Nearly 300 owners, coaches, members of team management and special guests have descended upon Phoenix, Arizona for the 2003 Central Hockey League Spring Conference. The annual event is an opportunity for the various departments to get together and plan policy and procedure for the coming season. This year's Spring Conference is being held at the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs in Phoenix, a picturesque facility set into the mountain side in North Phoenix.

Sunday's one event was the annual CHL Job Fair, where participants met with team representatives looking to expand their staff. The official agenda begins Monday morning at 8:00 AM Arizona Time, with a Governor's Meeting for all team Governors. Later Monday, representatives from Game Face Inc., a highly respected marketing firm, will speak to all attendees in an open session, followed by a reception Monday evening.

Tuesday, departmental breakout sessions will be held for all departments, including Hockey Operations, Communications, Ticket Sales and Corporate Sales, as well as a Facility Managers meeting for arena management. Special Guest Ken Hitchcock of the National Hockey League's Philadelphia Flyers will be heading up a special coachng session during the Hockey Operations sessions, expanding on his coaching philosphies. Later Tuesday, two social events will be held, including the CHL Bowling and Golf Tournaments, with nearly 200 participants taking place.

Departmental breakout sessions will continue Wednesday morning and afternoon. At the completion of the Hockey Operations session, the CHL Expansion Draft will take place, with expansion members the Colorado Eagles and Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees each selecting the rights to five players from existing teams. The Annual Spring Conference wraps up later that evening with the 2003 CHL Awards Banquet, where 13 various awards, including Executive and Franchise of the Year, will be handed out. Following the Conference, the Central Hockey League is planning on announcing the divisional and conference alignment for the 2003-2004 season, as well as the results of the 2003 Expansion Draft and any significant rules changes for the coming season.