MADISON, Wis.-CUNA announced that it has given its annual Symposium a facelift, renaming it CUNA's Future Forum and redesigning the conference to be "more forward-looking." The redesign is focused on making greater use of interactive sessions and opportunities for credit union leaders to share their points of view, according to CUNA meeting planners. CUNA's Future Forum, to be held this year Sept. 29 through Oct. 2 in Reno, will be aimed at assisting credit unions with developing effective business strategies. "We recognize credit union executives and board members are very busy, and if they're going to take time away to attend a conference, it has to be worth their while," CUNA President and CEO Dan Mica said. "With that in mind, we've spent months retooling our annual conference to feature the kind of innovative programming, idea-sharing and expertise that credit unions tell us they want and need." "Our general sessions and breakout sessions will be highly interactive and will feature `best of' instructors that have drawn the highest marks from CPD Schools, CUNA Councils and executive education," Todd Spiczenski, assistant vice president of learning events for CUNA's Center for Professional Development, added. The revamped CUNA Future Forum will include the following: * The CU Sound Off will allow attendees to share their thoughts on timely and topical issues. * The National Issues Forum, debuted at last year's Symposium, will be prominently featured. * The Marketplace will showcase a full functioning credit union branch of the future along with more than 150 exhibitors. * "Creation stations" in the Marketplace will provide attendees with hands-on experiences to "test drive" products. * Keynote speakers will include Marcus Buckingham, author of First Break All the Rules and Now Discover Your Strengths, and Kevin Carroll, `Katalyst' and director of leadership communication for Nike, Inc. * Regional luncheons will offer more focused networking and idea-sharing opportunities. * Breakout sessions in the areas of lending, executive development, technology, and director/volunteer concerns will be more tailored to attendees' experiences.