Earlier this year, we sent out a survey asking for feedback from the District on what they would like to see at the conferences. Nearly 100 people replied and we received some great feedback. Here were the top trends we saw and how we’re responding to give the District what they want. If you want to see the full survey results you can do so here.
Our response to the survey:
District 19 we heard you and many of you have shared comments with us outside of the survey as well. Here are a few changes you’ll notice this fall, based on your recommendations.
The top two reasons people didn’t attend conferences were: a) distance; b) lack of leave from work.
Therefore, we decided to run the conference from Friday evening to Sunday morning. We wanted there to be a few networking activities Friday evening for those who attend the pre-conference on Friday afternoon. But these were designed so people who had to commute a distance wouldn’t miss too much. Check out the conference game plan here to see the exact start and end times https://district19.me/conference-materials/.
We received lots of feedback on the educational sessions.
When we were developing our education sessions, we looked at recent conference schedules, so we could strike a balance and not overlap. For instance, mentoring and club building sessions were offered at the spring conference, while Parliamentary Procedure was offered last fall. We are going to offer a leadership workshop in the preconference as well as in the actual conference in the form of a High Performance Leadership Workshop. The best leadership skills are gained through practice and having people who are willing to give you open and honest feedback to help you grow.
People wanted a wide variety of choices.
So we have created Professional Development, Personal Development, and Toastmaster specific track. Attendees will be able to choose between workshops in the three tracks on Saturday. On Sunday, we have a Wellness track, which kicks off with yoga in the morning and offers two different sessions looking at work life balance. Kelly Swanson, our keynote speaker, has offered to lead two breakout sessions as well. She is very dynamic, and you won’t want to miss her.
Our education team worked hard to get a qualified and dynamic slate of speakers.
We believe they will be worth paying to see, as many of them are experts in their field and have a wealth of knowledge to share. Bios for speakers will be shared on Facebook and the website as we lead up to the conference so check back often on the conference page https://district19.me/conference-materials/.
We want all of District 19 to know what they are getting out of the conference as they are registering, so you know you are investing wisely.
We’ve made sure all of the educational session that are set to date available in the game plan so you can decide for yourself if it is worth you attending. We certainly hope that you agree that it is, so you will Kick Up the Confidence with us in Cedar Rapids this November 13-15!
Alana Svensen and Theresa Mickelson
2015 Fall Conference Co-Chairs