New Ideas Annual Conference
2022 Education Sessions
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11
Welcome Brunch (12:00 - 2:30 PM)
Discover New Ideas Tour (12:30 - 12:45 PM)
Newbie Orientation (12:45 - 1:45 PM)
Opening Session (2:30 – 3:45 PM)
Details Soming Soon!
Rendezvous Point Discussions (3:55 - 4:10 PM)
Details Coming Soon!
Concurrent Education Sessions (4:15 – 5:15 PM)
Success Secrets of the Intentional Networker
Patti DeNucci, Author, and Speaker
Many networking experts suggest that going to more networking events and handing out lots of business cards are keys to networking success. That philosophy needs some serious tweaking and customizing! This interactive session covers four foundational strategies that can make your networking efforts not only more purposeful, polished, and productive, but also more effective, enjoyable, and manageable.
Charting Your DEI Data Journey
Trevor S. Mitchell, MBA, CAE, CDP, Executive Director/CEO
How do you know if your DEI strategy and initiatives are having the intended impact without data to measure your progress? Data collection through a DEI lens can be tricky to navigate. This session will aid you to understand what your organization should consider, how to begin using the data, and pitfalls to avoid.
Show Me the Money: A Non-Dues Revenue Roundtable
Brandie Baker, CAE, Executive Director, Texas & New Mexico Hospice Organization
Generating revenue from the sale of programs, products and services to your members is crucial to a healthy association. This roundtable will focus on non-dues related topics and will provide a collaborative and engaging format. Topics will be identified, problem-solved by attendees on-site. Leave with practical action items you can implement. Working in small groups, you will identify strategy, resources, or a great idea you can adopt at your organization.
Providing Ethical Leadership: Learning to be the Best Version of Yourself
Allison M. McLeod, LL.M., CPA, Attorney-at-Law
By examining the lives of ordinary people whose moral courage had a significant impact on those around them, we will examine critical qualities of an ethical leader. This session will look the qualities a leader must exhibit to set an ethical tone. Those who make difficult or significant daily decisions, or who work in fast-paced or challenging environments will benefit from this timely and insightful seminar.
Ambassador & Newbie Reception (6:00 – 6:45 PM)
Opening Night Party Hosted by Visit Irving (7:00 – 9:00 PM)
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12
CAE Breakfast (7:45 - 8:45)
Continental Breakfast (8:00 - 8:45)
Rendezvous Point Discussions (8:15 - 8:45 AM)
Details Coming Soon!
General Session (9:00 – 10:00 AM)
Improving Your Culture by Seeing the Patterns
Jamie Notter, Speaker and Author, Propel
Culture is critical to attracting and retaining top talent—particularly with the great resignation in full swing. But for culture to be a real draw, you need to be more disciplined and intentional about how you cultivate and manage it. Jamie Notter has been helping associations design successful cultures for years, and in this interactive keynote he will share key insights around the dominant culture patterns that exist in associations and provide actionable advice for better aligning those patterns with your association’s success. Using audience data gathered ahead of time, we’ll work together to explore the specific patterns that are making it harder for you to keep your best people.
Jamie is an author, consultant, and culture strategist at PROPEL, where he helps leaders create amazing workplace cultures that drive breakthrough performance and impact. He brings thirty years of experience to his work designing and managing culture and has specialized along the way in areas like conflict resolution and generations. Jamie is also the co-author of three books—Humanize, When Millennials Take Over, and The Non-Obvious Guide to Employee Engagement—and holds a Master’s in conflict resolution from George Mason and a certificate in Organization Development from Georgetown, where he serves as adjunct faculty.
Rendezvous Point Discussions (10:05 - 10:25 AM)
Details Coming Soon!
Concurrent Education Sessions (10:30 – 11:30 AM)
Strategies for Becoming a More Authentic, Engaging & Confident Presenter
Patti DeNucci, Author, and Speaker
Think you have to be a professionally coached, big-stage speaker with a theatrical background to confidently deliver engaging and effective presentations? Think again! This session reveals stories, strategies, ideas, and mindset shifts that will help you rethink common myths, sabotaging beliefs, and outdated practices that can make presenting both stressful and ineffective.
When a Divisive Issue Comes Knocking
Wendy Woodland, Director of Advocacy & Communication, Texas Library Association
TLA maneuvered through a landmine of issues when the banning of books when state Rep. Matt Krause requested that superintendent’s catalog nearly 850 titles related to race and sex or that could produce "discomfort" among students. This session will be a conversation with Executive Director Shirley Robinson and Director of Advocacy & Communication, Wendy Woodland as they share their organization's strategy to support their association's mission as well as responding to the needs of their members.
Demystifying the Unknowns of Events Panel
Julie Marshall, CAE, CMP, DES, Meetings and Events Director, Strategic Association Management
Annette Hicks, CMP, Vice President of Meetings & Events, Texas Food & Fuel Association
Vanessa Stewart, CMP, Regional Director of Sales – Texas, VisitDallas
Gabriel Garza, Senior Sales Executive, Marriott Marquis Houston
Events have undergone a huge shift in the last two years and continue to evolve. Has your Association kept up? Join in an interactive, audience-driven discussion with a hotelier, CVB representative, and experienced meeting planners to share how we’ve worked together to address unexpected challenges, what the past 2 years have taught us, and how we are moving forward. Bring your challenges and questions to this frank discussion and leave with actionable suggestions for your own association.
CEOs Only: Strategies for Improving Culture in Today’s Environment
Jamie Notter, Speaker and Author, Propel
As a follow-on to Jamie’s keynote, he will meet with CEOs for a frank and open conversation about how to sharpen your culture in today’s changing environment. He will share insights from the trenches where organizations are quickly reshaping their approach to culture elements like customization, employee focus, and collaboration in order to keep their best people (and reduce burnout). We’ll discuss practical strategies for changing culture to be better aligned with today’s reality, as well as better positioned for the future workforce.
Communication Hacks to Improve Your Life
Angela Brutsche, Vice President of Communications & Marketing, Texas Realtors
Do you ever get the sense that your communications just aren’t getting through? Effectively communicating with members has never been as challenging as it is today. In a time when messaging is abundant and attention is scarce, it’s increasingly important to keep our intended audience and purpose in mind as we work to provide information and resources. Learn key elements that can enhance your communications during this session, which is designed for anyone who is need of a refresher in the art of communications.
Awards Luncheon (12:00 - 1:30 PM)
Concurrent Education Sessions (1:45 – 2:45 PM)
Move Over Robert’s Rules: Facilitation Methods for Modern Meetings
Aaron Woloweic, Author, Speaker & Strategist, Event Garde
Rules of Order established a structure for association boards and committees to engage in orderly discussion while considering complex ideas. But today’s meeting environment, because of the pandemic, virtual meetings, and increasingly collaborative/distributed teams, has caused many leaders to abandon Robert’s Rules for a less formal meeting approach. But the need for sound facilitation methods that allow participants the opportunity to think, talk, and work together (whether in-person or virtually) in a safe space for all to share their unique perspectives is no less important. This session will introduce fundamental facilitation competencies, including participatory/inclusive environments, context/aims, creativity, and documentation, that can be applied to your next 1:1, staff, committee, or board meeting.
Meaningful Member Engagement: Providing Value with Changing Expectations
Cathi Hight, Hight Performance
Even before the pandemic, engaging a higher percentage of members was a challenge due to diverse interests and needs, busy schedules, and meeting ROI expectations. The pandemic disrupted business, impacted the livelihood for people, and changed expectations to engage. After conducting numerous surveys, insights on why members engage, how they define “meaningful engagement”, and what would increase their engagement have been identified. As you prepare to re-engage your members, stop, and consider what to bring back, do differently, or create new. In this session, you’ll explore the different motivations for members to join, engage, and renew, insights from member surveys on why they engage, “meaningful engagement,” and what would increase engagement and how to provide value and meet changing expectations.
The Burnout Epidemic: A Discussion on Practical Takeaways
Leslie Midgley, CAE, Executive Vice President and CEO, Texas Land Title Association
Theresa Parsons, CAE, CMP, Executive Director, Texas Council of Administrators of Special Education
Christopher Williston, VI, CAE, President & CEO, Independent Bankers Association of Texas
In her new book, Jennifer Moss argues current strategies are getting it all wrong – that self-care won’t cure burnout and organizations need to entirely rethink their approach to wellness. Listen in as three CEOs discuss Moss’s approaches and resolutions to the growing phenomenon that is stunting an organization’s ability to thrive, innovative and create a workplace environment that empowers employees to grow as leaders.
Deep Dive Education Session (1:45 – 4:45 PM*)
*Attending the Deep Dive prohibits you from participating in an excursion. Deep Dive attendees earn an additional two (3) CAE hours.
Excursions in Irving (3:45 – 6:00 PM)
Newbie Meet-up (7:00 - 8:30 PM)
The Westin Dessert Reception (8:30 – 10:30 PM)
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13
Healthy Start (7:15 - 8:00 AM)
Chairman's Breakfast (7:15 - 8:00 AM)
Rendezvous Point Discussions (8:00 - 8:25 AM)
Details Coming Soon!
Concurrent Education Sessions (8:30 – 9:30 AM)
Uncomfortable Conversations with Meeting Professionals
Angela Feinstein, HelmsBriscoe
How are you are navigating the challenges disrupting the meeting industry post pandemic? During this interactive session, attendees will come together to share solutions. Get insight from a seasoned meeting professional will share client solutions that have been successful. Topics will include program redesigns to get an RFP response, communication breakdowns, how to meet increased FB minimum demands without blowing the association budget and work arounds for associations with rising guest room rates. Submit your questions and don’t miss out on what promises to be a lively discussion with some valuable take-aways.
Creating a Meaningful Employee Engagement Experience
JJ Colburn, CAE, co-CEO, Strategic Association Management
The Great Resignation. Hybrid work environments. Economic challenges. Navigating the changing needs of employees and maintaining engagement has become an increasingly complicated endeavor for CEOs and senior leadership. While employee expectations and needs are varied and complex, people still site that lack of recognition as a top reason they leave their organizations. Lack of professional development/opportunities is a close second! The ways in which we create and communicate an employee experience built on a culture of meaningful recognition, incentives, and development us critically important, now more than ever. Learn how our organization approached the process of creating a comprehensive plan by exploring 8 key elements of the employee experience. In this session, we’ll cover each of the areas in depth, outline the process we used and facilitate the first step with you to create your own plan for your organization.
Enhancing Professional Agility
Dr. Stevie Dawn, CEO, Stevie Dawn Inspires, LLC
Our society is changing at a more rapid pace than ever before. With the rise of change comes the need for adaptable leaders. People who have the ability to be flexible within situations, to be agile. Professional agility is a necessary skill for all leaders in today’s workplace. The ability to be agile in a variety of ways. To understand stakeholders and differing perspectives. To be able to read situations and the politics that exist. In this workshop, we will discuss the 4 different types of leadership agility and how they can improve current leadership styles. Participants will learn a variety of tools that they can use on a daily basis to not only improve their agility, but also the agility of their team.
When to Call the Lawyers: Common Legal Issues for Associations
Jonathan Blum, Attorney, Shareholder, Polsinelli PC
Associations, just like most businesses, have legal needs. Some associations use outside counsel extensively, while other may use attorneys infrequently. This session will address the most common association issues and when and how to use outside counsel to help address those issues.
Closing Brunch Session (9:45 – 11:00 AM)
Kintsukuroi: On Empathy and Other Things
Andre Bradford, Slam Poet
Join national champion slam poet Andre Bradford aka S.C. Says for an entertaining, thought provoking, and moving performance centered around the power of empathy. This will be dynamic dive into the topics of diversity appreciation, mental health awareness, and the beauty in small acts of kindness all looked at through the lens of creating a more empathetic campus and world. You'll laugh, you'll snap, you might shed a tear or two, and you'll never look at empathy the same way again.
Andre Bradford, a.k.a. S.C. Says, is an Austin based slam poet who has been performing slam poetry since 2013. He has toured and featured at venues and universities across the country, and his work has been featured in the Huffington Post, Write About Now, The Edge radio, The Culture Trip, and Blavity. He is a two-time Austin Poetry Slam Champion, a three-time Texas Grand Slam Finalist, and is the author of the upcoming book Golden Brown Skin. He also once popped a bag of popcorn without burning a single kernel, which is arguably one of his greatest achievements. His poetry covers a gamut of topics ranging from being mixed race, to gun control, to mental health awareness, to never settling in relationships. Slam poetry is an art form he loves due to its raw vulnerability and its ability to cultivate transparency and dialogues into many different walks of life.
CAE Hours: 7
Additional Hours from Deep Dive: TBD