NFusion 2022

COLLABORATE EMPOWER ADVANCE

WEDNESDAY, MAY 18 MINNEAPOLIS EVENT CENTERS | MINNEAPOLIS, MN

WELCOME! Unique, all new and reimagined for you – that’s what today’s conference experience is all about. It’s a time to reflect, learn, grow, and connect. Whether you’re a first-time attendee or seasoned pro, we have been through a lot these past two years. Many are doing more with less, short-staffed and facing continued challenges due to the pandemic. Your unwavering efforts to pivot and provide member value in the face of uncertainty is inspiring. It’s also not attainable for an extended period. Exhaustion and burnout are real and that’s exactly what keynote Regina Carey will be focusing on, Keeping Strong People Strong by building resiliency and actions to improve outcomes, move forward, and reclaim joy.

Know what else brings joy? Connecting again in-person with you, our members! We’re thrilled to offer more opportunities to connect with peers throughout the day. Be real, share your challenges, successes, resources, and everything in between. That learning is invaluable. Facilitated Connector Groups will kick off and wrap up the day to build stronger connections among participants, deepen understanding, idea share, problem solve, and strengthen takeaways from the conference. Thank you to our facilitator volunteers and sponsors for being the glue that creates the magic of these groups!

Additional opportunities abound... participate in the Gallery Walk, SPARK Community Tables, and thought-leader workshops designed to elevate, empower, and advance leaders.

Thank you for joining us for this new conference experience, enjoy the day and all the possibilities it offers!

Pick a bracelet color to indicate your interaction comfort level.

Particpate in the Gallery Walk to share insights as we plan for the future.

Connect with peers based on interest at a SPARK Community Table.

Meet the Associations North Board of Directors attending today!

Clara Albert, CAE (2022 Chair)

Mary Detloff, CAE

Maria Huntley, CAE, MANM Christi Kokaisel, CAE, MBA Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians

American Academy of Neurology

Justin Bieganek

Matt Gruhn (Secretary/Treasurer)

Karla Keller Torp

Shannon Thomasser

Electrical Association Mercury Creative Group

Crescendo Consulting Solutions, LLC

Marine Retailers Association of the Americas

Minnesota Shopping Center Association

Visit Roseville

SCHEDULE 8:00 am

Welcome, Light Breakfast, Gallery Walk + SPARK Community Tables

The Riverside

8:45 am

NFusion Kickoff + Connector Groups

The Grand 1858

9:05 am

Keynote: Keeping Strong People Strong

The Grand 1858

10:15 am

Connector Groups

The Grand 1858

10:25 am

Gallery Walk + SPARK Community Tables

10:55 am

Thought-Leader Workshops

The Riverside

• Meaningful Engagement - Providing Value The Grand 1858 with Changing Expectations

• The Rise of the Post-Pandemic Hybrid Conference and Other 2022 Meeting Trends

• Unlocking Potential through Organization Design

The View The Riverside

12:15 pm

Luncheon + Micro Learning Session The Riverside

1:25 pm

Thought-Leader Workshops

• Focus on the Cause, Not the Club: The Grand 1858 The Future of Membership Models The View

• Ordinary People, Extraordinary Leadership

• Yes, You Can Change Your Culture to Support a Hybrid Workplace

The Riverside

2:40 pm

Connector Groups + Possibility Thinking

The Grand 1858

3:15 pm

NFusion 2022 Wrap Up

The Grand 1858

3:30 pm

Final Gathering (optional)

Atrium

8:00 am The Riverside

Welcome, Light Breakfast, Gallery Walk + SPARK Community Tables Meet the Associations North Board of Directors, enjoy a light breakfast, and check out the Gallery Walk and SPARK Community Tables (both open again during the Energy Break).

Connector Groups 8:45 am The Grand 1858

Join your pre-assigned facilitated Connector Group to get-to-know other participants, deepen understanding, idea share, problem solve and strengthen takeaways from the conference. Diverse thoughts and perspectives encouraged!

Thank You Connector Group Sponsors

Thank You Volunteer Facilitators Clara Albert, CAE

Karla Keller Torp

Cassie Larson, CAE

Toni Nuernberg, CAE

Electrical Association

Minnesota Shopping Center Association

MN Nursery & Landscape Association

NACM North Central

Mercury Creative Group

Katie Klanderud

Bruno Lozano

CFA Society Minnesota

Mary Kay Delvo

MN School Boards Association

ACA International

Christi Kokaisel, MBA, CAE

Duluth Entertainment Convention Center

Justin Bieganek

INspiring SIGHT

John Gann MEA Energy Association

Paul Hanscom, CAE

American Academy of Neurology

Sue Ellen Moore

Sue Murray

Mark Salter, CAE Lindsey Schneider MN Medical Association

Amy Sellheim The Harrington Company

Meet Minneapolis

Ewald Consulting

9:05 am The Grand 1858

Keeping Strong People Strong Regina Carey, M.ED. | Carey On Now, more than ever, our teams need to focus on maintaining a healthy leadership mentality, resulting in clarity, stamina, and efficiency in the organization. Improve outcomes by identifying the things that derail us, brainstorming strategies to use on the go and developing actions to help reclaim joy and move forward.

10:15 am The Grand 1858

10:25 am The Riverside

Connector Groups

Reconnect with your Connector Groups after the keynote to reflect on the experience and share your game plan to maximize the day.

Energy Break with Gallery Walk + SPARK Community Tables Break time! Take this time to decide what you need. Participate in the Gallery Walk, SPARK Community Tables, chat with participants, grab a bite to eat, step outside for fresh air, you decide! Educational sessions begin at 10:55 am.

Thought-Leader Workshops

10:55 am

Meaningful Engagement: Providing Value with Changing Expectations Cathi Hight | Hight Performance Group, Inc.

The Grand 1858

Even before the pandemic, engaging a higher percentage of members was a challenge due to diverse interests and needs, busy schedules, and meeting ROI expectations. The pandemic disrupted business, impacted the livelihood for people, and changed expectations to engage.

After conducting numerous surveys, insights on why members engage, how they define “meaningful engagement”, and what would increase their engagement have been identified. As you prepare to re-engage your members and attract new ones, stop and consider what you will bring back, do differently, or create to provide value.

The Rise of the Post-Pandemic Hybrid Conference and Other 2022 Meeting Trends

The View

Jeff Hurt | Empowered Epiphanies What can you expect for your meetings in 2022? In all likelihood, this year will lead meetings and events into the post-pandemic world. It won’t be the light-switch we all hope for… and suddenly we are back.

Instead it will be a gradual emergence into whatever the normalized future looks like. At some point you will look back and realize that most of the pandemic is behind you and the future is ahead of you.

The biggest question is what kind of reality will emerge? It will be a different world for sure. While no one can say exactly what the future holds, discover some important trends to watch and consider.

Unlocking Potential through Organization Design Eric Curtis, Curtis Strategy

The Riverside

Shifts in revenue, expenses, funding, and/or staffing resources, are threatening the operational sustainability of organizations and is driving them to the point of having to restructure. In response to this shift, organizations must prioritize understanding their capacity, structure themselves accordingly, and improve efficiency when meeting levels of customer demand. Efficient and effective design will bridge strategy to structure, enhance collaboration, build accountability, and improve clarity of purpose and performance.

Workshop Sponsored by:

Luncheon + Micro Learning Session Enjoy lunch and connecting with members. Then feel free to participate in “Small but Mighty: Putting the “Micro” into Learning” session at 12:45 pm.

Capture the attention of your learners or members by leveraging easy-to-digest content, keeping their interest, and making it count! Join the rapid-fire interactive workshop with D2L’s Ashley Duncan to promote learning in new fun ways, and inspire learners to reach new heights in their professional credentials.

12:15 pm The Riverside Sponsored by:

Thought-Leader Workshops

1:25 pm

Focus on the Cause, Not the Club: The Future of Membership Models Cathi Hight | Hight Performance Group, Inc.

The Grand 1858

Member-based organizations seek “golden hand-cuffs” or benefits to influence prospects to join and renew. Tiered dues models for membership creates exclusivity, but do not feel inclusive. In communities dominated by Millennials and Gen-Zers, we know that causes attract more people than clubs because a sense of belonging and being part of transformational change is a powerful combination. It is time to focus on our missions instead of membership and move from being relevant to a small group of members to becoming essential to our communities.

Ordinary People, Extraordinary Leadership Jeff Hurt | Empowered Epiphanies

The View

Titles don’t define leaders. You earn your leadership status through your actions and their effect on other people. The people you interact with every day determine whether you are a leader. Leaders work at every level of the organization from the executive suite to the customer service desk to the mail room processing center. Anyone who is working or living in group of 3 or more is at some point in the middle. Whether you are a parent, a friend, a manager, supervisor or the boss, you have a role to play. You can influence up, down and across the organization as you lead through the ranks. If you have a boss and are a boss, you can learn to lead from that messy middle. And remember, the middle has value—just ask any middle child.

Yes, You Can Change Your Culture to Support a Hybrid Workplace

The Riverside

Jamie Notter, PROPEL Workplace culture is often written off as hard to understand and nearly impossible to change, but that simply isn’t true. In this session, culture expert Jamie Notter will present a clear definition of culture, along with a model for changing it that can be leveraged by leaders at all levels. He’ll provide concrete examples of how culture change can drive results, and he’ll explore the key aspects of culture that demand our focus right now, as we move into a hybrid office environment.

Workshop Sponsored by:

2:40 pm The Grand 1858

3:30 pm Atrium

Connector Groups + Wrap Up Meet back up with your Connector Groups to share your top takeaways and action steps moving forward. What are you taking away from today that will help you in your work?

Final Gathering (optional) Unwind and connect with participants at an informal social.

CONFERENCE PHOTOS

HANDOUTS

Handouts are available online at: associationsnorth.com/ NFusionHandouts

Please note, as a registrant you give Associations North permission to publish photographs taken during the conference.

PHOTO CREDITS: Lauren B Photography & Korey McDermott Photography

EVALUATIONS

Conference evaluations will be emailed on Thursday, May 19. Thank you in advance for your time and feedback.

Topgolf • Brooklyn Center

associationsnorth.com/ConnectionsCup

CONFERENCE AND YEAR-LONG SPONSORS

Canal Park Lodge • CE21 • Lauren B Photography • Elevate Management Experience Rochester • Grand View Lodge Holiday Inn & Suites Duluth - Downtown • Meet Minneapolis Korey McDermott Photography • Trade Show Leads Visit Greater St. Cloud • Visit Roseville

associationsnorth.com | 651-647-6388 | info@associationsnorth.com