Well, here it is 1999! I bet you probably haven’t even given it a thought what you were doing, say 20 years ago or even when you were in high school. When I think about my high school days, I remember I couldn’t wait to get my first car. That’s about all. Back then, 1999 seemed so far in the future and I thought a lot about my car. Then came the Vietnam War, and still 1999 seemed far away. Even when I started the magazine in 1987, 1999 seemed like a figment of my imagination. Then in 1989, we started the Disaster Recovery Institute. I didn’t have time to think about 1999. In 1991, I had my stroke. Just think it’s been 8 years. The thing about it is when a person’s young, the only thought is about getting older. And once they’re older, they say, "to be 21 years old again. That would be a trick".

At the end of this year, the Millennium will finally arrive. I’ve heard many stories of how we’ll have no electricity, no computers, etc., but I believe these things won’t happen. I’m just thankful to be around to see the Year 2000 roll in. What a moment that will be! I believe most of those in this industry have their I’s dotted and their T’s crossed.

But if you are one of those who is not prepared, time is running out. You have to make sure your systems are ready for the Millennium as well as those that belong to your vendors, suppliers and clients. It’s a lot to be prepared for. The question now is: "Are you satisfied with all you’ve done to protect your business?" If you’ve answered yes, then I congratulate you and hope that you are right. If you’re answer is no, then you’ll have a busy year ahead of you.

DRJ is committed to bringing you the most information on this important subject. We’ve started by packing this issue with helpful articles on the Year 2000 problem.

Also, plan to attend our next conference, The 10th Annual Corporate Contingency Planning Seminar and Exhibition in San Diego, March 21-24.

The conference agenda is loaded with a "magical" amount of Year 2000 information so that you can be sure you’ve covered all your bases. A sampling of the Year 2000 sessions include:

• "Capture The Vision" for the New Millennium, by Tom Britton, Britton & Britton.

• Winning in the New Millennium, by Michael F. Mulholland, SunGard Recovery Services, Inc.

• Are You Sure You’ll Be Ready for the Year 2000?, by Tari Schreider, Sprint Paranet.

• Contingency Planning for the Year 2000, by John Ticer, Stac. Inc.

• How to Prepare Your Year 2000 Emergency Response Team, presented by Gerry Smith, Corporate Response Group, Inc.

• Year 2000 Liability - Do You Think You Have It Covered?, presented by William Wise, Munich-American Risk Partners.

• And many more sessions!

We’ve covered every angle of the Y2K issue! In addition, numerous other contingency planning subjects will be covered, as well as a Mock Recovery Exercise and a Cyber Cafe.

The exhibition hall has only 15 remaining booths. If you’re interested in exhibiting or would like a detailed brochure on the conference, call our office.

And looking further into 1999, DRJ’s second conference of the year will also provide a great opportunity for learning. This conference will be in Orlando.

In the year 2000, we’ll be moving our fall conference to a new location - the Coronado Springs Resort in Orlando. This hotel sleeps 1,925 and has over 95,000 square feet of flexible meeting space and over 60,000 square feet of ballroom space, making it the largest hotel ballroom in the southeastern U.S. The price for a room will be $119 during our conference in 2000. To get your bearings right, the Walt Disney World Coronado Springs Resort is right down the street from the Walt Disney Dolphin Hotel and Swan Hotel. I will fill you in on more of the details as this conference draws closer.