By Steve Moran

I have been thinking a lot about conferences this past few weeks. I am like . . . a little kid thinking about Christmas; a bride anticipating her wedding (maybe not quite like this); a student anticipating graduation; a 16-year-old preparing for their driving test.

I got to thinking like that because I remember the conferences before the pandemic hit. And the start of conferences in the fall means I will get to see, in person, friends I have not seen for nearly two years. Think about it, two years, that is like crazy.

Argentum Here I Come

One of my favorites is the annual Argentum Conference. Extra special is that it is the first one of the fall season starting on September 13 in Phoenix, AZ. I recently got a chance to talk to Brad Williams about why senior living leaders should be attending this conference and here is my summary on what senior living leaders will miss out on if they skip it.

9 Things You Will Miss Out on if You Skip this Conference

  1. We need and are designed for human connection. More than anything else, the pandemic has shown us the need to connect, celebrate, discover, and learn from each other.
  2. The value of the conference in 2021 lies in how much industry professionals’ worlds have changed in the past 18 months and how important the dialogue at the conference will be around how we as an industry and individuals are moving forward.
  3. Great Keynotes – Mark T. Bertolini is a national health care thought leader and the former Chairman and CEO of Aetna Inc. He will be talking about Mission Driven Leadership. Something senior living already knows about, but needs to be better at. He’ll also address senior living’s place within the healthcare continuum in Argentum’s new CEO Collaborative program.And — Robert Richman, former culture strategist and co-creator of Zappos Insights. There is perhaps no company in the world that has done a better job of creating an amazing work culture. We can learn from Robert and the Zappos culture.
  4. It will be a time to celebrate all that we did to keep residents and team members safe, highlighted on day one via Argentum’s Awards & Heroes Work Here Celebration immediately followed by the Opening Reception.
  5. The Executive Director Leadership Institute is consistently one of the highest-rated programs Argentum hosts at the conference. For the entire conference on a parallel track, a small group of executive directors spends two days working on growing as leaders. This program is led by Tana Gall and Chris Guay and makes the industry better each year.
  6. It is time to explore with other leaders what they are doing to be successful and what they have stopped doing to be successful.
  7. It will be a time to explore what has changed as leaders look to create the best possible resident experience, improved staffing tips, and operational efficiencies.
  8. It will be a chance to connect, in person, with industry suppliers who helped us through the challenge and continue to provide a wealth of knowledge, products, and services to advance the industry — a time to explore new and better ways of serving teams and residents.
  9. There will be 6 specific specialty tracks you can participate in that include Finance & Development, HR & Training, Operations and Occupancy, Quality Improvement, and Public Policy & Government Relations, and Sales & Marketing.

Covid Safety

We did talk about Covid safety and it is an important consideration. Because it continues to be a bit of a moving target they don’t plan to announce exactly what it will look like until just a few weeks before the conference. But at this point, vaccination is not required for attending but with testing and screening practices expected as part of the entry process.

I will be there and look forward to connecting with you. We even have some cool Senior Living Foresight things planned.