Our IT division has a yearly divisional meeting.  This year the theme
is ?Overcoming Obstacles?.  Speakers include a man who climbed Mount
Everest (he only had 1 arm), an IT employee who overcame a brain
aneurism and has come back to work, someone who is speaking on
developing alternate forms of energy (we are an energy utility (gas
and electric) and are currently dabbling in wind power).
I?m looking for some ideas on creating a centerpiece for each table ?
it should some how relate back to the theme or speakers, it has to
fairly easy to make (pieces that make it up can easily be found) and
fairly cheap too! (We?ll need to create about 45 centerpieces).  I
also don?t want it to take up a lot of space on the table.
I?m not that creative ? hopefully someone out there is!  Hope you can help.

This is a free comment, and maybe much too playful for your crowd.

"Alternative Energy" as an idea led me to this site:

http://www.lightgod.com/store/default.asp?catid=12&subcatid=763

The mugs and cups are just a couple of the many things Lightgod offers.
I was thinking of using one on each table as a centerpiece and then
having a toy paper windmill in it  - or two or three.
Where to get the windmills?  I didn't find a place to order them, but
did find the pattern, which suggested to me that the people at each
table could make them if you supplied the paper (precut), stick, and
pin.  Give them something to do while waiting for all to be seated and
served.  It would be easy for someone to design your company's name
and logo to be printed on the paper.
At the head table, completed windmills would give them the idea of
what to do with the "makings".
Heres is the pattern and instructions (which they shouldn't need):

http://www.wind-power.com.au/downloads/windmill01.pdf

And here is another suggestion for the containers:

http://www.lightgod.com/store/product.asp?catid=12&subcatid=787&id=3200

But look around, maybe a couple of "lightsticks" could be added to the
arrangement.  You could let the tables raffle off the glass or cup
among themselves.

Too silly!?  :-)

Not at all!  Many thanks!

Linda