By Erin Templer
AT&T has been garnering attention with its series of television commercials featuring adorable kids tagged with the slogan “faster is better.” This concept seems to resonate with today’s consumers: cells phones are connecting via 4G networks, home internet speeds of over 7Mbps are common and conversations on Twitter are bursts of just 140 characters at a time.
In such a hurry-up world, time has become a luxury.
This is certainly true in the arena of continuing education. Tim McAlpine is the president and creative director of Currency, a marketing firm that services credit unions exclusively. As a noted speaker on the credit union circuit, McAlpine finds conference organizers frequently schedule him to speak only 20-45 minutes on a topic, which barely allows him to scratch the surface. There is one notable exception: CUES’ Execu/Summit®.
“This event features a really deep dive into one topic per day. A speaker has two hours in the morning to set the table for what he or she is going to accomplish during the day, go over a lot of background, and get people thinking. Participants then get a break to enjoy nature, network with peers and reflect on the topic,” he explains. During this intermission, their brains are processing information from the morning, making connections to their credit unions and developing questions. When the group reconvenes in the afternoon, they are fully engaged and receptive to digging into the topic at a deeper level.
When he was on the agenda at the 2013 event, McAlpine facilitated a full day exploring the ways credit unions can connect with young adults. Topics included attracting and retaining young employees, meeting the financial needs of Gen Y and Gen Z members, barriers to gaining acceptance with these demographic groups, and more. Anyone who took part in this robust session returned to their credit union loaded with information on how to develop successful young adult strategies.
The topics change each year, but the main components of Execu/Summit are constant. Five full days. Focused attention on topics that matter most. Time to reflect and allow connections to develop. This is a don’t-miss opportunity for directors and CEOs who are willing to leave the fast lane for a little while and luxuriate in the deep dive.
Erin Templer is a marketing supervisor at CUES.
Mark you calendar to experience the deep dive of Execu/Summit March 9–14, in Vail, Colo. Sign up now to be informed via email as speakers, topics and other details become available.
