Every summer about this time, a large part of the credit unionworld focuses in on the Annual Conference and Exhibition of NAFCU.And for good reason; it attracts a lot of credit union movers andshakers under one roof. And a lot important to credit unionshappens there. This year's conference held earlier this month inVancouver, British Columbia was no exception. Here are just a fewof many observations from my Catbird Seat: Most official welcomesby one or more local dignitaries at these conferences are a bigyawn. Dave Mowat, president/CEO of VanCity Credit Union inVancouver, Canada's largest at $9 billion, proved to be theexception. Although brief, his conference opening remarks gave thepredominantly USA audience much to ponder. We face basically thesame issues, he said. But he also hinted that just maybe creditunions in Canada try harder to stay focused on what makes a creditunion different from the competition. It certainly isn't taxationsince Canada's credit unions have been taxed as Canadiancorporations since 1972 when Canadian CU leaders got complacent andwere blindsided. What counts most according to the youngish CEO isenhancing his credit union's well deserved reputation forpracticing social responsibility, providing unparalleled memberservice by motivated staffs, and constantly zeroing in on whatMowat defines simply as a “value proposition.” With an engagingblend of humor and statistics, keynoter “Mitch” Daniels, a formerhigh official in the Bush administration, set the tone for theconference as he ticked off his list of what to worry about andwhat not to worry about at the national level. After outlining suchcurrent issues as the economy, the national debt, taxation ofindividuals, entitlement programs, the war in Iraq, and giving avery specific analysis of why people vote the way they do, Danielsconcluded that if Kerry becomes President it will not be becausethe majority of people voted for him, but because they votedagainst Bush. In a Vancouver luncheon presentation, the new NCUAChairman, JoAnn Johnson, gave her first major keynote address sincebeing appointed to replace popular Dennis Dollar. Known previouslyas a Board Member who felt the need to read her speeches word forword, a new JoAnn Johnson emerged north of the border. Johnsondelivered an excellent speech. It had well-organized, timelycontent and it was delivered ad lib.almost. Speaking only fromnotes rather than the usual prepared text, the new chairman cameacross as someone already comfortable in her new position. NAFCUCEO Fred Becker also did a fine job of highlighting current creditunion concerns with his aggressive approach to recent bankingindustry attacks. A couple of many thoughts I came away withinclude the fact that in spite of the non-stop bank lobbyists'whining, over 2,400 new banks have been created in recent years andall seem to be doing nicely despite credit unions. Becker alsoindicated that credit unions are to be applauded for stepped upexpansion into underserved areas. I agree. That, he said, is whycredit unions are growing. I disagree. Credit unions are notgrowing. Check out the current stats (and see page 1 story onmembership growth or lack thereof). Among several rhetoricalquestions Becker asked was how many letters do you think Hillstaffers get from bank customers? My answer is none. But how manyletters are generated by bank employees? A lot and the numbers aregrowing. So why aren't credit union employees at all levels, notjust CU CEOs, also encouraged to write letters? Becker and allother credit union leaders also need to worry not only about CUCEOs getting older and retiring, but as NCUA Board Member DebbieMatz frequently points out, credit union members (and directors)are also getting older and dying off without an equal number ofyoung people joining up to replace them. Matz is rightly concernedthat an aging membership is a largely unnoticed problem. As usual,there was no CUNA presence at this important NAFCU event. Why not?A little CUNA flag waving would help convince credit unions thatpay the freight for both groups (and the bankers?) that creditunion associations can also join together as the banking groupshave to battle a common enemy. The buzz in the convention centerhallways included dismay over the news that former Chairman NormD'Amours has agreed to be a featured speaker on the Septemberconvention program of the Iowa Bankers Association. Speculation onwhat he might say was all over the map. Why Iowa? Where is thecurrent NCUA Chairman from? The number of breakout sessions andtopics was impressive. But it bothered me that although so manyattendees were volunteers, most session topics were operational innature. Do volunteer directors really need to learn the nittygritty of day to day credit union operations? Of special interestto me, the educational program included a session on how to workwith the media. Good idea. Except most of those on the platformwere actually part of the problem. No real media person wasincluded on the panel. As much as I was critical about thefacilities and flow of the meeting last year when NAFCU met inBoston, I can't say enough about the way the Vancouver ConventionCenter worked for NAFCU. This venue proved to be outstanding andwell deserving of the first place it garnered at the internationallevel in 2002 for best convention center. It takes 1,001 details tomake a large meeting click. This one had all the bases covered.Kudos to NAFCU program planners. Next up is Las Vegas in 2005 andthen a return trip to Canada with Toronto (a great city) as thesite. With virtually no Canadian members and the current somewhatstrained relationship between the U.S. and Canada (not at allevident in Vancouver however), going to Canada two out of threeconsecutive years may not be the smartest move. Comments? Call1-800-345-9936, Ext. 15, or Fax 561-683-8514, or [email protected].