Everyone gets excited about credit union conferences – they're the perfect excuse to blend work with play. But how can event organizers ensure the play doesn't overshadow the work (and vice versa)?

Having been to credit union conferences in various cities over the years – Portland, Ore.; Seattle; San Diego; Tucson, Ariz.; Washington and Montreal to name a few – and having just returned from CU Direct's Drive in Las Vegas last week, I got to thinking about what makes a conference worth the hefty registration fee.

I asked Drive attendees for their honest opinions on that conference, and their responses were 100% positive, both on the event itself and the material presented. Granted, the location – The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas – and resources available there made the event nothing short of spectacular. There were aerial performers in the exhibit hall during the receptions, for crying out loud. Plus, the fact attendees could find everything they needed within the same building, including restaurants, bars, shops and the conference itself, upped the convenience factor.

Not every conference planner has the luxury of injecting that kind of luxury into their event, still, they can all apply these pointers to boost attendance, create a memorable experience and ensure attendees bring something of benefit back to their credit union.

An app is where it's at. One of my biggest “wow” moments at Drive was after I downloaded the social networking app created specifically for the event. The app allowed attendees to create a profile, view a list of attendees and message them personally, post updates to a feed, view the agenda (plus create a personalized agenda with sessions they plan to attend) and receive notifications about event happenings. And a detailed map helped keep attendees from wandering around aimlessly. This is a kick-a** tool that solves common problems for conference-goers and fosters social connections, and every conference planner should consider offering one.

Think location, location, location. Many conference attendees see the event as not just a mandatory work event, but a chance to travel somewhere they've never visited, explore the area and take a break from their usual routine. So naturally, a conference in a sexy location – like The Cosmopolitan in Vegas – is going to result in higher attendance than one at a Marriott in Omaha, Neb., unless the primary goal is cost savings. However, a location that's too nice might defeat the purpose of the event. If the conference is hosted in Hawaii, for example, who can really focus their full attention on work when a beachside Mai Tai or hike up Diamond Head is calling? And places with tempting nightlife options, like Vegas or New York City, might translate to sleepy attendees or morning session skippers.

A winning location is a midsized city that still has vacation-worthy appeal – a place that offers unique activities plus allows travelers to stay within budget. According to the post “The Best Cities for Conferences in 2016” on SmartAsset.com, Texas lives up to its big-ego stereotype in the conference world – three cities in Texas made the top 10. San Antonio took the No. 1 spot on the list, followed by El Paso, Texas; San Diego; Austin, Texas; Irving, Texas; Columbus, Ohio; Orlando; Albuquerque, N.M.; and Charlotte, N.C.

Provide real session takeaways. Like at most conferences, Drive's agenda included carefully-selected speakers and topics that addressed common challenges faced by credit union leaders. One session, for example, included solid takeaways on branch transformation best practices, and another on cybersecurity featured a retired FBI special agent. But even when sessions are led by the most engaging speakers, how can you ensure attendees will actually use the information they gather at their credit union?

You don't want to give attendees a pile of tedious work (they're semi-“on vacation” after all), but incorporating an activity into each session that makes them think can boost their chances of bringing real ideas back home. During one session at the Filene Research Institute's “big. bright. minds.” conference in 2014, for example, we split into groups and brainstormed ideas for new financial products that could support the latest consumer lifestyle trends, like multigenerational households.

The activity could be something simple like turning to your session neighbor, telling them about your biggest on-the-job challenge in the past month and asking them how they would have handled it. Or, give each session attendee a task for when they return to the office and have them email the group to let them know how it went.

Burst open social bubbles. When they arrive, conference attendees might have big goals for going home with a huge stack of business cards belonging to potential new collaboration partners, employees and friends from across the nation, only to stay mostly glued to folks from their own credit union during sessions, receptions and dinners. Conference organizers can break this cycle by planning activities that force attendees to interact with people outside their immediate circles. The post “9 Ways to Encourage Networking at Your Event” on Converve.com offered these suggestions:

Plan an activity that gets people talking in a speed dating-like format, or schedule a competition, contest or scavenger hunt.
In longer sessions, assign attendees to two different tables – one for the first half of the session and another for the second half – to expose them to new faces.
Choose venues that are large enough to allow for a flow of foot traffic and include strategically-placed congregation areas that encourage conversation, like cocktail tables and water stations.
To keep people from dining alone at the hotel bar, offer a “dinner with strangers” program. Provide sign-up sheets each morning with information about restaurants, reservation times and transportation arrangements.

Remember, even if conference organizers fall short in planning the perfect event, you can be proactive in maximizing your time as an attendee. Come prepared, make it a goal to meet at least one new person in each session or activity, and pick a useful takeaway to incorporate into your job back home. Happy conference travel!

Natasha Chilingerian is managing editor for CU Times. She can be reached at nchilingerian@cutimes.com.

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Dear Credit Union Conference Planners

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