one a spiritual person.

He said that smiling is a way of expressing spirituality. "Start your day with positive feelings and don't compare yourself with others. You're unique and dynamic. To be spiritual is to be humble. Help others progress and make time for yourself. Harmonize with your family and remember, meditation prevents medication," said Munelal.AAHOA board member Dharmesh Patel of Atlanta introduced AAHOA Chairman Dilip "Danny" Sardar. Sardar elaborated on this year's theme. He said LPS is our forefather's gift and how this generation should unite and make it stronger.

"We should protect, promote and preserve our assets and our culture" said Sardar. He also pointed out that networking is important and for all to get involved with LPS.Last speaker of this session was Sitanshu Yashachandra, winner of the Padmashree, highest Indian civilian honor. He echoed the same thoughts as other speakers and urged all to preserve the Gujarati language and culture.Following a scrumptious lunch prepared by Jay Bharat, the adult Leuvas dispersed to attend the breakout sessions which included topics like:Yoga and improving Life - presented by Munelal Maharaj Ayurveda - The road to perfect health - by Kanuja Champaneri, Legal and tax service tips - by The Chugh Firm; Preserving, Protecting, Promoting family wealth - by Mayur Dalal of Legacy Group; Young Leuvas had sessions catering to their needs such as: University Admission. SAT, Essays, University Prep Preparing for College, Young adults Mixer for ages 18-28 onlyMany decided to check out the tradeshow, which had over sixty vendors showcasing hotel goods to jewelry and clothing.

Children were treated to a clown show and a magic show.Evening's program, emceed by Kalpana Patel and Hasubhai Patel, started with cultural dances performed by young Leuvas. Also, the new LPS board of directors and the new executive committee was announced. For a list of this, log on to leuvapatidarsamaj.com.Outgoing President Bhagubhai Patel, gave his final address by first inviting all the volunteers on stage. He lauded major LPS milestones accomplished in his tenure.

These includes, establishing a Call Center and an Educational Foundation in public charity, holding successful golf tournaments in Atlanta, GA and Baha, Mexico, a Volleyball tournament in Houston, TX, having two regional conferences in India and over seventeen in the US, adding 300 plus lifetime members and 800 plus annual members, reopening the LPS office in Nashville, TN, which had been shut down for the past four years by appointing Ravindra Dave as the National LPS Manager and making the Leuva community magazine (Leuva Connection) the best magazine ever for this community generating maximum revenue in his tenure of 18 months.For incoming President Dahyabhai (DV) Patel, this was a proud moment as he announced that as the eighth LPS President, he is the fourth from Nashville, TN area.He will serve for 16 months after which former AAHOA Chairman, Mukesh Mowji, will takeover for a one-year term. Patel's goals are many, namely:1.

Enhancing the LPS website by adding sections that address legal matters, such as immigration and business laws, a section that discusses emerging health issues, and a more elaborate Youth E-Letter,2.Making Leuva Connection self-sufficient, making 1,300 lifetime members by 2009 and 1700 lifetime members by 2010,3. Holding over fifteen regional conferences all across the Americas and to encourage more participation from Virginia, Missouri, Alabama, Kentucky and other areas where LPS has not traveled before, 4. To raise more money for the scholarship foundation from $350,000 to $500,000 and to raise the principle to $1,5m., 5. Holding golf tournaments and getting all of the 51 Board members involved in different committees.

"The first order of business includes a two-day strategy-planning meeting in Nashville. Together with my executive committee, we will come up with our term's goals and goals for the next 5 years. As part of the strategic planning meeting, we will be implementing some new Policies and Procedures. First, as officers for LPS, one must be able to commit at least 100 days of service and be able to fund their own travel (up to $5000.00).

They must also attend 66% of LPS events. We will also be implementing a high-level plan to elect and/or select Area Representatives," said Patel. He also is seeking suggestions on how to get more involvement from young professionals. Lastly, he thanked his family for their unwavering support.The night concluded with entertainment by Mazar.