2023 Membership & Marketing Hospitality Conference: ISHA & CSRA | NRA
Summer Membership & Marketing Hospitality Conference June 26-29, 2023.
June 29, 2023, CSRA Only Event
Hosted by: Council of State Restaurant Associations (CSRA) in collaboration with the National Restaurant Association and International Society of Hotel Associations (ISHA)
Register for the conference here:
Schedule of Events as of May 5, 2023
All times are local/central time and are held at the Grand Geneva Resort
Monday, June 26
9 a.m. – 11 a.m. CSRA Board Meeting, Linwood Ballroom
11 a.m. – 1 p.m. CSRA Board of Directors & National Restaurant
Association Senior Staff Joint Meeting, Linwood Ballroom 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. ISHA Board Meeting, Buttons Bay Boardroom Open to State Lodging Association CEO’s. Please RSVP to Chris Pappas
3 p.m. Registration, Evergreen Foyer
3 p.m. – 5 p.m. Partner Tabletop Set-Up. Evergreen Foyer
3:30 p.m. – 4:10 p.m. Opening General Session, Evergreen 1-2 Speaker: Stephanie Klett, President & CEO, Visit Lake Geneva. Stephanie Klett, VISIT Lake Geneva’s President & CEO is our welcoming keynote. She is a champion of the Wisconsin tourism industry and we will learn how her skills as a marketer, storyteller, strategist and innovator keep tourism dollars flowing and growing, benefiting destinations in every corner of the state.
4:10 p.m. – 5 p.m. Harnessing the Power of Media: Enhancing your brand, Evergreen 1-2 Speaker: Dahlia ElGazzar. Content creation increased 60% in 2020 and posts with images get 2x higher engagement. Don’t get left behind! We’ll share top ideas on ways to use live video, documents and images to enhance your brand!
5 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. AHLA Update, Evergreen 1-2
6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. CSRA & ISHA Summer Conference Opening Reception, Pavilion Join your colleagues and peers at the ISHA & CSRA Summer Conference Opening Reception.
Tuesday, June 27
7:30 a.m. – 8:20 a.m. Breakfast with ISHA & CSRA Partners, ChopHouse
8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Partner Tabletop, Evergreen Foyer
8:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. One-on-ones with Dahlia ElGazzar, Galewood D
8:30 a.m. – 9:15 a.m. Communicating to the industry
about workforce programs, Evergreen 1-2
Speakers: Heather Singleton, Rhode Island Hospitality Association, Sue Crystal-Mansour, NRAEF. Additional Speakers TBD
9:15 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. Crossing the Generational Divide, Evergreen 1-2
Speaker: Alicia Rainwater. Generational change is challenging organizations more than ever before. You see this from recruiting and retaining employees to driving trust, engagement, and communication. Making the challenge even more urgent is the Great Resignation, dramatically different work expectations, and a tremendous amount of misinformation about generations. It’s clear why leaders need to know what works now to inspire and bridge generations fast. CGK’s speakers are uniquely able to deliver this powerful program filled with surprising discoveries after leading more than 100 research studies around the world. CGK is the world’s leading expert on research-based insights into generations.
Key outcomes:
- Gain a completely new way to understand and value each generation that creates a mindset for possibility, trust, and collaboration
- Uncover surprising insights into each generation—from Gen Z to Baby Boomers—and learn why every generation is important
- Leave inspired with specific actions customized to your organization, such as recruiting, retention, and communication
10:45 a.m. – 11 a.m. Break, Evergreen Foyer
11 a.m. – 12 p.m. Unlocking the Power of Membership Engagement: Strategies for Building Culture of Connection and Value, Evergreen 1-2
Speaker: Brad Weaber
In this session, review the key points of membership engagement for organizations. We will start by defining membership engagement and exploring the different levels of engagement, highlighting the importance of measuring engagement. We will discuss how leadership plays a vital role in creating a culture of engagement, and explore strategies for creating such a culture, along with the benefits of doing so. Effective communication is crucial for engagement, and we will discuss communication strategies to enhance engagement, the role of personalized communication, and the use of technology in communication. Additionally, we will discuss the importance of providing value to members and strategies for understanding their needs and preferences. Finally, we will discuss different metrics for measuring engagement, the importance of analyzing engagement data, and strategies for improving engagement based on data analysis.
12 p.m. – 1 p.m. Lunch.
Greenview Lawn Enjoy this networking lunch and hear a brief update from CSRA and ISHA partner, BMI
1:15 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Adesso Capital Update, Evergreen 1-2
Speakers: Selena Martin and Ben Knorr
We’ll hear from Selena Martin, Adesso Capital’s Chief Strategy Officer, and Ben Knorr, Texas Restaurant Association’s Director of Partnerships, on successes at state associations helping to put money back into businesses, and learn about new and future products to expand that support to the hospitality industry
1:30 pm - 2:30 p.m. Why Now is the time to change your pricing strategy (and how to do it), Evergreen 1-2
Speaker: Michael Tatonetti
If there's one thing most associations faced over the past few years, it's that a lack of a pricing and value strategy for your products and services leads to knee jerk reactions when an emergency hits. The good news? Now is the perfect time to implement a pricing and value strategy.In this session, you will learn what components your strategy needs, where to start today, and how to continue your strategy with continuous improvement for years to come - emergency or not.
Learning Objectives:
- Analyze which components of a pricing and value strategy your organization is lacking
- Develop a plan of action to initiate a proper pricing and value strategy
- Execute an annual review for continuous improvement in value and pricing.
2:15 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. One-on-ones with Michael Tatonetti
2:30 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. Best Practices for Membership, Galewood C
Come to this session ready to brainstorm, learn, and share thoughts and ideas on challenges membership teams are faced with.
2:30 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. Best Practices for Marketing, Galewood D
Come to this session ready to brainstorm, learn and share thoughts and ideas on challenges with your peers!
2:30 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. Best Practices for CEOs, Galewood AB
Come to this session ready to brainstorm, learn, and share thoughts and ideas on challenges membership teams are faced with.
2:30 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. Volunteer Programs That Work for Your Foundation, Evergreen 1-2
Attend this session to learn more about how you can implement successful volunteer programs for your foundation.
3:15 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Break, Evergreen Foyer
3:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. AAHOA Update, Evergreen 1 – 2
Speaker: Laura Lee Blake, President & CEO, AAHOA
3:45 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. Mastering Board Engagement: Strategies for Effective
Collaboration and Decision-Making, Evergreen 1-2
Speaker: Brad Weaber
Board engagement is a key factor in determining the success of an organization yet it's often overlooked. Engaged boards have a clear sense of purpose and work collaboratively towards achieving shared goals. In this session, leaders will learn about the importance of board engagement, its characteristics, strategies for increasing engagement, and how to overcome common challenges. The session will provide actionable steps to increase board engagement within their organizations, ultimately leading to greater success. The goal will be to leave this session with a clear understanding of the impact of board engagement and the tools necessary to create an engaged board culture.
3:45 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. Website Peer Review, Galewood AB, Open to State Restaurant and State Lodging Associations Only
4:45 p.m. – 5 p.m. Tradewing Demo, Evergreen 1-2
6:15 p.m. Meet in Lobby to depart for Dinner
6:30 pm - 8:30 p.m. CSRA & ISHA Summer Conference Dinner, Chalet
Enjoy an evening networking with your peers and colleagues.
Following dinner, enjoy a performance by BMI Singer/Songwriter Kevin Griffin. The Better Than Ezra frontman, award-winning songwriter, and Pilgrimage Festival co-founder has added yet another persona to his resume: solo troubadour. Buoyed by minimal production, sweeping vocal harmonies, and narrative lyricism, he’s penned some of his most intimate, inimitable, and irresistible tunes to date and thanks to BMI, we are fortunate enough to enjoy some of them this evening.
Wednesday, June 28, 2023
8 a.m. – 9 a.m. AHA Breakfast, Evergreen 1-2
Open to ISHA members who participate in AHLA’s AHA
8 a.m. – 9 a.m. Breakfast, Grand Café
8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Partner Tabletop, Evergreen Foyer
9 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. AHLEI Update, Evergreen 1-2
9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. 5 Steps to Value Propositions that Sell, Evergreen 1-2
Speaker: Michael Tatonetti
How do you uncover the real value your products and programs provide? Join us as we share the 5 steps to uncover your association's value.
If we're being honest, COVID-19 disrupted our association industry. Sure, many of us were on the path of digital transformation and rethinking our offerings, but we must develop our strategy, determine what we should even keep offering or sunset, and deeply analyze our product landscape to match what our members and sponsors need. With that comes the problem of value and pricing - how do we provide value and monetize what has been and what will be?
Join us as we share the 5 steps your team needs to walk through when deciding what to do with your products and pricing - and how to sell the value to your Board for buy-in. This 5-step process can be applied to sponsorship, membership, certification, education, in-person events, virtual events, or the next big thing your team will create.
Participants will learn:
- The two types of value propositions you need to utilize
- How to define your value propositions
- How to conduct market research for value and pricing
- Value-based sales and negotiation recommendations
10:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. Break, Evergreen Foyer
10:45 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. Lightning Talks, Evergreen 1-2
Moderator: Emily Daunt
Learn about new concepts at State Restaurant and Lodging Associations and how you can adapt their great work. Goal: attendees leave with ideas that they can implement for their association regardless of membership size, budget, or team size. Visit here to submit an entry.
12 p.m. – 1 p.m. CSRA/ISHA Lunch, ChopHouse
Enjoy this networking lunch and hear a brief update from ISHA and CSRA partner, Healthy Hospitality
1 p.m. ISHA Summer Meeting Concludes
1:15 p.m. – 2 p.m. Going Mobile: Activating apps with
your membership, Evergreen 1-2
How associations can best activate and use a mobile app. Tom DeBacco, Founder & CEO with MobileUp, and panelists Emily Daunt, Vice President, Marketing & Membership, Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association, and Dawn Faris, Vice President Membership & Business Development, Wisconsin Restaurant Association, will present and share insider tips that move the needle on utilizing a mobile app to increase your member and community touchpoints, to provide added value to your partners, and to gain members as mobile users and more.
2:30 p.m. – 5:00p.m. CSRA CEO Session, Evergreen 1-2
Thursday, June 29, 2023
8 – 9 a.m. CSRA Breakfast, ChopHouse
9 – 10 a.m. The World of Non-Profit Funding:
Unpacking the Mystery, Evergreen 1-2
This session embraces non-profit funding: establishing a grant team, understanding the available types of funders, targeting project concepts and organizations to align with, and identifying funding sources.
10:15 a.m. – 11 a.m. What’s taking place with Artificial Intelligence? How
Technology Is Becoming More Powerful & Accessible
to the Restaurant Industry, Evergreen 1-2
With Brian Foster, Vice President of Customer Success, Orderly and Joe Schlesman, Senior Vice President of Sales, Buyer’s Edge Platform.
Our industry has been inundated with the promise of technology for decades to address challenges like managing labor and food costs, events like the pandemic, inflation, and increased regulatory compliance. Yet too often, operators fail to realize technology’s full potential because implemented solutions are fragmented and dis-jointed, thereby increasing costs and reducing effectiveness. Consider the patchwork of solutions many operators use today: POS systems, accounting systems, payroll, scheduling, invoice digitization, inventory, recipe costing, bill pay, excel spreadsheets…. Learn how best-in-class technology is evolving to improve customer experience, operations, and compliance, while at the same time, becoming far more accessible to all levels of an organization to become a more agile and competitive business.
11 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. Atmosphere TV: a digital presentation and overview of the product, Evergreen 1-2
12 p.m. – 1 p.m. Lunch, Brissago
1:15 pm - 3 p.m. Non-profit Funding: From Concept to Creation, Evergreen 1-2
Learning the how: articulating industry information into grant applications, building sector partnerships, winning grant applications and finally, managing your submission process.
3 p.m. CSRA Summer Conference Concludes