With an eye on sharply strengthening its lobbying strategy, the Ohio Credit Union League announced this week it is revamping its annual meeting format to include for the first time a Columbus “Hike the Hill.”
The league also said it is renaming its two-day conclave (April 5-6) as “InVest48,” dropping the old “Zenith” moniker to highlight CEO participation in an event which spans 48 hours.
From now on, league officials said the emphasis is on “advocacy–to policymakers, regulatory, the media, and consumers as our first priority, to make it a significant part of our annual convention.”
On tap for the convention and vendor expo being held at the Columbus Renaissance Hotel will be a legislative night and statehouse visits with legislators and regulators in addition to an agenda of daily sessions, breakouts and networking events.
The league board also decided that future meetings will be held in Columbus, dropping a tradition of rotating the convention between Columbus, Cincinnati and Cleveland. Last year Zenith was held in Cincinnati and the previous year in Cleveland.
“The league board’s decision to include an advocacy component, most importantly, meetings with state legislators, requires that the annual convention be held in Columbus every year for reasons of accessibility, since that’s where the state capital resides,” said a league spokesman.
The new advocacy component, said the spokesman, includes the option for attendees to participate in the Hike the Hill meetings with the lawmakers and administration members. “Additionally, all attendees will enjoy a keynote address from political expert Tucker Carlson on April 5 and participate in a legislative reception at the Ohio Statehouse later that afternoon,” said the spokesman. Carlson is a Fox Washington TV commentator and editor-in-chief of “The Daily Caller.”
Also speaking at the convention will be Howard Putnam, former CEO of Southwest Airlines, Eddie George, a former NFL player, and William Cheney, CUNA president/CEO.
