As executive director of NetVU, I am fortunate to have talented staff and dedicated NetVU member volunteers who work hard to move the organization forward. It was with their unbridled enthusiasm and assistance that the Spark, powered by NetVU came together so well over the Nov. 13-15 weekend in Cincinnati.
So before I share my thoughts on the conference itself, I thought it worthwhile to pull back the curtain and offer a behind-the-scenes look into how we made it all happen.
Like many volunteer-driven organizations, NetVU had our share of post-pandemic challenges. Among the first were the contractual commitments that must be made years before an event is held. Not surprisingly, our 2020 Accelerate conference was canceled. Our 2021 Accelerate was switched to virtual. Despite having to honor these contractual commitments, we saw this disruption as an opportunity. We took a step back and evaluated our entire approach to conference programming.
Over the next 20 months, in concert with our efforts to transform and modernize NetVU, we focused on our mission to be the premier partner for education, advocacy, and peer networking for the independent insurance agent distribution channel and the broader industry at large. We wanted our scope to be well beyond maximizing the use of technology. We decided it was an opportune time to survey our members and reset our priorities with the benefit of their insights. The result of this collaborative effort was identification of three essential areas which are driving our content generation for webinars, publications, and conferences:
- Talent — recruiting and nurturing talent for the next generation (No. 1 survey priority).
- Growth – maintaining relevance through growth and increasing operating margins.
- Efficiency — finding the most efficient way to do what needs to be done.
The genesis for this year’s Spark conference was a reality born out of necessity. As mentioned, we had to reconcile our contractual commitments, hence the reason for this year’s Spark conference location. More importantly, the conference task force concluded that a more intimate meeting would facilitate peer-to-peer interaction between NetVU members and provide a means for our sponsors to share their unique problem-solving perspectives.
In addition, we wanted session facilitators as opposed to presenters, so attendees would play an active role instead of passively listening to a speaker. We intentionally recruited thought leaders from outside of the industry so they could lend their knowledge and experience from a different viewpoint. Keynote speaker Jason Young was particularly inspiring on and off the stage as he shared relatable information and his own viewpoints based on his time as a former executive with Southwest Airlines.
“Determining the Right Path,” facilitated by Brian Ambrosia and Kristen San Marco of MarshBerry, highlighted the importance of merger and acquisition deals being properly structured — for example, defining the total payment, its due date and the length of payments.
The session also covered what to put in a letter of intent, such as employment agreements, non-solicitation agreements and non-disclosure agreements, including a list of deal terms subject to legal and financial due diligence.
Judging from feedback we received, our conference approach proved highly effective. A full 100% of post-conference survey participants indicated they were “satisfied or very-satisfied.” We will glean even more survey insights to assist us in planning future events. However, it is clear the task force put together a fantastic slate of topics for this year’s event.
Again, my thanks to all for their unparalleled contributions in making our pivotal 2022 Spark conference a success. We look forward to building on it, and I urge you to consider attending a future NetVU event.