Annual Meeting 2004
Washington, DC
The 2004 Annual Meeting of the Federation of Alliances Françaises USA was held October 21-23, at the Hilton Washington Embassy Row Hotel. The elegant Ritz-Carlton Ballroom was the venue for our gala Tribute Dinner.
> Program of the meeting 
> Le réseau réaffirme sa pertinence (France-Amérique, Dec. 2004)
> Photo Album of Washington meeting
Ambassador and Madame Jean-David Levitte hosted a beautiful welcome reception Thursday evening at their residence and the Ambassador gave a special address to all attendees at the Friday luncheon. Saturday evening, at the Tribute Dinner "Puttin' on the Ritz for France," Ambassador Levitte honored Designer Pierre Cardin with the Federation Prix Charbonnier which was accepted by his ambassadrice Monique Raimond. The dinner provided guests the opportunity of having their pictures taken with the Ambassador and speaking to him about their concerns and the challenges facing their local Alliances.
Délégué Général Pierre Hudelot invited all participants to come to the Embassy on Thursday afternoon for a presentation of forthcoming cultural programs and education initiatives.
Workshops on Friday and Saturday included topics such as:
- Fundraising and special events
- Attracting new members
- Templates, documents and letters: models for you to adapt
- Recruiting teachers and retaining students
- Children's classes and programs
- Successful theme classes
- Cultural activities and "One Book - One Federation"
On Saturday afternoon, the Débats d'idées permitted AFs of similar size to meet together to discuss mutual problems and share solutions.
A special highlight was the plenary Table Ronde which focused on French-American relations. The guest moderator was Jean-Louis Turlin, President of France-Amérique. Guest panelists included Dr. Tom Bishop, former chair of the French Department at New York University; Dr. Charles Cogan, Harvard University, author French Negotiating Behavior; and Dr. Chris Pinet, Editor in Chief of the French Review. Elaine Uzan Leary, Executive Director of the French Library and Culture Center/AF de Boston and Cambridge, synthesized the discussions into an Alliance Française context and led the question-and-answer session.
Over 150 participants representing Alliances from the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico and France came together for the Federation meeting in Washington to renew their ties and reaffirm their commitment to the promotion of French language and culture and the importance of nurturing French-American friendship.