The calendar still says ‘winter,’ but TVPPA’s Conferences staff has already secured several speakers for the 71st Annual Conference, set for May 22-24 at the Westin Savannah (GA) Harbor.
The 2017 Annual Conference will, in fact, feature two keynote speakers – one for each General Session. Author and award-winning performer Ross Shafer is scheduled to hit leadoff on May 23, while Scott Rasmussen, founder and president of Rasmussen Reports, will get the May 24 session started.
Also locked in for the 71st Annual Conference are Nashville, TN-based attorney Kim Vance, who’s long been a favorite at TVPPA Human Resource Management conferences; EPRI’s Rob Manning, whom many TVPPA executives will remember from his days at TVA; and FirstFuel’s Brian Bowen.
Elizabeth K. Whitney is scheduled to make her Annual Conference debut as TVPPA’s Washington representative, and TVA President/CEO Bill Johnson is on the agenda as well.
“This year’s program is rounding into shape really well,” said TVPPA Conferences Manager Tim Daugherty. “We’re working toward a mix of general-session presentations, breakout presentations and social functions that would make this a remarkable Annual Conference.”
A native of the Pacific Northwest, Shafer has just about done it all during a long and varied career. A veteran of the small screen, he’s been a pitchman and host and is a six-time Emmy award winner. He’s also written several business-oriented books, including Nobody Moved Your Cheese! and Are You Relevant?
The latter point is the one on which Shafer will base his Annual Conference presentation – and one TVPPA’s Daugherty said is unsurpassed in terms of importance.
“Our industry is changing so dramatically, and so fast, that every one of us has to be in that conversation,” he said.
On his website, Shafer draws a distinction between relevance and “being current” – to be current is mere awareness, while relevance “is taking action to make sure you matter to your customers.”
“If you don’t matter to your constituents,” Shafer adds, “they can go away and not care if you exist.”
Rasmussen co-founded ESPN nearly 40 years ago, but is better known today as one of the nation’s foremost pollsters. Unlike many of its competitors, Rasmussen Reports consistently forecast that the 2016 Presidential election’s popular vote would go down to the wire – and was within one-half of 1 percent on the final margin.
Rasmussen is set to talk in Savannah on the future political and cultural trends and how those trends will affect TVPPA-member utilities.
“Scott will address concerns and questions in an entertaining manner,” said TVPPA Conferences Coordinator Diana Bryant, “but he won’t hesitate to tell our members what they need to hear.”
Annual Conference attendees will hear from Vance on new labor laws, including statutes dealing with weapons in the workplace. Manning is set to hold forth on changing technology, while customer engagement is Bowen’s topic.
TVPPA members will elect a new leader in Savannah, where Chairman Greg Williams is scheduled to stand down after two one-year terms. A golf tournament is set for May 22 at The Club at Savannah Harbor, just steps from the Westin; and the conference’s highlight will be the presentation of TVPPA’s highest honor, the Richard C. Crawford Distinguished Service Award.
Prospective attendees may register for the Annual Conference at www.tvppa.com/conferences.