Adapting Live Experiences to a New Virtual Reality

A panel discussion with (left to right) Jean Chatzky, financial editor, NBC’s TODAY Show; David Mooney, president/CEO for Alliant CU of Rolling Meadows, Ill.; and Mike Terzian, EVP and chief member services officer for Partners FCU of Burbank, Calif.

When CO-OP Financial Services made the difficult decision on March 6 to postpone our annual THINK 20 conference, we decided to commit to hosting a virtual event on May 7. We knew that we couldn’t simply shift the content, speakers and presentations we had planned to an online presentation. Our intent was to produce something unlike anything the industry had seen before.

As one of the credit union industry’s leading conferences, THINK delivers innovative business strategies and insights that speak to industry challenges from the world’s most esteemed brands and leaders, as well as an unparalleled in-person event experience. Credit union leaders come to THINK to connect with their peers, engage with speakers and content, and walk away armed with tools and resources to spur them into action. Our challenge with making THINK a virtual event was to infuse the human experience, an imperative in the midst of the social distancing brought on by the pandemic, into an engaging online experience.