CUNA To Host Forum This Week

CUNA will host its Future Forum here this week, moving the meeting ahead from its original September dates when surveys indicated nervousness over Florida's hurricane season.

Planners are also hoping the June dates will drive higher attendance as attendees bring family and children along to Orlando.

Todd Spiczenski, VP with CUNA's Center for Professional Development, said one way this year's Future Forum will seek to set itself apart from other CU industry meetings will be with the extra attention given to attendees.

Spiczenski said this year people traveling to Future Forum will be greeted at the airport and taken to a welcome center for a reception and registration. Half-day field trips have also been scheduled to attractions such as Kennedy Space Center and theme parks.

"We try to let the experience and program speak for itself," he said.

Future Forum, which was previously known as the Syposeum, has become known for a meeting format unique to credit union events. In addition to the standard educational sessions, the meeting also includes two pre-conference "learning labs." One seminar discusses the popular management book "Blue Ocean Strategy" and how it relates to credit unions. A second examines "How to Create and Build a Dyanamic Team."

Spiczenski also said a highlight of Future Forum is the CEO/Executive Series that features a special meeting with the day's keynote speaker, such as former Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz.

This series will focus on serving members of modest means, the importance of branding and a regulatory and legislative update from CUNA officials.

Another feature of this year's Forum will be "Deep Dive" sessions that are tied to the keynote speaker, such as Bill Strickland's talk on serving members of modest means. The keynote speakers sets the tone for the day and after the speech, smaller one-hour groups will discuss the details of each topic and provide examples of how to enact them at home.

With this year's Future Forum being less than a year after the 2005 event, Spiczenski said attendance is down from last year's meeting in San Francisco, but said CUNA is unsure if the reason is related to timing. "We don't know yet. It's tough to pin point," he said.

Spiczenski said Future Forum will remain in June for the foreseeable future. Next year's Forum is set to be held at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, June 3, 2007.

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