I know that in Atlanta, the gracious host city for Benefits Forum & Expo 2009, offering guests lemonade instead of classic Southern sweet tea is borderline illegal. But I know we've all collected a glut of recession lemons this year, and thought offering up a tall glass of lemonade would be the best way to welcome you to BF&E 2009, celebrate not just surviving but thriving another year, and toast to better days ahead.

On behalf of the staff of Employee Benefit News, I'm happy to welcome you to Atlanta and what I'm sure will be an informative and fun three days of sessions and events. Among this year's highlights, you won't want to miss out as we:

>> Get our financial houses in order.

On Sunday, Sept. 13, Dave Ramsey - famed personal money management expert, radio personality and best-selling author of "The Total Money Makeover," will re-emphasize the importance of being financially responsible so we might all acquire enough wealth to take care of loved ones, live prosperously into old age, give generously to others and help teach employees to do the same.

>> Engage in a lively health care reform discussion.

Former HHS Secretary Michael O. Leavitt - credited for successfully implementing the Medicare Part D and creating national strategies for several major components of the health care system, including health IT, personalized medicine, pandemic preparedness and medical emergency response - will be our keynote speaker on Monday, Sept. 14 and no doubt will lead a passionate session on the next steps toward reforming our nation's health care system.

>> Honor the Benny and i-COMM Award winners.

Also on Monday, join me as we congratulate a distinguished group of your peers, the 2009 Benny Award winners, selected by EBN as demonstrating excellence and achievement in benefits. Read more about this year's Benny class in profiles beginning on page 26 and visit ebn.podhoster.com to hear them, in their own words, describing their trials and triumphs of the last year. On Tuesday, Sept. 15, join us as we honor the 2009 i-COMM Award winners, selected for demonstrating excellence in benefits communication. We will profile this year's i-COMM honorees in the November EBN.

>> Walk (or run) the talk on wellness.

Lace up and join us for the second annual BFE Fun Run, bright and early Tuesday morning. The 2K run around Centennial Olympic Park will be followed by a breakfast for the runners and all other conference attendees. Sign up for the run onsite in the exhibit hall.

>> Pay tribute to Robert Whiddon.

For all of us in the EBN/EBA family, our hearts are heavy as we continue to mourn the loss of our much-loved colleague and dearly missed friend, EBA Editor Robert L. Whiddon, who died suddenly in July. Robert was energized annually by BF&E and its counterpart EBA Adviser Summit, as one of his greatest professional joys was interacting with all of you — the practitioners on the front lines of the industry, doing your best to make a difference in the lives of employees. Keeping a bit of Robert's passion in each of us, joyfully interacting with the readers he loved so well, will help to both lift our hearts and carry on his legacy. Please see this and read the September issue of Employee Benefit Adviser, which feature several heartfelt tributes to Robert and his work.

Thank you for making room in your schedules and travel budgets to be here with us this year. I promise you won't be disappointed. I'll be roaming the halls throughout the event; come find me and we'll share that glass of lemonade.

For those of you unable to join us in person, worry not. You can be a "virtual attendee" by checking in frequently to BenefitNews.com for news updates and posts to EBN's blog, The Daily Diversion, and following my live updates and observations on Twitter (@ebneditor) and Facebook.