In my 20+ years at LeadingAge, I have attended more than 100 LeadingAge national and state partner events. Each is a unique opportunity for our members to come together to reshape and drive the future of our field. During and after events, I regularly hear from attendees that they feel energized, inspired, and connected to the shared goal of offering high-quality services to older adults. But I also hear about the actionable takeaways our members carry back to their organizations and communities.

Partnerships, new products, productive team members, and actionable ideas are just a few of the tangible benefits of attending the LeadingAge Annual Meeting. There is a lot of value in attending events, and the Annual Meeting is the can’t-miss event in our field.

Here are five ways members have received value from their investment in LeadingAge events.

1. Relationships. There’s no question that lifelong friendships are made at LeadingAge events. When caring, passionate people who share a common mission get together for four days, they can’t help but form strong friendships. Those friendships also become strategic assets when providers can pick up the phone and get helpful advice to solve a problem or maximize an opportunity.“The most valuable part of attending a LeadingAge event are the opportunities to meet new people and share new ideas for innovative ways people are working and engaging in the sector. Also, you learn great tools to take back to your communities and implement.”
   – Mary Helton | Chief HR Officer for A.G. Rhodes
2. Solutions to save money and solve problems. Practical solutions can be found in many places throughout the Annual Meeting: in the sessions themselves, where we’ve culled practical advice from hundreds of experts, and in E2, which is designed to provide solutions to solve problems. For example, one past attendee found a robot solution at the expo that saved their organization $80,000.“As a nonprofit, you have to be thoughtful about your decisions to send staff off to a conference. And I know that if someone goes to LeadingAge, we will bring back solutions we can use within our community. So, it’s more than theoretical. It’s also very practical.”
   – Cathleen Toomey | Vice President of Marketing for the Riverwoods Group
3. Inspired, motivated team members. Those team members who have infectious enthusiasm for their jobs … who work hard and get results … who inspire those around them … are priceless, aren’t they? The LeadingAge Annual Meeting is designed to inspire and motivate team members at all levels, helping them see the big picture and embrace your mission.“If you want an overall well-rounded employee—someone to stay [a long time] in your organization and contribute to your company’s values—then send them to LeadingAge meetings. Because that adds value to your employee, which adds value to your organization.”
   – Kenya Jeanlouis | Director of Clinical Operations at Ingleside
4. Game-changing ideas. What if one innovative idea could change the course of your organization? At Annual Meeting, you have the opportunity to hear from over 400 experts and thought leaders as part of your conference registration. It’s also common to find colleagues at Annual Meeting who have experienced similar challenges and have found solutions that could benefit your organization. For LeadingAge members, it’s all about sharing the ideas that work.“The expenditure of having staff come to a LeadingAge event is connected to our mission. When we come, we connect, we learn, and we’re able to share and take ideas back so that we can do a better job of running our business and providing quality care. So, I definitely see the return on investment.”
   – Lois Mills | Vice President/Chief People Officer at Otterbein SeniorLife
5. Continuing Education credits. At this year’s Annual Meeting, attendees can earn up to 16 continuing education (CE) credit hours, all in one place. For many, CEs are a requirement for maintaining certifications. If you don’t take advantage of CE opportunities at conferences, you may need to get those hours elsewhere, at a potential cost of up to $100 per credit hour plus hours of extra time to find, sign up, and attend sessions. The LeadingAge Annual Meeting can be a very efficient way to get many of your CE hours.“LeadingAge has been a worthwhile investment for all the years we’ve been a member. We’ve been able to leverage the resources and improve our bottom line because we can bring ideas back that help us optimize our operation.”
   – Mike Rambarose | President & CEO at Whitney Center

If you’d like to enjoy these tangible and intangible benefits, plan to join me along with 5,000+ of your peers in Chicago for the 2023 Annual Meeting, November 5–8. It will help provide the insight, inspiration, and connections needed to fuel your mission over the coming year.