The Laredo Commission for Women confirmed March 29 as the date for this year's Women's Hall of Fame and finalized a range of program and logistics details, including venue, presentation format, honoree gifts and rules governing vendor sales during the event.

Committee members appointed Diana Rodriguez as vice chair of the Hall-of-Fame committee and selected the DoubleTree Hotel for the ceremony, tentatively scheduled from about 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The nomination deadline for honorees was stated as Jan. 30; committee members said they will meet in early February to select honorees so materials (bios, program pages and trophies) can be prepared.

To keep costs within budget, the committee agreed to replace floral centerpieces with charcuterie-style trays and smaller gift boxes for honorees. Big Bob's (local supplier) was identified as a vendor for crystal trophies; staff will request price quotes and a budget estimate.

The commission decided not to rely on event video after repeated technical failures in prior years; prerecorded PSAs and printed materials will be used instead. On the tradition of giving honorees rebozos (honorary shawls), members agreed on a distribution policy: honorees will select rebozos on a first-come, first-served basis, vendor stock may be available for sale but must not be sold during the ceremony and items bought for sale should be held and available only after honorees have been served.

Invitation policy was clarified: each honoree receives up to 10 invitations (honoree plus nine guests). City council members will receive formal invitations and one guest each. The committee discussed guest-speaker options and contacted Judge Monica Knox as the preferred speaker; her participation is pending confirmation and the committee agreed to limit speaker time to keep focus on the honorees.

Next steps: staff will obtain quotes for trophies and catering, compile honoree bios and present the program to city council on Feb. 17 for approval. The commission's next meeting is scheduled for Feb. 10 at 5:30 p.m. at the Laredo Public Library.