And now for something a little bit lighter… Last Friday I attended a Philadelphia NASPP Chapter meeting at Lincoln Financial Field–that’s the stadium where the Philadelphia Eagles play.  Yes, that’s right–the meeting was held in press box of Lincoln Financial Field.

The half-day meeting was attended by over 100 NASPP members and other equity compensation professionals.  The presenters included Andrew Schwartz of BNY Mellon Shareowner Services, Kevin McCosker of Pershing, and me on “Cost-Basis Reporting: Issues for Equity Compensation Professionals”; and Emily Cervino of the CEP Institute, Terry Adamson of Aon Hewitt, and David Lanka of Bank of America Merrill Lynch on “Prevailing Over Particularly Perplexing Performance Plans.”

In addition to enjoying lunch with a commanding view of the field from the press box, attendees were also treated to tours of the stadium. Below are a few highlights from my tour.

The view of the field.  The condition of this field exactly demonstrates why I don’t want the Oakland A’s to have to share a field with the Raiders.  Fun fact that we learned on the tour is that the field is a combination of grass and astroturf. The astroturf threads are woven in with the grass.

Looking up at the stands and the scoreboard from the field.  You feel very small standing on the field.

Our tour group (the chapter meeting was so well attended, we had to break into groups for the tour) is rapt with attention while our guide presents.  He was very knowledgeable about the stadium but had no opinion on whether the straight-line or accelerated attribution method makes the most sense for awards with graded vesting.

The tunnel that the players use to enter and exit the field.  Just like the one in the Coke commercial–I guess the tunnel doesn’t change much from one stadium to the next.

Nuclear energy at Lincoln Financial Field? No, just the room where injured players go for x-rays.

Our tour group in the room where the coaches and players are interviewed after the game.

Terry Adamson of Aon Hewitt and president of the NASPP Philadelphia chapter in the Lincoln Financial Field press box. Kudos to Terry and the rest of the Philadelphia chapter board for putting together such a great event.  And a special thank-you to Scott McCloskey of Lincoln Financial for arranging for the chapter to be able use this meeting space, to Lincoln Financial and the staff at the field for being such gracious hosts, and, last, but certainly not least, BNY Mellon Shareowner Services for sponsoring the meeting.

Online Fundamentals Starts in One Week–Don’t Miss It!
The NASPP’s acclaimed online program, “Stock Plan Fundamentals,” begins on April 14. This multi-webcast course covers the regulatory framework and administrative best practices that apply to stock compensation; it’s a great program for anyone new to the industry or anyone preparing for the CEP exam. Register today.

NASPP “To Do” List
We have so much going on here at the NASPP that it can be hard to keep track of it all, so I keep an ongoing “to do” list for you here in my blog. 

• Register for 19th Annual NASPP Conference (November 1-4 in San Francisco).  Don’t wait; the early-bird rate is only available until May 13.
• Check out the NASPP’s Facebook and Twitter pages.
• Register for the NASPP’s newest online course, “Financial Reporting for Equity Compensation.”  Don’t wait; the early-bird rate is only available until April 29.
• Register for the NASPP’s online Stock Plan Fundamentals program.
• Complete the Compliance-O-Meter quiz on Global Mobility.
• Take the “Question of the Week” challenge.
• Purchase the audio for the 18th Annual NASPP Conference.
• Renew your NASPP membership for 2011 (if you aren’t an NASPP member, join today).

– Barbara