Believe it or not, this Sunday marks one month before the 36th annual AME International Conference. I often mention AME events and programs in my weekly messages, but I try my best not to be overtly promotional. As a reader, I hope that you come away from each email with a valuable nugget or insight, and this week is no different.
As we head into the home stretch for conference prep, I want to acknowledge how proud I am of our conference committee. Led by conference chair Ellen Sieminski, this team of volunteers and staff has created a virtual experience to match our past 35 in-person conferences — all while lowering the registration price and adding the huge benefit of six months of on-demand access to most of the 40-plus hours of conference programming.
The process to transition to a virtual conference has been fascinating from a lean perspective. Our standard work has been rewritten on the fly. We’ve been agile in our pursuit of improvements and changes. Problem-solvers have been empowered to find solutions to unforeseen challenges. And we’ve continued our people-centric focus, striving to ensure that everyone involved in planning has been able to utilize their talents and feel fulfilled by the experience.
Should you choose to attend the conference — and, frankly, why wouldn’t you? — you’ll see the culmination of work from a team that planned the best in-person experience possible, went through the heartbreak of scrapping it, and then pivoted 180 degrees to give you an incredible virtual learning opportunity like no other.
As you and your organization work to adjust to the uncertainties that many of us face, remember to value the unique contributions that everyone can make. Entrust your team to find solutions. And know that when the goal is clear, your team will rally around it and deliver incredible results.
At AME, we know what you’re struggling against because we’ve had to overcome similar challenges. We stand with you and are ready to help.
As always, please stay safe and keep looking out for one another.
