In the news:
Executive Director, Leigh Wintz, was quoted (with a picture) in the The New York Times on January 4th about international event planning:
“Leigh Wintz, executive director of Soroptimist International of the Americas, a women’s organization, has managed to cope with the dollar’s fluctuations by expanding her skills far beyond those of a typical meeting planner, becoming a foreign currency trader. Ms. Wintz says she buys futures contracts for pounds, euros and other currencies up to several months before meetings in overseas destinations. She watches exchange rates daily and keeps track of seasonal patterns in currency movements. When the exchange rate drops to what she considers a good deal, she makes her move.
“A good time to buy for pounds sterling is usually early spring,” she said. Last year, when the price of a pound dropped to roughly $1.40 (it is now about $1.62), she bought a contract. “I made money on that deal. That’s the game you play.”
Ms. Wintz said she sometimes even paid a hotel or other service provider earlier than necessary to take advantage of a favorable exchange rate.” Read the full article »