ANNUAL CONFERENCE
REWIRED Annual Conference Hits It Out of the Park! Going virtual didn’t stop us from holding two terrific PAC events, including a silent auction and the Illinois Bankers PAC Virtual Cooking lesson with Master Chef Tim Bucci. Chef Bucci is both an extremely talented chef and an exceptional teacher. Under his virtual instruction, viewers were led through a mouth-watering three-course dinner, with tips, tricks and tastes sure to impress any dinner guest! He definitely needs his own show! If you are interested in seeing an encore performance, contact the IBA’s Aimee Winebaugh at awinebaugh@ilbanker.com.
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• July-August 2020
When it became apparent that the opportunity to hold our IBA annual meeting in person was slim to none, the Annual Conference Committee, along with IBA staff, quickly switched into high gear to see what other options were available. We knew we still wanted to get together because the Annual Conference is one of the highlights of our year. We still wanted to provide much-needed educational content and critical regulatory information. We still wanted to recognize our very-deserving banks and bankers. We still wanted an appropriate send-off for Linda Koch and Bruce Baker who were retiring at the end of the month, and a rousing welcome for our new president and CEO Randy Hultgren. And, importantly, we still wanted the opportunity to connect our Associate Members, Preferred Vendors, sponsors and exhibitors with our industry’s decision makers. How best to accomplish all that? Well, the record number of attendees to our annual event saw what we
came up with on full display as we completely REWIRED the entire event. It was a full, fantastic virtual program, with many surprises! Attendees were encouraged to embrace the unique event – not to just sit and watch – and they certainly did, taking part, actively engaging, visiting and interacting with our exhibitors and other attendees and exploring our virtual conference and all it had to offer. Annual Conference Committee Chairman Michelle Gross, State Bank of Bement, was emcee for the event and said it best, “Throughout the pandemic – and even before – each of our banks has been trying to find ways to differentiate and lead in our communities. Well, this is your chance to build upon what your bank offers to your communities and customers. We have the information, speakers, vendors and connections that your team has been looking for to make your bank better.” Thank you for attending, sponsoring, exhibiting and engaging!
