With the industry’s 2020 conference schedule thrown off track by the coronavirus pandemic, a pair of Midwestern credit union leagues have joined forces to take their annual conventions online.
The Illinois Credit Union League and Heartland Credit Union Association, which serves CUs in Kansas and Missouri, will host Boost, a three-day virtual event kicking off Sept. 22 that will include speakers from across the industry and beyond. It will also include a virtual exhibit hall and a virtual “Crasher” program for young professionals.
Both leagues had initially planned to hold in-person conferences this year but were forced to change their plans in the wake of the pandemic.
“I am thrilled that ICUL can partner with the Heartland Association on this first-ever jointly hosted virtual event by two leagues," ICUL President and CEO Tom Kane said in a press release on Tuesday. “We are looking forward to putting together a power-packed collaborative event for our credit unions. What I love most is how this event emphasizes the cooperative nature of the credit union movement by bringing together a network of credit unions across different states to learn and exchange ideas with each other.”
Heartland President and CEO Brad Douglas added, “Working together only makes us stronger. We are able to pull from the expertise of both leagues to bring this event to our credit unions in Illinois, Kansas and Missouri.”
Groups from across the credit union industry have canceled in-person events planned for 2020, and no major industry conference has been held in-person since late February. It’s still unclear whether events will be able to resume early in 2021 and, if they do, how many people will attend.
This article has been updated with corrected dates.
