Even an unusual seasonal downpour couldn’t dampen the spirits of an all-time record number of attendees at this year’s Annual Meeting at the Hotel del Coronado near San Diego.
The entire week was meticulously planned by NACD staff and the entire event proved to be one to remember. For me, as Annual Meeting Chairman and now passing the baton to Megan Bohan, Esq., I couldn’t have been more pleased.
The historic beachfront hotel played host to a truly fantastic line-up of speakers and presentations, as well as some excellent networking opportunities. The rains didn’t even deter our most dedicated golfers and those wanting to experience our many other excursions!
The theme of this year’s meeting was Iconic Collaboration, Legendary Results. We took a look at how that iconic collaboration can provide legendary results for managing our challenges and change for the better. Our opening speaker, Mark Bell, CEO of Taco Bell, captured that message perfectly with a fantastic insight into his career and how working together through all levels of your organization always achieves the desired results.
We were fortunate to be joined by former U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, for a fireside-style chat. Coming just one day after the midterm elections, it was great for us to share some time with him and get an inside view into working in the inner circle of the Trump administration in addition to his position as the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
We were very honored to have the chance to hear from Colonel Nicole Malachowski (ret), the first woman to serve as a Thunderbird pilot. We buckled in for an enlightening talk through the highs of her distinguished flying career and time in the U.S. Air Force, and how she became one of a select group to fly those iconic planes. Relating many of those experiences to the business world, she certainly gave us plenty to think about.
On the final day, Alan Beaulieu of ITR Economics — a regular at the Annual Meeting —provided an in-depth overview of the economy and what to expect in the year ahead. There was certainly lots to discuss — particularly with the issues facing the supply chain, interest rates, the oil and gas industry, and energy overall.
On top of all of these great speakers, we managed to squeeze in four fantastic breakout sessions in hopes to provide the content needed to create legendary results.
And I’m sure attendees will agree that our decision to move the usual closing reception to the middle of the week was another real success. With everyone wearing their favorite sports teams’ jerseys, we all enjoyed a relaxed evening complete with a photo booth, games, music, and plenty of food and fun.
Next year, the 2023 Annual Meeting will be back on the east coast at the Omni Amelia Island Resort in Florida from November 6-9.
Although we haven’t figured out the trick to planning the weather, we can promise it will be an event you won’t want to miss!
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