WCCE Annual Conference & Retreat

Leadership: It Starts With You! Embrace your authentic purpose to passionately lead with innovative vision. The WCCE Annual Conference & Retreat provides an opportunity for local chamber executives from across Wisconsin to learn how to be a more effective community leader by developing professional skills and, ultimately, growing the local chamber. This year’s professional development conference will focus on YOU! We’ll take time to talk about how meaning matters – people don’t buy WHAT you do, they buy WHY you do it. The three-day event will provide the right tools to help you prioritize what’s important and be an authentic leader. Large and small group discussions will include conversations on your chamber’s responsibilities, membership, workforce, education, advocacy, events and more.

Sep 26 - 28, 2023

Expired!

Location

The Abbey Resort

269 Fontana Blvd, Lake Geneva

Event Agenda

2023 Program

Presented by:

Dale Wilsher

Featured Speaker

Dale Wilsher is a professional development expert, executive leadership coach, CPLC, PCC,
CCSP, motivational speaker, and DISC personality trainer who knows the secret to employee
engagement, client attraction, and business motivation lies in mastering your meaning. As
the owner of Your Authentic Personality, she helps professionals and entrepreneurs make the
highest and best use of who they are, find and create deeply meaningful work, tap into their
unique purpose, and become all they are meant to be.

Program subject to change

Session Sponsored By

Pre-Conference

Tuesday, September 26

Theme for the Day: Focusing on You

9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Boot Camp for New(er) Chamber Executives (includes lunch)

Conference

12:00 PM

Conference Registration

12:30PM

Welcome and Introductions

12:45PM

60 Ideas in 60 Minutes: Best Practices Sharing

Share your chamber’s best practice, idea or strategy to help inspire others and learn from each other

2:00PM

Fireside Chat

Hear from Stephanie about her career story, lessons learned about leadership, and the opportunities and challenges she’s faced in the chamber and tourism industry

Kurt Bauer

President & CEO, WMC

Stephanie Klett

President & CEO, VISIT Lake Geneva

3:00Pm

Opening Keynote: Meaning Matters: Define your Purpose

People don’t buy WHAT you do, they buy WHY you do it!

Dale Wilsher

4:00pm

Closing

5:00pm

Group Reception and Dinner Boat Cruise on Lake Geneva

8:00pm

Adjourn for the Day

Conference

Wednesday, September 27

Theme for the Day: Building Your Toolkit

7:00AM

Business at Breakfast

8:00am

Welcome and Introductions

8:15Am

Keynote: Management vs. Leadership

Understanding the key difference and what you should know

Rusty Schieber

Vice President of Operations Support, Brakebush Brothers, Inc.

9:00Am

Keynote: Lessons Learned about Building Relationships & Funding Your Mission

Wade Goodsell

COO, WMC; Executive Director, WMC Foundation

10:00Am

Like-size Chamber Discussions

10:45Am

Workforce Panel Presentation on Youth Apprenticeships, Fast Forward Grants, Career Pathways & Project-based and Experiential Learning

Rachel Ver Velde

moderator

Senior Director of Workforce, Education & Employment Policy, WMC

Jim Bender

Bender Consulting, Lincoln Academy Public Charter School

Beth Kaminski

Regional Career Pathways State Director, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

John Keckhaver

Youth Apprenticeship Section Chief, Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development

Nicholas Kelly

President, School Choice Wisconsin

11:45Am

Lunch

12:30Pm

Breakout Sessions

1. How to Build & Grow a Government Affairs Program

John Kirchner

Vice President of Midwest Region, US CHamber of Commerce

Amanda Payne

Senior Vice President of Public Policy, Waukesha County Business Alliance

Joe Venhuizen

Vice President of Membership, Envision Greater Fond du Lac

2. Small Chambers Rule

Russ Korpela

Executive Director, River Falls Area Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau

3. Tips for Effective Membership Management

Wade Goodsell

COO, WMC; Executive Director, WMC Foundation

1:30pm

Repeat Breakout Sessions

2:30pm

Free Time & Personal Consultations with Dale Wilsher

5:30pm

Group Reception and Dinner Downtown Lake Geneva

8:00pm

Adjourn for the Day

Conference

Thursday, September 28

Theme for the Day: Making It Happen

7:00am

Business at Breakfast

8:00am

Welcome and Introductions

8:15Am

Executive Leadership Panel

Lessons learned about business and leadership, industry opportunities and challenges, and employee and community engagement

Kurt Bauer

moderator

President & CEO, WMC

Dr. Ryohei Tsuji

President & COO, Kikkoman Foods, Inc.

Kelly Norton

Senior Director of Culture & Communication, Grande Cheese Co.

Tim Oswald

Chief Human Resources Officer, Fairbanks Morse Defense

9:15AM

Keynote: Leading with Creativity for Programming & Events

Stephanie Klett

President & CEO, VISIT Lake Geneva

10:00AM

Fireside Chat

State & Local Chamber Partnerships Strengthen the Business Community’s Voice

Wade Goodsell

**host*

COO, WMC; Executive Director, WMC Foundation

Kurt Bauer

President & CEO, WMC

11:00AM

Keynote: How to Keep the Urgent from Hijacking What’s Important

Dale Wilsher

11:45aM

Conference Takeaways

12:00PM

Adjourn

Pricing

Your WCCE Conference & Retreat registration includes educational programming, personal consultation with main speaker, meals, cocktail receptions and dinners, a boat cruise, conference materials and travel during the event. Hotel and travel to/from the resort are on your own.