Please join WSAE at the long-awaited, highly-anticipated in-person 2021 Summit! With everything we’ve all endured over the last 1½ years, this is an essential opportunity to share perspectives with fellow association members, discuss strategies for advancing our organizations forward and simply socialize with each other. We are very excited for the planned education sessions, for which you can earn 8.5 CAE credits, and the “experience” style networking events offered. Special thanks to the new state of the art Brookfield Conference Center for hosting us over the dates of October 26-27 and to Visit Brookfield for generously sponsoring our entertaining networking event at WhirlyBall for additional socializing, appetizers, drinks and some friendly competitive activities.
The Summit is the perfect opportunity to challenge your thinking and learn from your peers and other association experts. We can’t wait to see you!
Location: Brookfield Conference Center
New! Get Your Professional Headshot Taken
Complimentary headshots taken by a professional photographer will be offered to attendees before the Awards Lunch and Annual Business meeting from 12:00 to 12:45 PM on Tuesday, October 26. Special thanks to Visit Brookfield for providing the photographer and the Wisconsin Dells Visitor and Convention Bureau for sponsoring this opportunity. Please email Ann Marie Hess with Visit Brookfield at annmarie@visitbrookfield.com by Friday, October 22 if you are interested in getting a headshot taken during the Summit.
Keynote
Thoughtfully Fit®: Build Resilience in Uncertain Times
with presenter Darcy Luoma
Join Madison, Wisconsin’s favorite executive coach as she teaches you how to face any challenge – no matter how difficult – using a model she herself has tested under extreme fire.
In difficult times, it can feel like everything is out of our control and we have no choices. Darcy Luoma knows this firsthand, as she had to deal with the aftermath of her husband’s sudden and shocking arrest for sexual assault of a minor he met online. She put her own teachings of how to be Thoughtfully Fit® to the test for her business, her children, and herself to thrive.
Crises, big and small, are unavoidable. How you handle them is what determines whether you falter or flourish. In this engaging and inspiring session, Darcy will train you to use these same tools to build your core so you can handle any conflict, change or uncertainty. You will leave with a core workout to immediately strengthen your life personally, professionally, spiritually, and emotionally.
Attendees will receive a copy of Darcy Luoma's book, Thoughtfully Fit: Your Training Plan for Life & Business.
View Darcy's welcome message to you:
Celebrate this year's Award Recipients at the Awards Lunch
Annual Business Lunch
Elect a new slate of officers and directors
WSAE is excited to present the 2021-2022 Slate of Directors and Officers. Thank you to all the individuals that expressed interest in leading the association through the upcoming year. The willingness of so many individuals to contribute their time and talents to WSAE is what makes us so successful. Thank you to the Nominating Committee for their work in developing a slate of candidates that will continue our commitment to being the organization of choice for association education and networking.
This slate will be officially elected during the October 26 Annual Business Meeting and Awards Luncheon.
Vote on change to WSAE bylaws
The Nominating Committee and Board of Directors conduct regular reviews of the bylaws. To ensure that our industry partners, who are such an important part of our association, are well-represented, the Board is recommending a change to Article VII, Section 2.
The change would allow for up to two industry partners to be a part of the eight directors at large elected by the membership. Article VII, Section 2 would now read as follows:
Article VII, Section 2
The board of directors shall consist of thirteen (13) members including the officers of the Society (named in Article V) and eight (8) directors at large elected from the voting membership including up to two (2) industry partners. In addition, the board shall include the immediate past chair of the board who shall serve one (1) year beyond his/her chair of the board position and one (1) young professional appointed by the chair and who shall serve a term of one (1) year.
Please review the bylaws (redlined version) and be prepared to vote on the proposed change at the October 26 Awards Lunch and Annual Business Meeting.
Program
Tuesday, October 26, 2021
| 8:00 - 8:30 am |
Registration |
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Continental Breakfast |
8:30 - 9:45 am
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Welcome and Keynote
Thoughtfully Fit: Build Resilience in Uncertain Times
Presenter: Darcy Luoma, Darcy Luoma Coaching & Consulting
Please see complete keynote presentation information above. Note that all attendees will receive a copy of Darcy's book, Thoughtfully Fit: Your Training Plan for Life & Business! |
| 9:45 - 10:00 am |
Break |
10:00 - 11:00 am
 |
Intentional Membership Growth
Presenter: Shari Pash, Membership & Growth Strategist, Strategic Solutions for Growth
In this session we discuss and learn about focused areas of strategic membership growth. Walk away with tips, tools, and best practices to strengthen your membership team and division. Work hands on with developing member personas to enhance your engagement and recruitment strategies. We will also touch on consistent measurements and accountabilities for member engagement and relevant growth, member recruitment and engagement plan development, and maximizing your member data base to add value to the overall process.
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11:00 am - 12:00 pm
 |
The Importance of DEI to Associations
Presenter: Lisa Koenecke, CDP, Owner, Inclusion Ally
Is your association looking to grow more than just your membership? How do you message your Diversity, Equity and Inclusion? Whether you are just starting this wonderful journey, or you are well on your way to advocacy, this session will help you! Ask questions, offer solutions and discover new trends and practices in this DEI space. If you're already a part of WSAE's Connected Community, please share what is going well or collaborate with other inclusive champions. DEI is not just for a committee, it takes ALL of us moving our associations into the future! Walk away with ideas on how to Show, Shift, and Shape your allyship and your association!
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| 12:00 - 1:30 pm |
Awards Lunch and Annual Business Meeting |
1:30-2:30 pm
 Schott
 Kothari |
Walking the Tightrope: Achieving Member Personalization through Organizational Systems – Don’t Look Down
Presenters:
- Annette Schott, Director of Education for the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society (MDS) a client of Executive Director Inc. (EDI)
- Ritesh Kothari, Vice President of Digital Solutions, Academy for Continued Healthcare Learning (ACHL)
For associations, the need to provide a bespoke member experience frequently collides with the uncertainty of approaching the monumental task. A case study detailing how one professional association is navigating this challenge over a three-year process and the role technology has played in this organizational evolution will provide learners with a broader understating on achieving and maintaining the delicate balance of member personalization.
Learn approaches to develop mechanisms that precisely define what personalization may mean for your association, tools that can assist in aligning key functional areas across your organization and the role technology plays in this endeavor. Associations of any size will benefit from the scalable approaches to aligning member benefits, existing organizational structures, business practices and technology to ensure your association cultivates balance.
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2:30 - 3:00 pm
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The State of Hybrid and Virtual Events Today
Presenter: Tom Graybill, VP, Sales, Tri-Marq Communications, Inc.
After a year when everything went virtual, in-person events are coming back. So what is the state of virtual and hybrid events now? Bring your questions for this interactive session.
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| 3:00 - 3:15 pm |
Break |
3:15 - 4:15 pm
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Meeting Contract Considerations During and Beyond COVID-19: Ask the Association Attorney
Presenter: Nisha Thakker, Counsel, Tenenbaum Law Group PLLC
Associations are dealing with enormous change in the way they conduct events as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a complimentary video webinar that will be audience-driven, association attorney Nisha Thakker – who has extensive experience in this area, having advised over 400 associations on these issues during the pandemic – will address pandemic-related legal issues focused on meeting contract cancellations and attrition and liabilities for in-person meetings, as well as addressing contract provisions to protect associations in connection with future events. Nisha will go beyond force majeure and COVID-specific provisions and highlight contract terms and negotiation strategies and tactics to provide associations with greater flexibility as they continue to navigate an uncertain in-person event landscape.
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| 4:15 - 6:15 pm |
Industry Partner Showcase
Featuring:
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| 6:30 pm |
Visit Brookfield sponsored event:
Join us for WhirlyBall and HyperBowling!
Just a short walk from the Brookfield Conference Center- WhirlyBall!
WhirlyBall is the most fun you can have going 4 miles an hour! A combination of lacrosse, hockey, basketball and bumper cars, WhirlyBall is a game of skill coupled with a touch of chance. Don’t miss YOUR chance to visit the first WhirlyBall in Wisconsin. Also available to us are several lanes of bowling, test your skill and compete against your peers for bragging rights. A variety of food and two beverages are included.
And don't miss your chance to win the $250 gift card, donated by First Business Bank!
*$15 fee to attend
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Wednesday, October 27, 2021
| 8:00 - 9:00 am |
Networking Breakfast |
9:00 - 10:00 am
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The Positive Power of Servant Leadership
Presenter: Tom Thibodeau
Tom Thibodeau is the Distinguished Professor of Servant Leadership at Viterbo University where he has taught for the past 38 years. He is the founder of the master’s program in Servant Leadership at Viterbo University, the only master’s degree of its kind in the nation. Tom is a husband, father, grandfather, teacher, public speaker, active community member and part owner of a country tavern.
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10:00 - 11:00 am
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How to Communicate Virtually Across Generations
Presenter: Steve Bench, Generational Consulting
The Covid-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed the workplace and both 2020 and 2021 were huge experiments in working from home. So, if we’re working remotely, does that mean that these generational issues go away? The issues are still there, but what the workplace looks like will be forever changed. What will come back, and what will never come back? Some bosses are worried their employees may never want to come back! Eventually we'll find balance again, but in the meantime this session will teach you how to build culture and improve the way you communicate virtually across the generations!
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| 11:00 - 11:15 am |
Break |
11:15 - 12:00 pm
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Creating Your Action Plan
Presenter: Shari Pash, Membership & Growth Strategist, Strategic Solutions for Growth
This session will be hands on with strategy to take the information that you've learned and gleaned from the Summit and put it into action. We will create an action plan that helps you implement key items from sessions and discuss best practices. This helps add value to your time away from the office and investment in the Summit.
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| 12:00 - 2:00 pm |
Board of Directors Meeting |
Earn 8.5 CAE Credit Hours!
Health and Safety
WSAE is considering the safety of in-person attendees at the Summit our top priority. During the Summit, we will be following the current guidelines recommended by the CDC. If you are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 you should follow the CDC’s Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People. People who are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19, should use prevention strategies, such as wearing masks, physical distancing, hand hygiene, and respiratory etiquette. Our decisions and preventive measures are guided by the requirements and recommendations by both the CDC and local health authorities in which WSAE will closely monitor changing conditions and decide if protocols will change. The responsibility for a safe and healthy event environment is shared among WSAE staff, venue, and every participant. As part of your duty of care responsibilities, you should NOT attend the Summit if you:
- are experiencing, or within the 10 days prior have experienced signs and symptoms of COVID-19;
- believe that you may have been exposed to a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19; and/or
- have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and are not yet cleared as non-contagious by the health care team responsible for your treatment.
Below is an evolving list of resources that will continue to reflect updates and the current health and safety protocols around Covid-19.
For information on conducting events, CDC Frequently Asked Questions for Events
Brookfield Conference Center
Safety & Sanitation Procedures: The safety and security of our guests and team members remain our highest priority. The Brookfield Conference Center and Hilton Garden Inn Brookfield are updating our sanitation and operating procedures to ensure guest protection and provide maximum flexibility as the situation around COVID-19 continues to evolve.
Team member health monitoring
- Prohibiting sick team members in the workplace
- Daily team member temperature & wellness checks (logged by manager) for unvaccinated
- Vaccinated Team Members wear buttons.
Cleanliness and sanitation
- Hand sanitizer stations at each doorway
- Increased cleaning of public areas, focusing on high-contact surfaces such as doorknobs and counter tops
- Increased frequency of restroom checks, cleaning and sanitizing all areas
Food safety
- Team member training on strict handwashing practices
- Gloves required for all kitchen and service team members and masks required service team members that are not vaccinated
COVID-19 Policy & Liability Waiver
By attending the Summit, you voluntarily assume all risks and accept sole responsibility for any injury related to exposure to COVID-19, and release WSAE from liability for any injury or harm that may result by attending the event. WSAE’s goal is to ensure a safe meeting environment. As such, you also agree to abide by any prevention or safety measures that WSAE, the Brookfield Conference Center, the Waukesha County Public Health Department or the State of Wisconsin may have in place during the event. You also agree not to attend the event if you become ill, are aware that you’ve been directly exposed to the COVID-19 virus within two weeks prior to the event, or exhibit any symptoms of the COVID-19 virus prior to or during the event.
Hotel Information
The Hilton Garden Inn is offering a special rate of $119.00 for attendees of The Summit. Book your reservation online now.
This rate will be offered until October 8, 2021.
Hilton Garden Inn Milwaukee Brookfield Conference Center
265 S. Moorland Road
Brookfield, Wisconsin 53005
262-330-0800
Move Mountains
The Summit also marks the culmination of our Move Mountains giving campaign in support of our colleagues who have been hit especially hard by factors related to the pandemic. More information.
Thank you to our event sponsors
Host Sponsors
Event Sponsors
If you are interested in supporting the Summit, we have industry partner showcase availability, as well as a variety of sponsorship packages, please contact Chris Caple at ccaple@wsae.org.
Thank you to 2021 WSAE Annual Sponsors
